KEUKA PARK, NY – The Women's Basketball team took care of business on the road by defeating Keuka College 75-43.  The win is exactly what Hartwick needed to secure the 2^nd seed in the upcoming Empire 8 Championship.  The Hawks, who are ranked 5^th in the most recent regional rankings, improved to 17-6 (12-3) with one regular season game remaining.  The Wolves fell to 1-22 (0-15).
 
The Hawks got off to an uncharacteristic slow start, trailing 2-8 over the game's first 3 minutes.   Giuliana Pritchard's layup 30 seconds later cut the lead in half but the hosts kept pushing the pace and found themselves up by 7 with just 2:30 to play in the first period.   Isabella Astorino and Sareena DiCerbo hit back to back shots to cut the lead again to just 3, but the Wolves closed the quarter on a 6-3 run to take a 20-14 advantage into the second quarter.  Hartwick never had a lead in the 1^st.
 
The second quarter proved much better, as Hartwick outscored Keuka 24-7 to pull well in front at the half.  After Keuka hit their first shot of the quarter to extend the lead to 8, the Hawks went on an impressive 20-0 run to not only erase the deficit but take a double digit lead at 34-22 and never look back.  Those 20 straight points came off the hands of 5 different Hartwick players, beginning with Pritchard and including Kayley Ericson, Bree Fargnoli, Mikyla Mitchell, and Maggie Kirby.  Fargnoli pushed the lead to 11 on a last second layup before the half, 38-27 in favor the Hawks.
 
Another great defensive effort for the Hawks in the 3^rd limited the hosts to just 6 points as Hartwick extended their lead to an insurmountable 30 points by the end of the quarter.  After a Pritchard layup to get things going, Maggie Kirby scored 10 of  the team's next 15 points during the Hartwick 15-0 run.  At that point, Wick was on cruise control.  The scoring slowed in the final period, although Hartwick also won that 12-10 to get to the eventual 32 point win.
 
Giuliana Pritchard led all scorers with a career high 24 points on 10-17 shooting, including 3-5 from behind the arc.  She was just one rebound shy of a double-double with a team high 9.  Maggie Kirby followed with 14 points as she pulls within striking distance of 1,000 for her career (961 to date).  Bree Fargnoli added 11 points and 6 rebounds to round out the double digit Hawk scorers.  Kayley Ericson had a team high 5 assists while Molly Kirby led with 5 steals. 
 
The Hawks will close the regular season tomorrow at Elmira.  The 2pm tip will be the last game before the Empire 8 tournament that will begin next Friday for Hartwick.  The games will be played at the top seeded St. John Fisher, however Hartwick's opponent is not yet determined.