ONEONTA, NY – The Hartwick women's basketball team won an offensive struggle across West Street on Tuesday night, eventually pulling away from city rival SUNY Oneonta in a 52-41 win. The victory keeps the Hawks perfect on the young season, as they are now 2-0. The Red Dragons remain winless, at 0-2.
It was a quiet start to the game, as the teams combined for just nine points through the first seven-and-a-half minutes. Things did pick up near the end of the first quarter, however, with buckets in the final two minutes from Giuliana Pritchard (Amsterdam, NY/Amsterdam) and Erin Novak (Somers, CT/Somers). Oneonta would lead after one, 10-9.
The Hawks jumped out in front in the second quarter, using an 8-0 run to grab a 17-10 advantage; Pritchard had four of the eight points. The Red Dragons shot right back, however, as a pair of Mollys (Coyne and Stephens) combined for six straight points to cut the 'Wick advantage to one. Each side would put home one more bucket in the half for a 19-18 Hawks lead at the break.
Scoring increased a bit in the third quarter, but not by much, as 'Wick outscored their hosts 12-10 to take a 31-28 lead into the fourth. The Red Dragons led 25-21 after Margaret Nardelli's three ball with 3:49 remaining, but the Hawks hit back with a Bree Fargnoli (Binghamton, NY/Chenango Forks) lay-up followed by back-to-back Daniella DeBiase (Staten Island, NY/Xaverian) and Molly Kirby (Selkirk, NY/Bethlehem) threes later on for a 29-25 lead. A pair of Pritchard free throws extended the lead as far out as 31-25 before Oneonta narrowed it towards the end of the third.
The offense finally turned on in the fourth. Mikyla Mitchell (Glenville, NY/Mekeel Christian Academy) opened the frame with a bucket from deep, but Stephens fired right back with a trey of her own. The Hawks scored the next five points for a 39-31 lead, and the game was never all that close after that. Mitchell had a couple more strong takes to the hoop, and 'Wick made their free throws down the stretch to seal the win.
Pritchard tied with Maggie Kirby (Selkirk, NY/Bethlehem) at 10 points for the team lead, and also grabbed eight rebounds as well. Kirby was also active on the boards, at six rebounds. Mitchell contributed all over the place, with eight points, three rebounds, three assists, and three steals, and Molly Kirby had seven points, a tie for the game high at four assists, and three rebounds.
Neither team shot particularly well, as the Hawks bested Oneonta from the field, 31.7% to 21.4%. They had a sizable 51-42 advantage on the boards as well as a 10-4 lead in second chance points. 'Wick dominated the paint game, scoring 28 points in Oneonta's red to their hosts' eight. Neither side could get much going on the fast break, with four points for the Hawks and two for the Red Dragons.
'Wick is back in action this coming Saturday, when they host Ithaca in Lambros Arena at 5:30 p.m.
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