ONEONTA, NY – An 18-7 second quarter allowed the Hartwick women's basketball team to seize control on Tuesday evening, as they took down rival Oneonta on the road, 67-54. The Hawks are now 5-1, their best start since 2013-14 when they also began 5-1. The Red Dragons suffered their first loss of the season, falling to 4-1.
Oneonta jumped out in front, going up by 7-2 a little over three minutes in. The Hawks fought back quickly, grabbing a lead they would not relinquish in the midst of a 9-0 run to go up 15-9. After a fast break layup by Taylor Kurs (Rego Park, NY/Archbishop Molloy) to close the quarter, 'Wick led by six, 19-13. The teams battled back and forth, but with the lead at eight and 3:48 to go in the half Mary Schoenherr (Unionville CT/Farmington) hit three layups in under thirty seconds to push the lead to 14. Kelly Pine (Hoosick Falls, NY/Hoosick Falls) later followed with a jumper and a three-pointer to extend the run to eleven unanswered and the lead to 19, with Hartwick eventually leading by 17 at the break.
The third quarter was more closely played, but again the Hawks were able to enlarge their lead, as Caitlin Corbett (Altamont, NY/Guilderland) converted a conventional three-point play with 43 seconds left to make the lead 24, where it remained when the buzzer sounded. Oneonta was able to win the fourth quarter handily, outscoring Hartwick by 11, but they ran out of time, closing the gap to as little as 12 before the end of the game.
Carly Johnson (Greenville, NY/Greenville Central) led all players with 16 points, adding in six rebounds. Schoenherr entered double digits for the first time this season, scoring 14 on 7-of-11 shooting while contributing five rebounds and two assists. Pine also had a solid game, putting home ten points and grabbing a team-high seven boards. Kurs led 'Wick with four assists to go with her six points and season-high three steals.
Hartwick outshot Oneonta from the field (43.1% - 35.6%), beyond the arc (38.5% - 21.4%), and the free throw line (63.2% - 60.0%). They also won the rebounding battle, 42-36, including 11-9 on the offensive boards, leading to a 12-9 edge in second-chance points. The Red Dragons were able to garner more takeaways than the Hawks, 16-12, and outscored them 13-11 off of those turnovers.
Leanne Corso had a double-double for Oneonta, scoring 12 points and gathering a game-high 12 rebounds. She also contributed in each of the other three categories, with three steals and a block and assist apiece. Madeline Frank led the Red Dragons with 14 points, also adding in seven rebounds and two blocks. Teresa Anken had a nice night as well, dishing out a game-high six assists to go with seven rebounds, six points, and two steals.
The Hawks now take a break for the end of the semester, resting a couple weeks before traveling to Newburgh to play Mount Saint Mary on Friday, December 14 at 7 p.m.