ONEONTA, NY – The Hartwick women's basketball used a 21-9 third quarter to separate from visiting Union College in Saturday's season opener, defeating the Dutchwomen 54-40 in Lambros Arena. The win was the first for Hartwick Head Coach Sarah Lombard as a Hawk.
'Wick grabbed the lead to start, as Giuliana Pritchard (Amsterdam, NY/Amsterdam) put home a lay-up, assisted by Isabella Astorino (Warwick, NY/Warwick Valley). The teams would stay close throughout the first quarter, with the largest lead coming at five after Maggie Kirby's (Selkirk, NY/Bethlehem) jumper with 1:01 on the clock. Union would answer back, however, and the Hawks led 15-12 after one.
'Wick extended their lead out to seven on Maggie Kirby and Pritchard lay-ups to start the second, but the Dutchwomen would quickly narrow that thanks in large part to Riley Rottkamp's hot shooting. She was three-of-four from three in the quarter. 'Wick wound up leading 28-27 at the half.
Hartwick got right to it coming out of the locker room, scoring nine of the first 11 points for an eight-point lead. Union quickly shot that back down to two at 37-35, but the Hawks outscored their guests 12-1 over the final 3:47 of the quarter, ending up with a 49-36 lead after three. Six different players scored for Hartwick in that stretch.
The final quarter saw more defense than offense, as the teams combined for just nine points in the final 10 minutes. That was good enough for the hosts and their noisy home crowd, though, as they cruised to a win.
Maggie Kirby led all players with 14 points on 7-of-9 from the field, while Molly Kirby (Selkirk, NY/Bethlehem) nearly had a double on 11 points and a game-high eight rebounds (adding in a game-high four steals as well). Pritchard contributed in every category, with seven points, six boards, six assists, two blocks, and a steal. Astorino was important on the boards as well with six rebounds to go with six points.
Hartwick had a big advantage from the field, outshooting Union 47.9% to 27.5%, although the Dutchwomen were at 35.0% from three, compared to the Hawks' 14.3%. 'Wick owned the glass, winning the rebounding battle 47 to 28, and used their offensive rebounds more efficiently than Union to the tune of a 9-0 advantage in second chance points. The Hawks ended up with a massive lead in paint points, at 34 to 10.
'Wick is back to it on Tuesday for their annual rivalry game, traveling across the street to play Oneonta at 5:30.
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.