HOUGHTON, N.Y. – Hartwick's Justin Pratt drained a three-pointer with 14 seconds remaining on the clock, sending the game to overtime, and the Hawks pulled away in the extra period to defeat the Houghton Highlanders, 91-85.
 
The Hawks outplayed the Highlanders throughout most of the first half, building their lead to as many as 12 points with just over three minutes before the break.  Houghton struggled from the floor, shooting only 27 percent, but managed to cut the lead to seven heading into the halfway point.
 
The second half was a much different story.
 
Houghton cut the lead to one point four minutes in before a Zdravko Bogdanoski (Skopje, Macedonia, Southpointe High School) layup gave the Highlanders their first lead a minute later. 
 
After trading baskets the Highlander began to roll, taking off on a 15-2 run to give them a 61-50 lead with 8:32 remaining.
 
The Hawks, however, were not done.
 
Hartwick fought all the way back to take a one-point lead with less than 2:30 left to play. 
 
With 20 second remaining Phil Pellegrino (Rochester, NY, Alfred University) drained a pair of foul shots to put the Highlanders up by three before Pratt nailed the game-tying three.
 
After the Hawks went up in the extra period Antonio Deadmon (Dallas, TX, Texas Southern) sank a layup to pull the Highlanders within two with 30 seconds left, but a pair of free throws by Joey Lufkin with 12 seconds on the clock iced the game for the Hawks. 
 
Game Vitals:
      >Score:  Houghton College - 85  |   Hartwick College - 91
      >Records:  Houghton College: 8-10 (3-7 Empire 8)   |   Hartwick: 13-6 (8-2 Empire 8)
      >Venue: Nielsen Center, Houghton, NY    |    Attendance: 112 
 
Clutch Performances:
The Highlanders:
      >Pellegrino scored 22 points and brought down a season-high eight rebounds.
      >Brandon Camacho (Dundee, NY, Dundee High School) totaled 14 points, eight rebounds and four assists
      >Tyler McQuaid (Lowman, NY, Twin Tiers Christian Academy) also picked up 14 points and pulled down six boards
.
The Hawks:
      >Matt Wilson scored 20 points and added nine rebounds and two blocked shots
      >Four additional Hawks scored in double-digits, including Brandon LaForest and Lufkin, who tossed in 19 and 18 points apiece, respectively.
       
Stat Analysis:
      >Houghton pulled down twice as many offensive boards as Hartwick (18-9), outrebounding the Hawks, 55-45.
      >After shooting 75 percent from the floor over the first 10 minutes of the game, the Hawks shot just over 35 percent the remainder of the game.  The Highlanders picked up their shooting in the second half, improving from 27 to 40 percent from the field.
 
Next Time Out:
Houghton's four-game home stretch continues as they take on Stevens Institute of Technology on Friday, February 5^th at 6:00 p.m. The Ducks defeated the Highlanders earlier in the season, 63-98, earlier in the season.