ONEONTA N.Y. - The Hartwick Women's Basketball team hosted the Keuka Wolves as a complete team performance lifted the Hawks over the Wolves for their first conference win of the season.

THE BASICS

• Final Score: Keuka 44 Hartwick 51

• Location: Oneonta, N.Y.

• Records: Keuka (5-8, 0-4 Empire 8) Hartwick (3-9, 1-3 Empire 8)  

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

• The Hawks prepared to defend their home court against the Wolves of Keuka College as both squads looked to pick up their first Empire 8 conference win of the season.

• Hartwick forced their way in the paint, making their presence felt as eight of the 13 first quarter points came from inside the painted area with Yadi Smith (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) opening up the scoring for the squad with a driving layup.

• Daniella DeBiase (Staten Island, N.Y.) gave the Royal Blue and White their first lead of the contest at the six minute mark, penetrating the heart of the Keuka defense and sinking a floater, coming off the feed from Smith.

• DeBiase pushed the lead to four, connecting on her first three of the night a minute later.

• Trinity Thornton (Sherburne, N.Y.) and Emma Cohen (Utica, N.Y.) converted on tough contested buckets down low to close out the scoring in the first for the Hawks.

• Keuka hit their second three of the night to pull within one as the first quarter expired with the Hawks up one.

• Cohen turned defense into offense to begin the second quarter, jumping into the passing lanes, picking up the steal. Cohen drove to the paint and was fouled on her attempt, being awarded two free throws in which she sank.

• DeBiase drained another jumper from beyond the arc, putting the Hawks up six in the early goings of the second.

• The Hawk offense went dormant as the Wolves slowly worked their way back in front, powered by their rebounding.

• Cohen spotted Smith on the wing for a deep three as Coach Lombard's squad regained the slim lead.

• The slim lead was short lived as Keuka responded with a three of their own with under three minutes remaining.

• Cohen continued to slice her way through the Keuka defense, earning another trip to the charity stripe, connecting on both free throws again. Emma worked her way back into the paint on the ensuing possession, scoring on the floater to take the Hawks into the half up by three.

• The third quarter contained four lead changes in the first six minutes before the Hawks began to pull away with the help of a three point play from Macy Durkin (Syracuse, N.Y.).

• Durkin would take control of the final four minutes, scoring another bucket and assisting Thornton on a crucial score while rebounding at a high rate, corralling four in the closing minutes.

• The Hawks continued to enforce their gameplan of overpowering the Wolves in the paint, with all field goals coming from inside the paint in the fourth.

• Hartwick played conservatively in the fourth, protecting their slim lead by the help of their suffocating defense.

• Cohen was locked in in crunch time, connecting on all five free throw attempts to help ice the game and shut the door on a Wolves comeback.

• Cohen led scoring on the night for Hartwick, pouring in 15 points, going 9-10 from the free throw line. DeBiase followed with 12 points, Durkin and Smith each contributed nine points.

• Durkin continues to rebound with the best of them, pulling down 15 rebounds, tying her career high and registering double digits for the fifth time in the last six games.

UP NEXT FOR THE HAWKS

The Hawks will wrap up the tail end of their five game conference homestand, matching up with Nazareth University on Friday, January 17 at 5:30 PM.

About Hartwick College:

Hartwick, often referred to as The Life Balance College, is a private liberal arts and sciences institution in Oneonta, N.Y. Through its distinctive FlightPath approach, Hartwick blends academic excellence, career preparation and an active campus life to help students achieve a balanced and fulfilling college experience. With transparent tuition and a focus on health and wellness, Hartwick prepares students for lifelong success—both professionally and personally.