LATROBE, PA – A one-possession game with 5:56 to go in the fourth quarter ballooned into a 14-point Hartwick lead just 2:22 later on Friday evening, as the Hartwick women's basketball team downed Brockport, 62-50, on the second and final day of the St. Vincent Women's Basketball Classic. Thanks in large part to her 24-point, 11-rebound performance against the Golden Eagles, Maggie Kirby (Selkirk, NY/Bethlehem) was named to the All-Tournament team, averaging 17 points, seven boards, two assists, and a steal throughout the two-game tournament. The Hawks scoot back above .500 thanks to the win, at 5-4, while Brockport falls to 3-6.
Unlike yesterday against Gettysburg, Hartwick got off to a hot start, taking a 9-2 lead just over two-and-a-half minutes in. Brockport narrowed the gap to two a couple times, but 'Wick stayed with it and ended up with an 18-12 lead after one on Giuliana Pritchard's (Amsterdam, NY/Amsterdam) lay-up with six seconds to go. The second quarter seemed like more of the same for the bulk of it, as the Hawks held a 23-16 advantage with 2:36 on the clock. Brockport took some control after that, however; Bailey Pratt hit a three to cut the deficit to four, Zaria McCullough followed a defensive stop with a jumper, and Pratt sank another three-ball on the next possession to give the Golden Eagles their first lead of the game, at 24-23. They led by that score headed into the break.
Hartwick quickly took the lead back to start the second half on a Molly Kirby (Selkirk, NY/Bethlehem) jumper that was soon followed by a Pritchard steal and lay-up (assisted by Kirby). The teams would trade the next eight buckets, all the way to 35-32, when Maggie Kirby broke the monotony with a three-pointer. Brockport's Julianna Taylor fired back soon after with an old-fashioned three-point play, but Maggie Kirby stepped up again on the next possession with another three for the final points of the quarter. Headed into the final stanza, 'Wick led 41-35.
Pratt hit her third three of the game to open the scoring in the fourth and from there the margin stayed between three and five points for a while. It seemed as if Brockport might cut their deficit to just one with over five minutes left, as Allison Chiera grabbed a defensive rebound and raced the other way, but her lay-up would not go and Maggie Kirby quickly grabbed the rebound. The Hawks went on their game-defining run over the ensuing few minutes.
Maggie Kirby started out by drawing contact from Chiera and sinking two free throws, and Pritchard then took advantage of a Brockport turnover and canned a three with 4:49 to go, making the score 52-44. Kirby followed with a huge three-point play to bring the lead past ten, and Taylor Verboven (Columbia, CT/E.O. Smith) forced a Golden Eagles timeout with a corner three for the 14-point, 58-44 lead with 3:34 on the clock. Pratt would hit a couple more threes before the final buzzer sounded, but the damage was done, as 'Wick came away victorious.
Maggie Kirby went off all game, eclipsing the 20-point mark for the second time in her career with her season- and game-high 24 on 8-of-14 shooting (2-of-4 from three), as well as securing the double-double with another season- and game-high of 11 rebounds. Pritchard was also a big contributor, just missing a double-double with 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting, grabbing nine boards, and registering four steals and a block. Molly Kirby had eight points, three assists, three steals, a block, and a rebound, and Mary Schoenherr (Unionville, CT/Farmington) ended up with seven rebounds, six points, two blocks, two steals, and an assist.
Pratt led the Golden Eagles in scoring with 17 points, although it took 6-of-16 from the field to do so. She also had three rebounds, two blocks, and a steal. Taylor was right behind her with a more-efficient 7-of-12, 15-point performance, as well as three boards and a steal. Chiera led her side with seven rebounds to go with four points.
The Hawks were not all that efficient overall in the win, which came against Coach Katie Marcella's alma mater, shooting just 36.1% from the field and 23.5% from deep. Brockport had respective marks of 38.9% and 28.0%. Free throws made a big difference, as 'Wick made 14-of-23, while the Golden Eagles had just three attempts from the charity stripe and sank one. Hartwick narrowly won the rebounding battle, 41-38, although their big 14-7 advantage on the offensive glass led to a 12-5 lead in second chance points. They also had 17 turnovers to 25 for Brockport, and led 23-7 in points off turnovers accordingly.
After a quick holiday break, the Hawks get back to it on Saturday, December 28 at 3 p.m., when they take on York (PA) in the first game of the Montclair State Holiday Tournament. The winner advances to the championship game the next day at 3 against either host Montclair State or Bethany, while the loser plays in the consolation at 1.
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