Farmingdale, N.Y.- The Hunter College women's basketball team opened up the 2024-25 season with a dominating road victory over Farmingdale State College, 68-48.

The Rams (2-1) got off to an early lead in the first quarter, with Hunter briefly taking the lead after a three from graduate student, Kimberly Lau (4:19).  Thought the Hawks (1-0) trailed by just one, a shooting foul beyond the arc in the last minute gave Farmingdale a four point advantage as the opening period came to a close. By the midpoint of the second quarter, the Purple and Gold had tied it up. The two teams continued to exchange points but the Hawks' offensive surge, topped off by a three-pointer from Erin Cosio with just 16 seconds left on the clock, sent the two teams into the intermission with Hunter leading 32-29.

Hunter's squad came out swinging to start the second half, quickly grabbing a 10 point lead with Alexa Charles scoring seven points for the Hawks. The stand out guard would net an impressive 34 points in the game, leading all scorers. "My team played great; awesome team defense, I'm just happy I played my part," said Charles. "We brought home a dub for the start of the season! I'm very excited to see what's in store for us!" Hunter continued to build on the lead, while the team's defense held the Rams to single digits in the fourth quarter. The Hawks combination of skill on both ends of the court ultimately sealed the win on opening night, 68-48.

Hunter shot 43.1% overall, while limiting its opponent to a mere 24.6% on the night, emphasizing the team's defensive skill, as six different Hawks notched a steal on the night with Cosio and Makkedah Murray each grabbing two. Charles recorded a whopping seven steals, in addition to her 34 points, while managing a pair of blocks and 11 rebounds, marking the junior's first double-double of the season, a signature of her's in years past. 

Cosio also netted double-digit points, adding 15 of her own in addition seven rebounds, three assists, and a rare block for the starting point guard. Katie Burke led the team in assists, dishing out four in addition to a steal. Off the bench, Kennedy DuRuy led with seven rebounds and six points in 23 minutes of action. In her first night in the Hawk uniform, transfer Gianna Henriques also made an impact, with four points, three rebounds and a pair of blocks.

The Hawks return to the court on Nov. 16 for the Emmanuel College Tip-off Tournament in Boston, Mass. Tip-off is slated for 3:00 p.m.