Box Score
ONEONTA, N.Y. – After a narrow overtime loss Friday night in the Oneonta & Hartwick Classic opener, the Warriors bounced back on Saturday afternoon against Hartwick College at Dewar Arena, winning the game in dramatic fashion, 55-54 to give first-year head coach Mandy King her first win at Eastern and 296th overall in her 23rd year as a college head coach.

With just 1.2 seconds remaining Saturday, the Warriors (1-4) found themselves down by two, inbounding the ball from midcourt. Out of the timeout, Eastern chose Liv Cassesse (Wallingford) for the inbound, with first-year players Katelyn Novak (Colchester) and Maddie Topa (New Hartford) each occupying a defender. An intelligent run from Novak drew both of the defenders, allowing Cassesse to find a wide open Topa at the logo. A Hartwick (1-4) defender noticed the open player and tried to close the space, but after just one dribble, Topa took a long three just as time expired and found the bottom of the net, sealing victory for the Warriors.
 
Following a heavy, 75-23 defeat Friday to Hamilton College, Hartwick was off to a fast start in this one through Yadira Smith, who scored the first five points for the Hawks. A layup from Macy Durkin made it 7-0, but Novak got things started for the Warriors out of the timeout. After trading seven-point runs, both teams started to find their rhythm and traded buckets through the rest of the quarter.
 
In the second quarter, Eastern was able to get Marissa Nudd (Colchester) -- who represented Eastern on the five-player all-tournament team -- some better looks. Capped off by a three-pointer from Cassesse, the Warriors scored another 17 points to take a six-point lead into the break. In their best defensive quarter of the game, Eastern was able to force nine turnovers from the Hawks. Eastern forced 14 steals throughout the game, with Topa  leading the Warriors with four of her own.
 
The Hawks responded well in the third quarter, nearly reversing the score from the second. The Warriors shot just 3-11 from the field, compared to Hartwick's 8-14. Unlike last night's meeting with SUNY Oneonta, Eastern faced a much more balanced array of scorers this afternoon, as multiple Hawks hit two or more field goals in the third. Heading into the fourth quarter, it was anybody's game, with Hartwick up by one.
 
In the final quarter, Eastern did not score until just 4:11 to go, when Nudd finally broke the drought. From this point, Cassesse found some room to operate in the paint, hitting three layups for the Warriors and knocking down a free-throw. With under 30 seconds to go, Yadira Smith hit a running jumper for the Hawks as the shot clock expired, giving her team a 4-point lead with just 19 seconds remaining. The lead was cut to 2 points in just 5 seconds, with the final layup from Cassesse, and the Warriors were able to force a turnover and give themselves a chance to tie the game. Eastern could not convert on their layup with Cassesse, but their defense forced another Hartwick turnover, giving the Warriors one final opportunity.

In the classic, all-tournament pick Nudd averaged 17.5 points and 7.5 rebounds, was 6-for-7 from the foul line, and totalled three steals. Cassesse averaged 15.0 points -- shooting 47.8 percent from the floor -- and had half of the team's ten three-pointers to go along with ten assists and five steals. Topa averaged 11.5 points and four rebounds and, like Cassesse, was 6-for-7 from the stripe. Six-foot junior Alyssa Paquette (Claremont, NH) grabbed 14 rebounds and blocked six shots
 
The Warriors return to action Tuesday at 5 p.m., hosting the Camels of Connecticut College in an in-state, non-conference matchup at Geissler Gymnasium. Connecticut (2-3) is coming off a narrow defeat against Western New England University in the title game of the WNE Tournament. Eastern, facing Conn in one of only two home games among its first ten contests this season, is coming off a spectacular win and newfound momentum.