ONEONTA, NY – This coming weekend, the Hartwick women's basketball team will be attempting to do something that no other team in the program's 46-year history has done – win an ECAC Championship. The Hawks are two wins away from the feat following a 71-56 win in the ECAC Division III Metro quarterfinal round at College of Staten Island on Wednesday night.
           
Hartwick, the second seed in the tournament, will face third seeded Rutgers-Newark (18-9) in the semifinals on Saturday at Brooklyn College's West Quad Center at 8 p.m. Brooklyn will host both semifinals and Sunday's championship game as the tournament's top seed.
           
“For us, we just want to compete, stay focused, and win a championship,” said Hartwick head coach Missy West. “This team has worked hard all season so it's just important that we play Hartwick basketball.”
           
On Wednesday night, Maria Foglia (Rensselaer, NY/Catholic Central) poured in 23 points and Brittney Dumas (Easton, CT/Joel Barlow) added 16 points, 10 boards, and six blocks to pace Hartwick in the 15-point win over CSI. The Hawks pulled away in the second half, out-scoring the Dolphins 44-31 while shooting 61% (14-of-23) from the floor and 63% (5-for-8) from three-point range.
           
The top four seeds advanced to this weekend's semifinals on Wednesday. In the three other quarterfinals, Brooklyn beat eighth-seeded SUNY Purchase, 70-50, Rutgers-Newark rolled past sixth-seeded Stevens, 71-48, and fourth-seeded Mount Saint Mary defeated fifth-seeded Ramapo, 64-56.
           
In the semis, the Hawks will face a talented Rutgers-Newark team, which made the NJAC semifinals before falling to unbeaten Montclair State.
           
“They are athletic and very quick,” said West of the Raiders. “They love to attack the basket and they have a strong presence in the post.”
           
Hartwick and Rutgers-Newark have only one common opponent this season in Stevens. The Raiders defeated the Ducks by 23 points on Wednesday. Hartwick edged Stevens twice in the regular season, 69-67 and 52-46 in overtime. 'Wick scored a 60-46 win in the Empire 8 semifinals one week ago.
           
“At this point of the season, our focus is completely on ourselves,” added West. We will not let one single team interfere with what we know we are capable of. We just need to stay in the moment and enjoy the game.”
           
Hartwick is 5-6 against the rest of the field this weekend. The Hawks are 1-0 all-time against Rutgers-Newark after a 77-52 win in the Hartwick Tip-Off Classic in the 1994-1995 campaign. 'Wick is 3-2 against Mount Saint Mary and has never beaten Brooklyn with an 0-3 mark. The Hawks and Bulldogs, however, have not met since 1977.
           
'Wick will be making its fourth appearance in an ECAC Tournament. The program participated for the first time in 1989. It also made consecutive trips in the 2004 and 2005 seasons.
           
In 1989, the squad defeated Utica but fell the following day in the finals to Keuka in overtime, 69-64. The Hawks lost in the quarterfinals to Oneonta State in 2004 and to Union in 2005.
           
The Hawks have now reached the 20-win mark for the ninth time in program history. They can match last season's win total of 22 with a sweep this weekend. It would tie for the third-highest win total in a single season in Hartwick history.

       
      
2013 ECAC Division III Metro Tournament
Hosted by Brooklyn College (West Quad Center)
 
Saturday, March 2
#1 Brooklyn (23-6) vs. #4 Mount Saint Mary (17-9) - 6 p.m.
#2 Hartwick (20-8) vs. #3 Rutgers-Newark (18-9) -  8 p.m.
 
Sunday, March 3
Semifinal winners – 3 p.m.