ONEONTA, NY – Hartwick men's basketball led for the final 32 minutes of action on Friday night in a 92-81 win over Houghton in a game played at Lambros Arena. Twelve Hawks made it into the scoring column on the night as they improved to 9-15 overall and 6-9 in the Empire 8.
           
Kevin Townes (Lagrangeville, NY/Our Lady of Lourdes) and Brandon LaForest (Cohoes, NY/Cohoes) combined for 37 points, 11 assists, eight three-pointers, and five steals in the contest. Townes shot 7-of-13 from the field and he made 4-of-8 from three-point range to go along with six rebounds, five assists, and a pair of steals. LaForest made six of his nine shots from the floor, including 4-of-6 from downtown. He added game-highs of six assists and three steals.
           
Hartwick would move ahead for good at the 12-minute mark of the first half on a three-point basket from Matt Knezovic (Ballston Lake, NY/Mansfield University). The Hawks would lead by just one, 33-32, with three and a half minutes play in the opening frame but they finished on a 12-3 run to head into halftime up ten, 45-35. Townes and LaForest each had 11 points in the half.
           
In the second half, the Hawks built an 11-point margin after three and a half minutes and they led by at least 10 the rest of the way. 'Wick generated its biggest lead, 80-58, with 5:26 remaining in the contest.
           
The Hawks made 46% from the floor as a group. They also connected on 16 three-pointers on the night. The Hartwick bench out-scored Houghton's by a margin of 68-13.
           
Sam Hanley (Cranston, RI/Cranston East) would contribute a career-best 12 points as he made 4-of-6 from three-point range. Patrick Garey (Johnson City, NY/Johnson City) was also in double figures with 10. Knezovic finished the game with six points. Austin Haskell (Kirkwood, NY/Susquehanna Valley) contributed six points and a team-high eight boards. Justin Carruthers (Greenwich, NY/Greenwich) and Marc du Moulin (Altamont, NY/Guilderland) each contributed six points and six rebounds.
           
Houghton (3-21, 0-15 E8) was led by Carl Holmes' double-double of 18 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Dylan Lambert also registered 18 points.
           
Tomorrow the Hawks host Alfred in their season finale at 2 p.m. It also marks Senior Day as du Moulin, Knezovic, Corey Baker (Granby, MA/Granby), and Jake Sinicki (Endicott, NY/Maine Endwell) will be recognized for their contributions to the program prior to the game.