ONEONTA, NY – Four Hartwick players had 14 points or more on Tuesday night as the Hawks won their fifth in a row, this time beating conference rival Utica College convincingly, 92-52. Hartwick, which is 12-3 overall, remains in first place in the Empire 8 Conference with a 5-1 league record. The Pioneers drop to 6-8 (1-4 E8).
The Hawks came out firing in this one, shooting an eye-popping 62.2% from the field and 56.3% from three in a 56-point first half. They led wire-to-wire, immediately sprinting out to a 10-3 lead thanks in part to seven points from Kelly Pine (Hoosick Falls, NY/Hoosick Falls). After Utica closed the gap to four midway through the first quarter, the Hawks went on a 10-0 run to take a 23-9 lead, which included threes from Carly Johnson (Greenville, NY/Greenville Central) and Molly Kirby (Selkirk, NY/Bethlehem). 'Wick led by 16 after one, 27-11. Things got even faster paced in the second quarter, as the teams combined to score 45 points in the frame. The Hawks started gradually widening their lead before a 12-0 run near the end of the half gave them a 28-point lead. Maggie Kirby (Selkirk, NY/Bethlehem) had six of the 12 points, half on a conventional three-point play and the other half on a shot from deep. Hartwick won the quarter, 29-16, and led 56-27 going into the break. Pine had a 13-point half on a nice 6-of-9 shooting performance, while Johnson and Molly Kirby scored 11 each on 3-of-4 from three-point land.
The game began to slow down a bit in the third quarter, but Hartwick was still able to stretch out their lead, leading by as much as 40 points on a Johnson three with 2:04 left, but Utica responded with an 8-0 run and the Hawks led 76-42 at the end of the period. The fourth quarter saw an even slower game, with the teams combining for fewer points than Hartwick alone scored in the first or second quarters. 'Wick outscored the Pioneers 9-2 over the first six minutes, and ended up with a 40-point lead when the final buzzer rang.
The Hawks had more than a few players stuff the stat sheet tonight, which was their highest scoring output of the season and most points scored since the opener of the 2013-14 season, which they won 94-50. Johnson led all players with 20 points on 7-of-15 shooting and a career-high six threes, her sixth 20-point performance of the season, and also had four rebounds, three assists, and a steal. Maggie Kirby had her highest-scoring game since her 29-point outburst against John Carroll in December, potting 19 points on 7-of-11 from the field and just missing a double-double with a career-high-tying nine rebounds. She also had two assists and tied her sister Molly for the team-high of two steals. In addition to those thefts, Molly Kirby had a nice all-around night with 14 points, eight rebounds (four offensive), and three assists. Pine had a well-rounded evening as well, scoring 15 points on an efficient 7-of-10 shooting, grabbing seven rebounds (four offensive), accumulating three assists, leading the team and tying her season high with two blocks, and stealing the ball once. Mary Schoenherr (Unionville, CT/Farmington) had both her highest assist total of the season as well as the team's, dishing out eight dimes to go with her five rebounds (three offensive). Alexa DuBois (Hobart, NY/South Kortright) scored a season-high eight points on 4-of-6 from the field and also had two rebounds and two assists.
Hartwick put on a shooting clinic tonight, ending up at 53.6% from the field and an elite 50.0% (on a season-high 15-of-30) from three-point land, soundly outperforming Utica's 32.3% and 29.6%, respectively. The Hawks won the rebounding battle, 44-35, although Utica had 16 offensive rebounds to 'Wick's 13. They could not convert their second chances as effectively, however, scoring only 11 second chance points to Hartwick's 16. The Hawks turned the ball over 11 times compared to Utica's 14, and had 19 points off of those errors to the visitors' six.
For the 12th time in 14 games, Utica's Sydney Przygoda had 10 or more rebounds, this time nabbing 11 boards. She also led the team with 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting and three steals. Cora Sawyer was the only other Pioneer in double digits, as she had 10 points, two assists, a steal, and a rebound.
The Hawks continue their season this upcoming weekend with a home conference back-to-back. They play Elmira College on Friday, January 18 at 5:30 p.m. and come right back the next day for a 2 p.m. matinee vs. St. John Fisher College.
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