Hartwick Comes Back to Defeat Union 62-61
SCHENECTADY, NY- Chris Ryder's (Port Washington, NY/Port Washington) two free throws late in the second half gave visiting Hartwick its first lead of the game and Anthony Keane's (Staten Island, NY/Monsignor Farrell) three-pointer with 1:19 remaining to play proved to be enough as the men's basketball team came back to defeat host Union 62-61 on Tuesday night at Viniar Athletic Center. The Hawks improve their record to 4-0 while the Dutchmen are 0-1.
Ryder's free throws came with 1:58 left to make it 59-58 for 'Wick. Keane's three-pointer made it a 62-58 Hawks lead, but Union's Joe Mason made it a one point game again with a three pointer with 1:01 remaining. After a missed free throw by Mark Blazek (Erie, PA/Erie Cathedral Prep) with five seconds left, Mason got a three-point attempt off that missed just before the buzzer and Hartwick walked off with the victory.
"We had a great second half and we were good at shutting down what Union was offering," said head coach Todd McGuinness. "Our guys played hard down the stretch and Keane's two three-pointers were huge. Ryder really gutted it out and I was proud of the effort he gave."
Blazek led the Hawks with 17 points and four rebounds. Jared Suderley (Newport,NY/West Canada Valley) and Keane both had 15 points each. Suderley was 7-of-14 shooting while Keane was 5-of-6 including 3-of-3 from beyond the three-point arc.
The Dutchmen led by as much as 12 in the first half at 14:29 but the Hawks would go on a 10-0 run to cut the lead to two. Union had a 39-32 lead at halftime.
Union took a 10 point lead 2:01 into the second half at 44-34. When Keven Donohue made a layup with 12:38 left in the second half, it was a 10 point lead for Union at 54-43. In the next 10:40, the Hawks tied it at 58-58 with a 15-2 run capped by Ryder's first of two free throws with 1:58 left. The run was fueled by five points by Keane. Keane had a key three-point shot with the shot clock winding down as he heaved a desperation attempt that banked off the glass and into basket to put Hartwick to within one point at 56-55 with 5:02 remaining.
For the game, Hartwick shot 44% from the field and recorded eight steals. Union shot 42% from the field and had a 38-31 rebound advantage.