ONEONTA, N.Y.-  Houghton women's basketball dropped Empire 8 matchup against Hartwick, 66-42, on Friday night at Lambros Arena.
 
The Highlanders' first-half struggles led to a slow start as the Hawks out-performed Houghton 36-17 before heading to the locker room. It was a tough half for the Highlanders as they shot 8-for-34 (23.5%) from the floor and grabbed 17 rebounds, while Hartwick shot 48.4% and grabbed 25 boards.
 
While the Highlanders made a strong effort in the second half, winning the third quarter 13-11, Hartwick was able to answer Houghton's every move. The Hawks led by 20 points heading in the fourth quarter. While Houghton did find some offense, the deficit soon proved to be too deep of a hole for the Highlanders to dig out of and therefore dropping their third straight Empire 8 contest.

With the loss, the Highlanders drop to 12-12 (8-7 E8) so far in this season.
 
GAME VITALS                          
Score: Houghton – 42 | Hartwick - 66
Records: Houghton – 12-12, 8-7 Empire 8 | Hartwick – 7-17, 6-9 Empire 8
Venue: Lambros Arena, Oneonta, N.Y. | Attendance: 150
 
NOTABLE STATS
>> Brittany Lenart led the Highlanders notching 13 points, while Emily Swanson pulled down six boards.
 
>> Both Houghton and Hartwick turned the ball over 15 times. Houghton scored 16 points off of turnovers, while Hartwick scored 11.
 
>> Hawks grabbed 50 boards, out-rebounding the Highlanders' 43 boards.
 
>> The Hawks were led by Caitlin Corbett (23 points) and Carly Johnson (19 points).
 
UP NEXT
Closing the regular season, Houghton will be back in action Saturday, February 17^th, traveling to Elmira College for a 5:00 PM matchup.