ELMIRA, N.Y. - The Hartwick Men's Basketball team opened up their Empire 8 conference slate with a matchup at Elmira, battling their way to a triumph over the Soaring Eagles as Head Coach Brad Cooper secures his first victory at Hartwick.

THE BASICS

• Final Score: Hartwick 71 Elmira 68

• Location: Elmira, N.Y.

• Records: Hartwick (1-9, 1-0 Empire 8) Elmira (4-6, 0-1 Empire 8)

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

• Hartwick geared up for their first look at their Empire 8 conference opponents, matching up with the Soaring Eagles of Elmira College.

• The Hawks came soaring out the gates from the tip-off as Henry Perkins (Albany, N.Y.) got the offense up and running with a layup to open the scoring.

• Cosmo Hardinson (Larchmont, N.Y.) followed up with a pull-up jumper on the left wing from beyond the arc to jump out to a five point lead to start the contest.

• Coach Cooper's squad made their presence felt in the painted area as buckets from Perkins and Brian Bonin (Cicero, N.Y.) kept them in front.

• Elmira put together a run of their own to tie the game at 16 but their momentum was quickly halted by a three pointer from Mike Gitz (Commack, N.Y.) to put the Hawks back ahead.

• The Royal Blue & White displayed their offensive versatility as Bonin and Gitz connected from downtown to keep the team clicking.

• Xymier Thomas (Binghamton, N.Y.) made a significant impact in his time on the court, being a force in the paint and earning trips to the free throw line.

• Perkins and Thomas continued to hammer it down low and the rest of the team followed suit as Hardinson would earn a trip to the line as well as Malachi Polson (Bay Shore, N.Y.) for their effort in the paint.

• Polson connected on an acrobatic tip in through contact to earn an opportunity for an old-fashioned three point play. Polson sank his free throw to put the squad up six with five minutes remaining in the half.

• Thomas converted on his second and-one opportunity as the Hawks would grab the biggest lead yet of eleven points, powered by their grit and will to get into the paint.

• Hartwick conceded a run to Elmira to bring their lead back down to five but a free throw converted by Thomas would push them back up to six, headed into the half.

• The Royal Blue & White continued to execute down low as Bonin sank a driving layup to start the half.

• Elmira came out the gates firing, draining two threes and finding two fastbreak layups to retake the lead with 15 minutes remaining.

• Joey Mclaurin (Mastic Beach, N.Y.) sank a huge three pointer to pull the momentum back in Hartwick's favor as they now led by two.

• Baskets by Polson and Hardinson gave the Hawks some breathing room, pushing their cushion back up to double digits but another Elmira run would push the game back in favor of Elmira as they gained a two point lead with six minutes remaining.

• The seesaw affair continued for the final six minutes as the Hawks attempted to pull away but Elmira was not willing to go down easy, stringing together timely runs to keep them in the contest.

• Hartwick found themselves another timely three pointer, this time at the hands of Gitz, draining the three point shot from the left wing to take a one point lead with one minute remaining.

• The Hawks would hold onto their slim lead with help from Hardison, Mclaurin and Polson knocking down crucial free-throws with Polson shutting the door, converting on his free throw with seven seconds left to give them a well-deserved and hard earned triumph over Elmira.

• Four Hawks finished in double figures as Hardinson led the way with 14, Bonin and Gitz scored 11 and Perkins completed the double-double with ten points and 11 rebounds.
  
  COMMENTS FROM HEAD COACH BRAD COOPER
  "I couldn't be more proud of our men, our guys are resilient. They have trusted the process and bought into what Coach Benson and I are asking of them. We aren't satisfied, we'll enjoy this one for a few hours, then shift our focus to Brockport and Geneseo."

  
  UP NEXT FOR THE HAWKS
  The Hawks will return to Lambros Arena to host SUNY Brockport in an Empire 8 showdown on Friday, January 10th at 7:30PM.

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  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."