AURORA, NY – The Hartwick women's basketball team extended their winning streak to four in blowout fashion on Saturday afternoon, beating Wells on the road, 73-43, in both teams' final game before the Thanksgiving break. After losing their first two games of the season, the Hawks are now 4-2, while Wells stays winless at 0-5.
'Wick took the lead on their first possession, when Molly Kirby (Selkirk, NY/Bethlehem) put in a three-pointer, assisted by Giuliana Pritchard (Amsterdam, NY/Amsterdam). The Hawks kept rolling, and lead 11-4 just 3:20 in after Pritchard grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back. Their lead landed at nine by the time the buzzer sounded, as Mary Schoenherr (Unionville, CT/Farmington) sent in a jumper from the paint with 13 seconds to go to make the score 18-9.
The second quarter saw even more dominance from Hartwick, as they outscored the Express 23-9 to take a 41-18 lead into the locker room. Leading by nine a couple minutes in, the Hawks rattled off a 10-0 run to firm up their grip on the game. They continued to extend the lead for the remainder of the quarter, with Isley Sterling's (Wilton, NY/Saratoga Springs) lay-up bringing the lead to 23 with 32 seconds left before the half.
Hartwick continued their fun in the third, lengthening the lead to 34 at 64-30 before time was up. Maggie Kirby (Selkirk, NY/Bethlehem) and Molly Kirby started it off with two lay-ups, and Kelly Pine (Hoosick Falls, NY/Hoosick Falls) and Victoria Sacramone (Queens, NY/St. Mary's) made threes later on. Overall, seven Hawks scored in the third, with Pritchard, Kayley Ericson (Franklin, CT/Norwich Free Academy), and Rhiannon Groll (Red Bank, NJ/Boonton) accounting for the other point-getters.
The fourth quarter was a mere formality, and Wells actually outscored Hartwick in the final stanza, 13-9. They put in six points in a row after a Sacramone three made it 71-36 with 4:31 on the clock. Erin Langworthy (Warrensburg, NY/Warrensburg) scored the final points of the game, on two free throws with just under a minute to go.
The Hawks had a balanced attack, as six players scored seven or more points. Molly Kirby (6-of-8) and Sacramone (4-of-7) led with 14 each, with the latter's coming off the bench. Each player also tied for the game high in steals of four. Maggie Kirby was also in double figures, at 10 points, and was followed by Schoenherr and Pritchard who each had eight points. Schoenherr contributed heavily elsewhere, as she had 11 rebounds (10 or more for the third time in six games) and seven assists, both game highs, as well as two steals. Pine was next on the board for Hartwick, at seven points, four rebounds, and two steals.
Wells' offensive came primarily from two sources, Brittany Kropp and Jordan Jacobs. Kropp led all players with 17 points, also registering four rebounds. Jacobs had 15 points, five rebounds, three assists, and two blocks. Martiza Scharoun led her team on the boards, with eight rebounds, and had five points and three steals.
The Hawks handily outshot the Express, 44.3% to 31.5% from the field. They had a big advantage from the charity stripe as well, shooting 81.3% on 13-of-16 compared to 60.0% on just 3-of-5 for the home team. Wells turned the ball over 28 times to 'Wick's 16, leading to a 30-13 advantage in points off turnovers for Hartwick. The team from Oneonta also got a lot more out of their reserves, outscoring the Express 26-0 in bench points.
The Hawks head into the quieter part of their schedule now, with just five games in 41 days before Empire 8 play begins on January 4. They play next after the Thanksgiving break when they host Hamilton in Lambros Arena at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, December 4.
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