ONEONTA, N.Y. - The Hartwick Men's Basketball team squared off against Nazareth for their fourth consecutive conference home game, just being edged out by the Golden Flyers.

THE BASICS

• Final Score: Nazareth 72 Hartwick 66 

• Location: Oneonta, N.Y.

• Records: Nazareth (10-5, 5-0 Empire 8) Hartwick (2-12, 2-3 Empire 8) 

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

• Hartwick geared up for a head to head matchup with the lone undefeated team in the Empire 8 conference as the Golden Flyers came in winners of five straight.

• Nazareth opened the contest with eight straight points before the Hawks came screeching back with a big pull up three from Brian Bonin (Cicero, N.Y.) to open the scoring.

• Xymier Thomas (Binghamton, N.Y.) got to work quickly, connecting on a free throw line jumper off the feed from Bonin. Thomas earned a trip to the free throw line on the ensuing possession, going two for two from the charity stripe.

• Thomas continued to make an impact, finding Malachi Polson (Bay Shore, N.Y.) on the backdoor cut with a well-executed bounce pass as Polson sank the acrobatic windmill layup for his first score of the night.

• Polson returned the favor, dishing it off to Thomas who connected on his second jumper from the free throw line to bring the Hawks within one.

• Isaiah Thomas (Manitou Springs, N.Y.) drained a running floater to give the Hawks their first lead of the contest with just under 14 minutes left.

• Polson earned a trip to the free throw line with the game tied at 13 a piece, putting the Hawks back in front with the two converted free throws.

• Mike Gitz (Commack, N.Y.) displayed his deadly range, draining two deep threes off assists from Polson and Joey McLaurin (Mastic Beach, N.Y.) to inject the team with contagious energy, forcing a Nazareth timeout.

• Henry Perkins (Albany, N.Y.) went into his bag of tricks in the post, breaking down his defender and freeing himself for his first points of the night to put the Hawks up ten.

• I. Thomas connected for five straight points off a floater and a pull-up three before Nazareth got on a run of their own.

• Hartwick's offense began to cool off as the Golden Flyers began to catch fire, slowly erasing the double digit deficit the Hawks once held.

• Nazareth managed to fight their way back into the game, powered by the Empire 8's leading scorer Jaylen Savage of the Golden Flyers as he contributed to eight straight points to tie the game before half.

• As the second half got underway, the Golden Flyers began to pull away with Savage leading the way.

• McLaurin connected on a contested corner three off the feed from Perkins to bring the Hawks right back into it, only trailing by two with 15 minutes on the clock.

• Perkins converted on the three point play on the ensuing possession to catapult the Hawks back in front.

• Nazareth responded with a nine point spurt that would prove to be the difference in the final nine minutes as the Hawks could not retake their lead.

• Three Hawks finished in double digits as Perkins and I.Thomas both finished with twelve points.

• Bonin just missed the double-double, picking up ten points and nine rebounds.

UP NEXT FOR THE HAWKS

The Hawks will return to Lambros Arena on Saturday, January 18 to face off against St. John Fisher at 4 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.