Seahawks slip in the Tyler Tip-Off opener

NORTHAMPTON, Mass. – The Hartwick women's basketball team jumped out to a quick start and never looked back in the first game of the Smith College Tyler Tip-Off Tournament on Saturday afternoon, defeating the Salve Regina University Seahawks, 67-43. With the win, the Hawks stay undefeated and move to 3-0 on the season. The Seahawks are still searching for their first win, and are 0-2.

The Hawks led by seven just 2:18 into the game after a Caitlin Corbett three, the smallest the lead would be for the rest of the game. Corbett was one of three 'Wick players with five or more points in the first, with Carly Johnson and Maggie Kirby scoring six and five points in the first ten minutes, respectively. Leading 25-14 after one, Hartwick won a defensively-oriented second quarter, outscoring the Seahawks 12-6 to lead by 17 at the break.

The third quarter brought more of the same, as the Hawks outscored Salve Regina 11-9 to keep the Seahawks at bay. Corbett scored the first eight Hartwick points of the fourth quarter as part of a 10-2 run that lengthened the lead to 25 points. The difference got as wide as 27 points with 7:35 left in the game before settling at 24 by the time the final buzzer sounded.

Corbett led all players with 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting (4-of-5 from three), and also had a team-high six rebounds. Johnson also hit double-digit points, with 10 on 5-of-9 from the field, and led all players with three assists. Maggie Kirby had a nice game, with nine points and four rebounds, as did her sister Molly Kirby, contributing seven points of her own.

Hartwick handily outperformed Salve Regina from the field, shooting 47.2% on 25-of-53 shooting compared to the Seahawks' 28.8% on 17-of-59 shooting. The Hawks were also more accurate from deep, making 42.9% of threes compared to Salve Regina's 15.4%. Hartwick also won the rebound battle, 40-29.

Tara Burke starred for the Seahawks, with eight points and a game-high eight rebounds. Mary Rorke had a strong game, potting a team-high 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting. Torie Scorpio was just a point away from double digits with nine, as well as an assist and a rebound.

The Seahawks will face the Cadets of Norwich University at 2 p.m. in the consolation of the Tyler Tip-Off.