ONEONTA, NY – Four Hawks scored in double figures as Hartwick topped Elmira 74-53 in Empire 8 action Saturday at Lambros Arena. With the victory, the Hawks improve to 12-6 overall and 8-1 in the league to set the stage for a Tuesday night showdown in Hoboken with Stevens for the conference lead.
           
Emily Stone (Granby, CT/Granby) scored a game-high 18 points for 'Wick. She made five of eleven shots, was perfect from the free-throw line (8-for-8), and added five rebounds. Carly Johnson (Greenville, NY/Greenville Central) chipped in 15 points and eight boards, and Jacqui Foreman (Tolland, CT/Tolland) missed a double-double by one rebound with 14 points and nine boards.
           
The Hawks would outscore the Soaring Eagles by a 36-16 margin in the paint and held a 45-31 edge in rebounds in the contest. Hartwick also forced 19 EC turnovers, which it turned into 22 points.
           
'Wick took command early as it darted out to a 14-2 lead in the first quarter. Johnson had seven of the Hawks' points in the run. Elmira chipped into the Hartwick advantage near the end of the quarter before the Hawks led 16-8 after 10 minutes.
           
The Hawks got breathing room in the second quarter as they used an 8-0 run in the waning minutes for a 33-20 edge at halftime. Stone (10) and Johnson (9) would combine for 19 points in the first half for the hosts.
           
'Wick maintained its big margin, never leading by less than 15 points, in the third quarter. The Hawks earned a 23-point, 48-25, lead on a Johnson layup with under a minute to play.
           
After an early Hartwick three from Anna Hickey (Falmouth, ME/Falmouth) to make it a 24-point game in the fourth quarter, Elmira stormed back with 13 unanswered points to trim the gap to 51-40 with 6:26 left.
             
Caitlin Corbett (Altamont, NY/Guilderland) stopped the bleeding with a driving layup, however, and the Hawks never led by less than 12 the rest of the day in the victory.
           
Hartwick shot just under 40% (25-for-63) from the floor in the contest while holding EC to 32.1% (17-for-53) for the field as a team.
           
Corbett ended the game with 10 points for the Hawks. Courtney Cirillo (Johnstown, NY/Johnstown) contributed six points, six rebounds, and a game-high four steals. Hickey added five points and three boards.
           
Elmira also had four players in double figures, led by Lindsey Heaton's 17 points. Danielle Cleary chipped in 13, Emily Green added 11, and Rachel Vespucci scored 10.
           
With the win, Hartwick improves to 50-11 against Elmira all-time. The Hawks have taken 13 of the last 14 games against the Soaring Eagles.
           
Stevens, which beat Utica by 40 points on Saturday to improve to 8-1 in Empire 8 play, hosts 'Wick Tuesday at 6 p.m. The Hawks topped the Ducks on January 10 at Lambros Arena, 56-40.