ONEONTA, NY – In a game that featured 22 lead changes, 19 tie scores, and three overtimes, a jumper from Spencer Cook with 18 seconds left in the third extra session proved to be the difference as Stevens defeated Hartwick in a marathon 106-104 game played at Lambros Arena Saturday.
           
The Hawks would force the third overtime with a buzzer-beating three-pointer from Brandon LaForest (Cohoes, NY/Cohoes) to tie the score at 97-all at the end of the second overtime. The Hawks held three leads in the third overtime but the Ducks would score the final four points to escape with the win.

The game marks the second multi-overtime game for Hartwick in the past three seasons. 'Wick dropped a 117-115 double-overtime game to Ithaca in 2016.
           
The Hawks slip to 4-9 overall and 1-3 in the Empire 8 with the result. Stevens improves 12-3 and stays unbeaten in league play at 6-0.
           
Kevin Townes (Lagrangeville, NY/Our Lady of Lourdes) led six Hawks in double figures with a double-double of 23 points and a game-high 14 rebounds. He connected on three three-pointers in the game. LaForest finished with 19 points, four three-pointers, five rebounds, and three assists. Tommy Kelly (Niskayuna, NY/Niskayuna) added 16 points, he tied for a game-high six assists, and grabbed five boards.
           
Marc du Moulin (Altamont, NY/Guilderland) missed a double-double by one rebound with 15 points and nine rebounds. Corey Baker (Granby, MA/Granby) made a trio of threes to finish with 13 points. Patrick Garey (Johnson City, NY/Johnson City) made four from downtown and ended the contest with 12 points.
           
Cook dropped in 33 points for Stevens to lead all players. Jayson Winnick scored 20 points and Frank Amari and Kevin Florio each contributed 10 points for the Ducks.
           
The game could not have been any tighter throughout regulation time with the lead changing hands 13 times and neither team gaining a lead of more than eight points. The Hawks trailed 71-63 with less than six minutes to play but rallied for the next 10 points for a 73-71 advantage with 25 ticks remaining. With 9.2 left to go the Ducks converted two from the stripe to force overtime.
           
The two teams traded three-pointers and then layups to start the first extra period before Garey's three pushed the Hawks ahead 81-78 at the 3:12 mark. The Ducks got a bucket back and Cook tied it on a free throw with 1:03 to play before a driving layup from LaForest put the Hawks up with 41 ticks left on the clock. Cook countered with a jumper 19 seconds later to send the game to a second overtime.
           
Cook and Townes connected on three-pointers for their teams at 2:11 and 1:49, respectively, in the second OT. A basket from Winick and his two free throws 44 seconds later gave the Ducks a 92-88 lead with 49 seconds left. A Baker three trimmed the gap to one. Free throws from Amari and Cook built the advantage back to four with 15 seconds to go. Garey then hit a trey for the Hawks with four seconds to play and the Hawks fouled Amari with 1.4 seconds left. He made two from the line for a 97-94 Ducks' lead. With the ball under their own basket, Chris Maloney (Pleasantville, NY/Pleasantville) gunned the inbound pass beyond mid-court to Justin Carruthers (Greenwich, NY/Greenwich). He caught the ball and dished a pass on the side to LaForest who beat the buzzer with his fourth triple of the game to miraculously tie the game once again.
           
The lead changed hands five times in the first three and a half minutes of the third overtime period. Baker's third three-pointer at the 1:18 mark put Hartwick in front for the final time, 104-102. Winick's layup tied the score with 1:08 remaining and Cook's jumper marked the final points of the game. On the Hawks' final possession, Winnick came up with a steal. The Ducks still needed to inbound the ball with 3.3 seconds left and they were able to run out the clock for the win.
           
The Hawks would shoot 42% from the floor in the game and they connected on 12 three-pointers. The Ducks had 16 threes in the contest and they finished shooting 38% as a team. Hartwick had the edge on the glass, 63-53.
           
Hartwick is off until next weekend when it hosts St. John Fisher Friday and Nazareth on Saturday.