KEUKA PARK, NY – The Hartwick Men's Basketball team picked up another win after defeating the Keuka College Wolves 76-68 on the road. The Hawks shot over 50% from the field and held the hosts to just 34% en-route to their second win of the season. Hartwick stands at 2-20 (2-12) while Keuka drops to 3-18 (3-11) and out of contention for the final spot in the E8 tournament.
Kevin Felasco led all scorers with 22 points on 7-11 shooting from the field. He dropped 3-6 from long range and hit 5-6 from the charity stripe to account for his career high point total.
Anthony Girard followed with 15 while
Nick Eiler contributed 11.
Liam Drennan pulled down 11 rebounds to go along with his 9 points on the night. Felasco led the team with 6 assists.
A pretty evenly played and exciting contest, the Hawks took the opening tip and just 20 seconds later had a 3 point edge after Girard hit from long range. The teams traded baskets to an 8-8 tie before
Cooper Francis connected on a deep shot to regain the Hawks lead. With Hartwick ahead 18-14 at the 13 minute mark, Wick went on a 10-3 run to open an 11 point edge which seemed fairly safe given the momentum gained by Hartwick. However, the hosts had different thoughts as they went on a run of their own, 15-4, to tie the game going into the locker room.
The second half played out similar to the first, as Hartwick built up a 12 point edge at the 10:44 mark after
Kevin Felasco connected on 12 consecutive points over a 3 minute stretch. Despite the momentum, the Wolves pulled to within 2 with 6 minutes to play. Each possession being important, the Hawks turned once again to Felasco who scored 6 of the team's next 8 points to get the lead back to 10 with just over a minute to play. A
Liam Drennan layup after a beautiful dish by
Anthony Girard put the Hawks back in the drivers seat at 72-62. Knowing the Wolves would extend the game by fouling, Hartwick calmly sunk 4-6 from the line to close the game and get them the much deserved victory.
Hartwick had one of their better shooting nights, hitting 29-57 and 8-20 from distance. They didn't attempt a free throw in the first half but went 10-15 in the second when it mattered most. If there was one thing Hartwick struggled with tonight, it was giving up offensive rebounds. Keuka pulled down 20 offensive boards, but fortunately that led to just 11 second chance points.
Hartwick will close out the season tomorrow on the road at Elmira College. Tip-off is slated for 4pm.
