ALFRED, NY – With the win over Alfred University and a loss by Nazareth College in Rochester, the Hartwick women's basketball team moved into first-place in the Empire 8 Conference on Saturday afternoon. The Hawks soundly beat the Saxons, 70-47, winning their fourth game in a row and moving to 11-3 (4-1 E8), the program's best start since 2013-14. Alfred drops to 5-7 (1-2 E8).
Hartwick took control of this one early, going up 9-2 under four minutes in after Caitlin Corbett (Altamont, NY/Guilderland) made a fast-break lay-up. They extended the lead out to eight points when Kelly Pine (Hoosick Falls, NY/Hoosick Falls) scored with 3:34 left in the quarter, eventually leading 19-12 after one. Alfred closed the gap in the second, twice coming as close as four on Jamie Wilcox lay-ups, but immediately after the Hawks went on a 10-0 run to make their lead 14. Maggie Kirby (Selkirk, NY/Bethlehem) started it off with a couple of free throws, and was quickly followed by a Corbett three. Molly Kirby (Selkirk, NY/Bethlehem) then made a jumper in the paint, and Pine sank a couple free throws of her own. Corbett capped it off with another three-pointer, en route to 17 first-half points, assisted by Carly Johnson (Greenville, NY/Greenville Central). Heading into the locker room, Hartwick was firmly in control, leading 41-24.
The third quarter picked up where the second left off, as the Hawks started on a 6-0 run to stretch the lead to 23. The rest of the period played out evenly, with each team scoring six points, and the score at 53-30 after three. 'Wick stayed in control all of the fourth quarter, as their lead stayed at 16 or greater throughout the final ten minutes. They led by as much as 26 after Hailey Sinicki (Endwell, NY/Maine-Endwell) hit a jumper in the final minute, the game ultimately wrapping with the Hawks up by 23.
Corbett led all players with 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting (including 3-of-5 from three), her highest output of the season. She also had six rebounds, two assists, and a steal. Fresh off her 1000th point, Johnson tacked on 12 more on 6-of-12 from the field to go along with four boards, three assists, and two steals. Maggie Kirby also had 12 points and two steals, in addition to seven rebounds. Pine led the game with 11 rebounds, potting eight points as well. Mary Schoenherr (Unionville, CT/Farmington) had a unique stat line, doing more dishing than swishing with a game-high five assists and no points. She also did some heavy lifting in the dirty areas, with five rebounds, and excelled defensively with a game-high four steals and a block.
Hartwick had the better go of it in all facets of the shooting game, leading Alfred 40.0% to 32.1% from the field, 30.0% to 26.7% from beyond the arc, and 100% to 56.3% from the free throw line. The Hawks handily won the rebounding battle, 51-27, including 17-4 on the offensive boards, although they only had an 8-4 advantage in second chance points. Turnovers were roughly even, as Hartwick forced 17 turnovers to Alfred's 14, but 'Wick had 15 points off of those turnovers compared to four from the hosts.
Wilcox led the Saxons with 12 points on the afternoon. Katlyn Boland and Sam Pierre-Louis tied for the team-high with six rebounds apiece, scoring four and five points respectively
The Hawks play again on Tuesday, January 15, at home against Utica. Tip-off is at 5:30 p.m.
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