HOUGHTON, NY—It was a tale of two halves on Saturday afternoon as the Hartwick Hawks handed the Houghton Highlanders their eighth straight loss, 79-69.
 
Houghton took a 41-34 lead into the break after shooting 52 percent from the floor and committing only six turnovers. 
 
The Hawks—who shot only 35 percent but committed only four turnovers in the first half—would quickly reverse their fortunes in the second period. 
 
Hartwick would commit only one turnover in the second half as they outscored the Highlanders, 44-25.  Houghton, for their part, would give the ball away 10 times as their lead slipped away.
 
Finally, with 7:46 remaining Hartwick's Austin Haskell drained a runner in the lane as the Hawks pulled away down the stretch.
 
GAME VITALS
Score: Houghton – 69 | Hartwick – 79
Records: Houghton: 3-9 (0-3 Empire 8) | Hartwick: 4-7 (1-1 Empire 8)
Venue: The Nielsen Center, Houghton College | Attendance: 83

NOTABLE STATS
>> Hartwick utilized a deep bench as nine players reached the scoring column and the reserves outscored Houghton's bench, 24-5.
 
>> All five Houghton starters reached double-digit point totals.  Dylan Lambert and Carl Holmes each scored 15 points apiece, while Jordan Holmes collected 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
 
>> Darius Brown notched the first double-double of his career, scoring 10 points and pulling down 12 rebounds in the loss.  He also added four assists. 
 
>> Cody Johnson came within one rebound of his own double-double as he also scored 10 points and grabbed nine rebounds for the Highlanders.
 
>> Four Hawks posted double-digit points, including Kevin Townes, who led all scorers with 18 points, and Brandon LaForest, who posted 15 points and seven assists.
 
COACH'S CORNER
"We've lost eight games in a row now.  The best part about our team is that you would never know it by watching our practices and by watching our guys interact with each other. 
 
"This team is special in that they are eager to get better every day.  That's what I love about these young men." –Coach Corky McMullen
 
UP NEXT
The Highlanders return to the Nielsen Center at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 9 when they will square off with the Elmira Soaring Eagles in another Empire 8 matchup.   Houghton has won the last four games between the two teams.