Box Score Box Score

ONEONTA, NY (November 28, 2010) – With her team trailing 54-52 with 3:56 to play, Hartwick College freshman guard Kait Veit scored five straight points in the course of one minute and ten seconds to lift the Hawks to a 69-58 victory over the Vassar College women's basketball team on Sunday afternoon at Limbros Arena.

Veit's heroics, which included a pair of 3-pointers and two free throws in a 1:10 span, propelled the Hawks past a Brewers team that had built a 50-43 lead with 7:27 to play, but managed only two field goals from that point. To cinch the victory, Hartwick converted on 19 of 21 free throws in the second half (28 of 34 for the game) and scored all of its final 12 points from the free throw line.

Vassar drops to 2-2 on the season and will next play on Wednesday, December 1 at Eastern Connecticut at 7:00 p.m. Hartwick improves to 3-1 and will face Skidmore in Saratoga Springs at 8:00 p.m. on November 30.

Hartwick got major contributions from four different freshman players who accounted for 49 of 69 points and 22 of 27 rebounds, but Brewers had their own freshman stalwart on Sunday, with forward Hannah Senftleber scoring all of her 13 points in the second half on 5-of-10 shooting, and leading Vassar from a 26-24 halftime deficit into a 44-39 lead at the midpoint of the second half.

Senftleber scored nine of Vassar's first 14 second half points on an assortment of inside-outside moves. When junior guard Brittany Parks connected on a pair of free throws with 7:27 to play, Vassar led 50-43. Less than a minute later, Hartwick's freshman forward Katrina Caufield converted a layup and momentum swung in the host teams favor.

Parks connected on two free throws to keep the Brewers ahead 54-49 with 4:09 to play. But then, starting at the 3:56 mark, Veit got into an offensive groove, scoring eight points in 1:10, providing Hartwick with a 57-54 lead, one that held firm. Senftleber connected on a layup with 2:28 to bring Vassar within 57-56, but Hartwick scored all of its final 12 points from the free throw line for the 69-58 victory.

The first half was a series of back-and-forth runs – two made by each team – in an evenly played 20 minutes. Hartwick jumped out to a quick 7-2 lead, only to see Vassar go on a 9-0 run over a 3:17 span – keyed by five straight points by Parks – to take a 11-7 lead with 14:46 to play. Hartwick called a much-needed timeout out, and left the huddle going on a 17-6 spurt that provided a 24-17 lead with two minutes remaining. Parks closed out the half with a 3-pointer with three seconds left to close the gap to 26-24.

Parks scored 25 points for the Brewers, her third 20-point plus outing in four games this season. Senftleber had 13 points, equaling her season average, and sophomore forward Natalie Allen had eight rebounds.

Freshman guard Kate Purcell led Hartwick with 18 points on a perfect 9-for-8 from the line. Veit had 17 points and freshman guard Maria Foglia had 16 points Caufield led all rebounders with 12.