Box Score
ALFRED, NY- The two highest scoring offenses in the Empire 8 squared off for the second time this season as the Hartwick men's basketball team took on Alfred at the McLane Center on Saturday afternoon. The Hawks led by six points at halftime but the host Saxons outscored Hartwick 63-50 in the second period to come out with a 105-98 win.
With the loss, Hartwick's record is now 13-9 overall and 8-4 in the Empire 8. Alfred improves to 16-5 overall and 7-3 in the Empire 8.
Jared Suderley (Newport, NY/West Canada Valley), who last night became the all-time leading scorer in Hartwick history, led all scorers with 28 points on 7-of-12 shooting and grabbed 13 rebounds for his 14
th double-double game of the season.
Joey Lufkin (Argyle, NY/Argyle) added 19 points and came away with five steals.
Matt Petruccione (Saratoga Springs, NY/Bishop Maginn) and
Kyle Bradley (Cornwall, NY/Mansfield University) both contributed eight points each. With his performance today, Bradley has now scored 1,000 points in his four-year collegiate career. He also added seven rebounds and five assists on the afternoon.
The Saxons were led by Tyler Seelman's 25 points. Thomas Tsatsis chipped in 15 points, seven rebounds and five steals. Dalton Walsh scored 13 points while Jerry Kincel added 10 points and five rebounds.
Hartwick was off to a good start in the first half as it got out to a 9-2 lead with 18:08 showing on the game clock. The Hawk lead increased to as much as 12 points, 22-10, at 12:39.
The Saxons' 12-3 run cut the 'Wick advantage to 25-20 at 9:08. Hartwick twice restored its lead to eight but after the second time at 7:55, an 8-0 AU run tied the contest up at 30-all at 5:20. Two more ties would occur with the final time happening at 2:38 and the score knotted up at 39-39. A 9-3 'Wick run to close out the half gave the Hawks a 48-42 edge going into the locker room.
In the second half, Hartwick held an advantage for most of the period but could not fend off the Saxons. The turning point in the contest came midway through the half when Alfred embarked on a 25-9 run that saw it tie and then take its first lead of the half, 78-77, at 6:31. The Saxons pushed their lead to as much as 10 points, 90-80, with 4:15 showing on the game clock.
A 9-2 Hawk run in almost two minutes of game time cut the AU lead down to 92-89 with 2:23 remaining to play. The Saxons answered back with a three-pointer from Kincel to increase their lead to 95-89 at 1:49. Alfred then converted six of eight free throws in the final 28 seconds to pull away for the win.
The two teams finished the game nearly identical in shooting percentage. Hartwick was 30-of-69 (43.5%) while Alfred was 38-of-88 (43.2%). Neither squad shot well from beyond the three-point arc but AU was slightly better as it hit 9-of-31 (29%) to 'Wick's 7-of-31 (22.6%). The Hawks were better from the foul line as they were good on 31-of-37 (83.8%) attempts compared to the Saxons' 20-of-29 (69%).
Alfred had the advantage on the boards as it led 58-40. The Saxons led in the paint (46-42) and on second chance points (28-20). Both teams had 12 steals.
The Hawks are idle next weekend. They will return to the hardwood on February 18 when Stevens comes to Lambros Arena. Game time will be at 6 p.m.
