UTICA, N.Y. – The Hartwick Men's  Basketball team faced off against Empire 8 opponent Utica in the first game of their three road games this week.

THE BASICS

• Final Score: Hartwick 69 Utica 78 

• Location: Utica, N.Y.

• Records: Hartwick 1-14, 0-8  Empire 8), Utica (14-2, 7-0 Empire 8)

 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

• Hartwick jumped out to an 8-3 lead to start the first half, Daniel Oyediran (Madison, N.J.) scored the first four then Henry Perkins (Albany, N.Y.) scored the following four.

• The game would tie at thirteen but a nice spin and score by Perkins gave the lead back to the Hawks. The lead would end up in Utica's hands as they hit a three pointer halfway through the first half.

• Kevin Felasco (Liverpool, N.Y.) jumped into the passing lanes, causing a turnover and turning it into a fast break layup. Felasco then spotted Cooper Francis (Lynbrook, N.Y.) in the paint for the bucket to draw within five before a Utica timeout.

• As the first half came to a close, Hartwick trailed by eight. Perkins and Oyediran led the scoring with nine and Perkins led with eight rebounds.

• With the second half underway, Jaden Carter (Scotch Plains, N.J.) would sink a three pointer to cut the lead back to five. Back to back buckets by Oyediran slimmed it back down to three.

• After a Utica basket, Shea Barber (Wells Bridge, N.Y.) found Carter on the opposite wing for a deep three to cut it down to two. 

• The Pioneers continued to pull away but Carter found Jeremiah Boateng (Springfield, Va.) down low twice to keep chipping at the lead. 

• Another Felasco steal, dished off to a driving Oyediran had the Hawks down by only one with six minutes left.

• Hartwick continued to stay close but unfortunately would be defeated by Utica 69-78.

• Henry Perkins posted a double-double with 14 points and 16 rebounds while Oyediran led the Hawks in scoring with 22, Carter also registered double digits, finishing with 14.

UP NEXT FOR THE HAWKS

Hartwick will head to Nazareth University for a conference matchup on Friday, January 26th at 7:30.

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.