ONEONTA, NY – Breaking the 85-point mark for the third time in their last five games, the Hartwick women's basketball team blew out conference rival Elmira College on Friday night at Lambros Arena to win their sixth straight game, engineering an 86-52 victory. The Hawks, who remain undefeated at home with a 6-0 record, move to 13-3 overall and stay in first place in the Empire 8 with six wins and just one loss in league games. They are one win away from matching their best start to a season through 17 games since 2013-14. The Soaring Eagles' tough skid continues, as they have now lost five in a row and drop to 4-9 (0-4 E8).
Right from the start it looked like Hartwick might be in for its first close home game, as Elmira made three-pointers on its first two possessions, eventually jumping out to an 8-2 lead. But as they've done this season when needed, 'Wick got back in it in the blink of an eye, scoring on their next three possessions to even up the score. After Elmira's Lindsey Heaton made two free throws to regain the lead, the Hawks took over, going on a 13-2 run over the next five-plus minutes. There was a bit of a palindromic nature to the stretch; Caitlin Corbett (Altamont, NY/Guilderland) dished out back-to-back assists to Mary Schoenherr (Unionville, CT/Farmington) and Alexa DuBois (Hobart, NY/South Kortright) to start it off, followed by a traditional three-point play from Molly Kirby (Selkirk, NY/Bethlehem). After the Soaring Eagles made a lay-up, Kirby potted three more points, this time all on one shot from beyond the arc. A couple possessions later DuBois scored again, knocking down 1-of-2 free throws, and Schoenherr finished off the run that she started with a lay-up to put the Hawks up nine. Elmira was able to make consecutive buckets to end the quarter, however, as Alyssa Waters hit a jumper and then stole the ball before depositing a fast-break lay-up to make the score 21-16 after one.
A new quarter brought no let up from 'Wick, as four different players had buckets on an 8-0 run to start the second period. After Elmira's Rachel Vespucci made a lay-up to temporarily cut into the Hartwick lead, Caitlin Corbett mde two three-pointers in a row to extend the lead out to 17, at 35-18. The Hawks had another 8-0 run near the end of the period, which included two more three-point plays from Molly Kirby (one traditional), and overall had a dominant second quarter, outscoring the visitors 22-8 in the ten minutes to take a 43-24 lead in to the locker room.
Dirty work having mostly been done, Hartwick was able to easily keep Elmira at bay in the second half. The third quarter saw 43 combined points scored, with the Hawks leading by as much as 29 points after Carly Johnson (Greenville, NY/Greenville Central) made one from deep with 3:38 to go. Hartwick won the quarter narrowly, 23-20, and led 66-44 entering the fourth. 'Wick locked down defensively in the final stanza, allowing just eight points. They also had a 10-0 run in the middle of the quarter, featuring a Kelly Pine (Hoosick Falls, NY/Hoosick Falls) three-point play and punctuated by yet another Molly Kirby three. The Hawks led by as much as 37 after Isley Sterling (Wilton, NY/Saratoga Springs) gathered an offensive rebound and put back a lay-up with 1:37 left, ultimately leading by 34 when the final buzzer sounded.
Corbett had the most well-rounded night for Hartwick, scoring 15 points, grabbing six rebounds, getting five assists, stealing the ball a team-high three times, and blocking the ball once. Molly Kirby led the Hawks with 17 points on 5-of-6 shooting (3-of-3 from three), scoring in the double-digits for the sixth straight game. She also had four assists, part of a 23-assist effort for the team as a whole. Johnson was right behind Kirby with 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting, her 13th game with 10 or more points. Pine was not far off from a double-double, scoring nine times and nabbing a game-high eight rebounds. Schoenherr had a devilish line of six points, six assists, and six rebonds, appropriately grabbing a steal to go with it. Sterling had a career-high of eight points and a season-high of two assists, battling for four rebounds as well. DuBois also set a season high, but in rebounds, accumulating seven of them (three offensive), and tying her season-high of three assists. Maggie Kirby (Selkirk, NY/Bethlehem) shot 3-of-5, scoring seven points and getting one rebound.
Overall, Hartwick handily outshot Elmira, 51.6% to 32.8% from the field, an excellent 52.9% to 27.3% from three, and 84.6% to 64.3% from the charity stripe. The Hawks also won the rebounding battle, 42-34, although the Soaring Eagles had 14 offensive boards to 'Wick's 13. Hartwick turned those second chances into points much more effectively, however, as they had a 23-8 advantage in second chance points.
Hartwick also won the turnover battle, giving it up 13 times to Elmira's 18, and had a 20-15 lead in points off of turnovers as a result. They led in paint points, 34-24, suggesting a superior ability to get to the rack this evening. And although it may have been a result of Coach Katie Marcella emptying the bench early with a large lead, the Hawks had a significant 33-21 lead in bench points for the game.
Elmira's leading scorer was Lindsey Heaton, as she was the lone Soaring Eagle in double digits, scoring 14 points. She led the team with three steals, and had three rebounds and three assists. Alyssa Waters also made significant contributions, scoring seven points and leading the team with six rebounds.
Next up for the Hawks tomorrow afternoon is St. John Fisher College, who they beat on a last-second three up in Pittsford earlier this season. It's an earlier start than normal at 1 p.m., as there is a large snowstorm in the forecast.
Make sure to catch the latest news on all your favorite Hartwick Hawks teams by following @HawkTalk on Twitter, @hartwickhawks on Instagram, and by liking 'Hartwick Hawks' on Facebook.