ONEONTA, N.Y. – The Hawks secured the #5 seed in the upcoming Empire 8 playoffs by taking down the current #2 seed, Nazareth on their home court on Friday night by a score of 66-54.
 
THE BASICS
 

• Final Score: Hartwick 66, Nazareth 54
• Location: Oneonta, N.Y.
• Records: Hartwick (9-14 Overall, 8-9 Empire 8), Nazareth (19-5 Overall, 13-4 Empire 8)

 
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
 

• Cooper Francis (Lynbrook, N.Y.) sparked a stunning opening run by the Hawks, drilling a three just 43 seconds into the contest.
• By the 16:22 mark of the first half, Hartwick had jumped out to an eight-point lead.
• Nazareth worked their way back into the game, knotting the score up at 14-14 midway through the opening half.
• The contest remained a back-and-forth affair for the final ten minutes of the half with the Hawks eventually taking a 28-24 lead into halftime.
• Hartwick looked to pull away several times during the early parts of the second half, but Nazareth stayed hot on their heels.
• However, the closest the Hawks would allow their visitors to get was 43-40 with 11:55 left to play.
• Hartwick pulled away for good in the final three minutes, starting with a Kevin Felasco (Liverpool, N.Y.) three-pointer.
• Francis closed out what would eventually be a double-digit win over the current #2 seed in the Empire 8 standings by hitting four-straight free-throw attempts in the final 30 seconds of play.
• Felasco finished the night with 15 points, nine of which came from beyond the arc.
• Francis collected his seventh double-double of the season, scoring 13 to go along with 15 rebounds.
• Sammuel Prosper (Milford, Mass.) chipped in 14 points, three assists, and a team-high five steals.

 
UP NEXT FOR THE HAWKS
 
The Hawks wrap up their regular season slate tomorrow afternoon against St. John Fisher at 4 PM.  Prior to the contest, the team will honor their three seniors.
 
HARTWICK COLLEGE
 
One of the oldest colleges in the country, Hartwick has continually evolved for 225 years. The College's exciting new chapter is called FlightPath, a future-focused approach to education. Offering a distinctive blend of curricular, co-curricular and real-world work experiences, FlightPath builds on Hartwick's long history of integrating broad-based studies with experiential learning.
 
Hartwick College is a nationally ranked independent college of the arts and sciences located in picturesque Oneonta, NY, in the northern foothills of the Catskill Mountains. The College offers 35 courses of study leading to a bachelor of arts or bachelor of science degree, two master's degrees in the sciences, and a graduate certificate in nursing education. For more information, visit www.Hartwick.edu.