ROCHESTER, NY - Hartwick used a 15-0 run late in the contest to erase a two-point deficit in a 71-60 triumph at Rochester Institute of Technology on Sunday afternoon on the hardwood of Clark Gym. The Hawks trailed 58-56 with 6:12 to play in the game, but five different players would total 15 consecutive points over the next 5:26 in the victory. Hartwick improves its record to just a game below the .500 mark at 11-12. It also moves them into sole possession of 5th place in the Empire 8 standings.
Hartwick was paced by guards Lauren Ploof (Hammond, NY) and Fritzi Flores (Bergenfield, NJ) who both combined for 41 points on the day. Ploof would account for a game-high 21 points, seven assists, six rebounds and three steals. Flores contributed 20 points, six boards and a game-high five steals.
Senior Danée Harrison (Cary, NC) registered her third double-double of the season with 11 points and 11 rebounds. She added three steals and three blocked shots. Classmate Katie Caddell (Amsterdam, NY) also dropped in 11 for the Hawks.
It appeared Hartwick would roll in the early going of the contest as the Hawks raced out to a 12-point lead (18-6) after just five minutes. 'Wick would maintain a comfortable advantage throughout the half until a 13-5, six-minute RIT run late in the half would make it just a one-point game (34-33) with just over a minute to go before the break. A layup by Ploof with under 10 ticks left gave 'Wick a 36-33 lead heading into halftime.
In the second half, the lead changed hands six times and the score was tied on five different occasions in a tightly-contested 20 minutes. A layup by Wapshere at the 11:34 mark gave the Tigers their first lead of the afternoon, but a quick 7-0 run gave the edge back to the Hawks with under nine minutes left. RIT would fight right back scoring nine of the game's next 11 points capped by a Danielle Furman three-pointer that gave her team a two-point (58-56) edge with 6:12 to play.
Caddell would then tie the game on a pair from the free-throw line, and Shamia Dean (Rensselaer, NY) gave the Hawks the lead for good as she connected on a three-pointer on her only shot attempt of the game. The lead was extended to four (62-58) on a Harrison free throw and Tigers did not do themselves any favors on the offensive end turning the ball over on each of their next five possessions. The Hawks would convert four of the Tiger mishaps into nine points, capped by a Flores three-pointer with 1:57 left to take an insurmountable 71-58 lead.
The Hawks, for the game, would score 30 points off of 25 RIT turnovers. They also hit a season-best 91% from the foul line hitting 19 of their 21 attempts.
RIT was led by Anne Wapshere's 13 points. The Hawks limited Tiger freshman standout Sharon Denis to just 12 points. She did manage to pull down a team-high 10 rebounds and block seven shots in the game. Charley Scott-McGrail added 11 points and eight rebounds for the Tigers, and Furman chipped in with 10.
Hartwick currently trails St. John Fisher for the fourth and final Empire 8 playoff spot. With a pair of conference games left, the Hawks need to win both and hope the 8-5 Cardinals drop their final three games to have a shot. Regardless of Fisher's results, a pair of wins in their final two games would leave the Hawks eligible for ECAC Tournament consideration.
'Wick travels to Alfred Friday evening at 6 p.m. and wraps up the regular season Saturday at home against Stevens at 2 p.m.
