The Keuka College women’s basketball team picked up its first conference victory of the season on Saturday, edging Hartwick College 64–62.
First-year guard Emiley Anderson (Gerry, N.Y./Cassadaga Valley) turned in a career performance, posting career highs with 15 points, five rebounds, two assists, and one block. Fellow first-year Emilee Bacon (Buffalo, N.Y./Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart) also recorded a career-high 12 points for the Wolves. Brooke Burd (Canisteo, N.Y./Canisteo-Greenwood) added her eighth double-double of the season, finishing with 13 points and 13 rebounds.
The teams traded baskets early in the first quarter, with Keuka holding an 8–7 lead at the five-minute mark. The Wolves closed the period on a 14–6 run to take a nine-point advantage into the second quarter. Anderson led Keuka with seven points in the opening frame, while Burd pulled down five rebounds.
Five Keuka turnovers in the first two minutes of the second quarter allowed Hartwick to cut the deficit to five. The Hawks continued their defensive pressure, forcing three more turnovers and tying the game at 24 with five minutes remaining in the half. Keuka responded with a 9–5 run, led by Bacon, who scored six points during the stretch, as the Wolves took a five-point lead into halftime.
Keuka came out strong after the break, controlling the tempo and outscoring Hartwick 21–11 in the third quarter. Anderson paced the Wolves with six points in the period as Keuka extended its lead to 15 heading into the fourth quarter.
Hartwick opened the final period with a five-point run to pull within 10. The teams then traded baskets, but Keuka maintained a double-digit lead with two minutes remaining after a timely jumper from Janea Hamilton-Brown (Liverpool, N.Y./Liverpool). The Hawks continued to battle, scoring six straight points to cut the margin to four with 30.9 seconds left. After a Keuka timeout, Hartwick forced a turnover on the inbounds pass and converted a layup to make it a two-point game with 8.7 seconds remaining.
Mary Cotter (Hershey, Pa./Hershey) went to the free-throw line with a chance to make it a two-possession game but missed both attempts, giving Hartwick one final opportunity. The Hawks’ potential game-tying three-point attempt at the buzzer missed off the glass, securing the 64–62 win for the Wolves.
Up Next: Keuka College will host SUNY Brockport on Tuesday, Jan. 13, at 3 p.m.
