ONEONTA, NY – Hartwick's women's basketball team dropped a 49-39 decision to King's College on Friday night in the opening game of the Holiday Inn Classic at Oneonta's Dewar Arena. The Hawks trailed by just two points at halftime, but a big third quarter for the Monarchs would prove to be too much for the Hawks to overcome.
           
Senior forward Taylor Vonasek (Willington, CT/E.O. Smith) led the Hawks with 15 points. She was the lone 'Wick player in double figures.
           
Jacqui Foreman (Tolland, CT/Tolland) pulled down a team-high 13 rebounds and tied for a game-high with four assists for the Hawks.
           
The two teams struggled to put the ball in the basket in the opening quarter. The score was tied at four with 5:43 remaining but neither team registered a point for the next five minutes of action. A Jessica Bellai (Schenectday, NY/Schalmont) free throw with 39 ticks left in the period gave the Hawks a 5-4 lead before a three from Kasey Seltz put King's up 7-5 after one quarter.
           
After an opening basket from the Monarchs in the second quarter, the Hawks used a 9-2 run to open up a 14-11 lead with 7:25 left in the half. An Emily Stone (Granby, CT/Granby Memorial) layup, an and-one from Vonasek, and a jumper from Courtney Cirillo (Johnstown, NY/Johnstown) keyed the spurt.
           
The Monarchs went in front 20-16 before a Foreman layup trimmed the gap to two points, 20-18, at the half.
           
King's began the third quarter with a 15-4 run to open up a 35-22 advantage with seven minutes elapsed and the Monarchs led 38-24 heading into the fourth.
           
The Hawks cut the deficit to six twice in the final period. A Vonasek layup made it a 42-36 game with 5:10 showing on the clock. 'Wick had three possessions to inch closer but could not convert. The Monarchs would use six consecutive points to build an 11-point lead with under a minute left en route to the win.
           
Vonasek would also contribute five rebounds and two steals for the Hawks. Cirillo finished with six points and a game- and career-high five blocked shots. Alicia Razanousky (Stuyvesant, NY/Ichabod Crane) also scored six points on a pair of three-point baskets. Stone ended the game with five points and she grabbed seven rebounds.
           
The Hawks combined to shoot only 25% (15-for-60) as a group. They also struggled from beyond the arc making 16% (3-for-19) of their shots.
           
The Monarchs had a difficult time as well making 29% (18-for-62) from the field and 12% (3-of-25) from three-point range. They were led by Jennifer Fabian's 16 points. Kayla Feairheller added 13.
           
Hartwick plays tomorrow at SUNY Oneonta against Middlebury College. The Hawks and Panthers tip-off at 1 p.m.