HOUGHTON, NY – Hartwick (4-7) separated itself from Houghton (3-9, 0-3 E8) in the final five minutes of action as the Hawks out-scored the host Highlanders 14-4 to close the game in a 79-69 conference road victory Saturday at the Nielsen Center. The victory for 'Wick snaps a three-game winless streak and evens the Hawks' Empire 8 record at 1-1.
After
Brandon LaForest (Cohoes, NY/Cohoes) gave Hartwick the lead for good on a free throw at 5:07 and
Kevin Townes (Lagrangeville, NY/Our Lady of Lourdes) dropped in a layup to extend the lead to three at 4:24,
Patrick Garey (Johnson City, NY/Johnson City) and LaForest drained back-to-back three-pointers to up the lead to seven, 74-67, with 2:25 left. The Hartwick defense would hold the Highlanders without a field goal the rest of the way to secure the victory.
Townes led all players with 18 points for the Hawks. He also tied for a team-high with seven rebounds. LaForest added 15 points, four three-pointers, and a game-high seven assists.
Garey contributed 13 points and he matched LaForest with four treys.
Corey Baker (Granby, MA/Granby) scored ten points and knocked down a pair of threes.
The host Highlanders led for most of the first half, opening up as much as an 11-point advantage. The Hawks got back into it in a back and forth second half which had seven lead changes and five tie scores.
Hartwick made 40% of its shots as a group. The Hawks also hit 14 three-pointers in the contest. Houghton made 42% of its shots and held a slim margin on the glass, 41-38.
Tommy Kelly (Niskayuna, NY/Niskayuna) would add seven points for the winners on the day.
Justin Carruthers (Greenwich, NY/Greenwich) netted five points and he tied Townes with seven boards.
Dylan Lambert and Carl Holmes each scored 15 points for Houghton. Jordan Holmes added 14 points and Darius Brown earned a double-double with 10 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.
Hartwick returns to action on Thursday, January 11 at Utica College beginning at 6 p.m.
