ONEONTA, N.Y. — Hartwick hosted St. John Fisher for an Empire 8 conference matchup to continue their homestand, dropping their weekend opener to the Cardinals on Friday night at Lambros Arena.
THE BASICS
Final Score: St. John Fisher 76 Hartwick 65
Location: Oneonta, NY | Lambros Arena
Records: St. John Fisher (10-6, 6-1 Empire 8) • Hartwick (7-9, 1-6 Empire 8)
HOW IT HAPPENED
Hartwick went head-to-head with St. John Fisher on their home hardwood Friday night, continuing their homestand before ultimately falling to the Cardinals in Empire 8 action.
Mike Gitz (Commack, N.Y.) opened the scoring by drilling a three-pointer off a feed from Xymier Thomas (Binghamton, N.Y.), but the Cardinals answered with a hot start, rattling off a 14-point run. Kesean Leonard (Rochester, N.Y.) stopped the surge with a finish in the paint before Robby Lucas (Abington Heights, PA) added an and-one conversion and followed with another interior basket off a dish from Malachi Polson (Bay Shore, N.Y.). Lucas then returned the favor, finding Polson for a score as the Blue and White gained momentum. Samaj Barnwell (Stockbridge, GA) knocked down a pair from the charity stripe before Polson connected on a pull-up jumper to trim the deficit to four. Back-to-back buckets from Barnwell and Lucas tied the contest at 20 just past the midway point of the opening half.
St. John Fisher responded with consecutive scores to regain control and maintained the cushion for the remainder of the half. Lucas and Leonard continued to pace the Hawks offensively as Wick went into the break trailing by six.
The Cardinals maintained their edge in the second half as Lucas and Barnwell led the Hawk offense, consistently finding ways to score. Hartwick cut the margin to as close as three, but foul trouble allowed St. John Fisher to preserve their advantage. Despite a strong push from the Blue and White, the Cardinals held on to secure the Empire 8 victory.
Lucas led all scorers with a career-high 26 points, adding three rebounds, two assists, and a steal. Leonard delivered a strong performance against his hometown squad, finishing with 13 points to go along with an assist, a rebound, and two steals. Barnwell and Polson provided valuable scoring off the bench, while Keegan Paolillo (Clearwater, FL) controlled the glass for the second unit, pulling down eight rebounds.
UP NEXT FOR THE HAWKS
The Hawks will return to the hardwood tomorrow, hosting Nazareth on Saturday, January 24th at 4PM.
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.
