ST. PETERSBURG, FL – Maggie Kirby (Selkirk, NY/Bethlehem) had the game of her young collegiate career in the first game of the St. Pete Classic on Wednesday, leading all players with 29 points and nine rebounds to help the Hartwick women's basketball team to an 83-69 victory over John Carroll University. The Hawks rebound after a loss in their last game and move to 6-2 for the year; the Blue Streaks fall to 6-4.

'Wick jumped out in front early, leading 10-3 with 5:20 to go in the first, but John Carroll quickly scored the next five points to narrow the gap to two. The first quarter ended with a tiny Hartwick lead, 17-16. Maggie Kirby shouldered the load to begin the second period, going on a personal 6-2 run before Caitlin Corbett (Altamont, NY/Guilderland) made a lay-up for a 26-18 advantage. Again, the Blue Streaks were able to cut into their deficit, as the margin bounced between two and seven prior to settling at four when the halftime buzzer sounded with the Hawks up, 34-30.

The Kirby sisters scored the first eleven points of the second half for Hartwick. After Maggie started the final twenty minutes with a three-pointer and a free throw, Molly Kirby (Selkirk, NY/Bethlehem) hit a lay-up and a three of her own before Maggie hit a lay-up 3:37 into the third quarter. Still, John Carroll was able to hang in, immediately cutting the Hartwick lead to three after the lay-up. The Blue Streaks made their deficit just two with 2:26 left in the quarter, but the Hawks responded enthusiastically this time, going on 9-0 run that saw a Mary Schoenherr (Unionville, CT/Farmington) jumper, a Maggie Kirby three, and a jumper and fast-break lay-up in quick succession from Carly Johnson (Greenville, NY/Greenville Central). Once again, John Carroll showed their resilience, scoring six straight points over the final 33 seconds of the period to make the Hartwick lead just five heading into the fourth, 62-57.

The Hawks grabbed control of the game for good starting out the final quarter. Corbett hit a lay-up to start it off, followed by a conventional three-point play from Molly Kirby thirty seconds later to extend the lead to ten. For the last time, the Blue Streaks hung in there, narrowing their deficit to six at 69-63 with 3:50 left, but time was not on their side. Once they began to foul, 'Wick put the game away at the charity stripe, hitting 12 of their final 14 free throw attempts to make the final score appear much more comfortable than it was.

Maggie Kirby's day was not only big but efficient as well. Her 29 points, which is the highest individual total for any Hartwick player this season, came on 8-of-11 from the field, including a perfect 4-for-4 from deep. She also hit 9-of-13 from the free throw line, helping to ice the game in the fourth quarter. Three of her nine rebounds came on the offensive glass, helping provide the Hawks with some extra possessions. Corbett had her fifth double-digit point game in eight tries, scoring 15 on 5-of-10 shooting while also grabbing seven rebounds and dishing three assists. Molly Kirby, Schoenherr, and Johnson also did some heavy lifting, each scoring ten points. Molly Kirby had six rebounds and a game- and career-high three blocks. Schoenherr nabbed five boards and had three assists. Taylor Kurs (Rego Park, NY/Archbishop Molloy) had the highest individual assist total for any Hawk this year, with five, also pulling in four rebounds.

'Wick had the advantage in all facets of the shooting game. They outshot John Carroll 47.5% to 35.1% from the field, 33.3% to 25.9% from three, and 66.7% to 55.6% from the free throw line. Hartwick won the rebounding battle, 48-42, although the Blue Streaks held the advantage on the offensive glass, 18-12. However, they could not convert enough of those extra possessions into points, as Hartwick led 10-6 in second chance points. Each team forced 22 turnovers, but the Hawks held a sizeable advantage in points off of turnovers, 28-16.

Nicole Heffington was the leading scorer for John Carroll, potting 21 points on 8-of-16 shooting. She also contributed eight rebounds (tied for the team-high), two assists, and a steal. Kahrin Spear also had a nice day, scoring 16 points to go with three steals and three assists.

The Hawks finish their time in St. Petersburg tomorrow when the play Olivet College at 3 p.m.

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