HOUGHTON, N.Y. – Maisie Pipher (Lowman, NY, Twin Tiers Christian) joined some elite company on Saturday afternoon, surpassing the 1,000 point mark for her career, but the Houghton College Highlanders fell to the Hartwick Hawks, 45-55.
 
Pipher entered the game needing only five points to reach the milestone and quickly scored the first four points for the Highlanders. 
 
In the second quarter, Pipher sank a free throw to reach the milestone, then used a spin move in the post to sink a layup that brought the Houghton fans to their feet.  Pipher becomes only the 12^th women's basketball player in Houghton College history to score 1,000 points in a career.
 
The basket brought the Highlanders within two and another Pipher layup a few minutes later tied the score at 24, but the Hawks drained a foul shot and a jumper to take a three point advantage into the break.
 
Hartwick started the second half on a blistering pace; scoring the first nine points of the third quarter and eventually took an 11-point lead into the final frame.
 
Houghton slowly clawed their way back, and an Elle Reed (Sherman, NY, Sherman Central School) layup with one minute to play brought them within six, but Hartwick sank four consecutive free throws down the stretch to keep the Highlanders at bay and complete the victory.
 
Game Vitals:
      >Score:  Houghton College - 45  |   Hartwick College - 55
      >Records:  Houghton College: 8-11 (2-8 Empire 8)   |   Hartwick: 8-10 (6-4 Empire 8)
      >Venue: Nielsen Center, Houghton, NY    |    Attendance: 104 
 
Clutch Performances:
The Highlanders:
      >Pipher finished with 11 points, seven rebounds and five blocked shots
      >Brittany Lenart (Panama, NY, Panama HS) chipped in nine points and four assists.
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The Hawks:
      >Caitlin Corbett led all scorers with 15 points and Taylor Vonasek added 12 points
      >Jessica Bellai totaled eight points, seven assists, five steals and four rebounds.
       
Stat Analysis:
      >The Highlanders struggled from the field, shooting only 32 percent on the day.  The Hawks shot 42.6 percent.
      >Houghton outrebounded the Hawks, 40-33, but turned the ball over five more times than their opponent (17-12).
 
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, 37-52, earlier in the season.