ONEONTA, N.Y. – The Hartwick Men's Basketball team opened their 2024-25 season against SUNY Cobleskill on Friday night with a tough 69-65 loss at home.
 
THE BASICS
 

• Final Score:  Hartwick 65, Cobleskill 69
• Location:  Oneonta, N.Y.
• Records:  Hartwick (0-1 Overall), Cobleskill (1-0 Overall)

 
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
 

• The Coach Cooper era of Hartwick Men's Basketball began on Friday night in Lambros Arena against the visiting SUNY Cobleskill Fighting Tigers.
• The Hawks scored the first point of the contest as Henry Perkins (Albany, N.Y.) hit one of two early free throws.
• The Fighting Tigers picked up a quick layup, to go up 2-1 but that lead was quickly erased when Mike Gitz (Commack, N.Y.) drained a three to give Hartwick the one-point advantage.
• The two squads played even in nearly every aspect of the game throughout the first half with the score changing hands seven times across the first twenty minutes of play.
• Gitz was a major tone setter for the Hawks, scoring all 12 of his first half points from behind the arc.
• Unfortunately, a layup in the final second of the first half by Cobleskill gave the visitors a 34-30 going into the break.
• The Fighting Tigers put pressure on the Hawks early in the second half, pushing their lead to seven points.
• The Hawks responded behind a strong effort in the paint by John Bangel (Candor, N.Y.) who snagged a rebound off of a missed three for the put-back to stop the Cobleskill threat.
• The Fighting Tigers made every effort to try to pull away throughout the second half, but Hartwick stayed right on their heels, preventing Cobleskill from building no more than a six-point advantage.
• Hartwick pulled within two points of Cobleskill twice in the final two minutes of action but were unable to regain the lead ultimately falling 69-65.
• Gitz paced the offense, pouring in a career-high 21 points.
• Senior Brian Bonin (Cicero, N.Y.) also scored in double figures for the Hawks chipping in 12 points.
• "The atmosphere was awesome tonight," said Head Coach, Brad Cooper. "We're grateful for everyone who came out to support the doubleheader. It's a privilege we don't take lightly... to play in Lambros arena."
• "Hats off to Cobleskill," Cooper continued. "They played well and are well coached. I'm also really proud of our guys. They competed and played for one another.  We are looking forward to learning from tonight and preparing for a very good Oneonta team on Wednesday."

 
UP NEXT FOR THE HAWKS
 
The Hawks turn their attention to their annual "Battle of the Hills" matchup against the SUNY Oneonta Red Dragons at home on Wednesday at 7 PM.
 
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.