WEST POINT, NY ? The University of Hartford men's basketball team couldn't overcome a rough shooting performance at Army on Saturday afternoon, falling 62-53 at Christl Arena.
The Hawks (0-3 overall) shot just 34 percent for the game and went 6-for-31 from three-point range. The Black Knights (3-1 overall) shot 46 percent for the game and connected on 10-of-24 from long range.
Hartford got off to a quick start behind the early play of senior Alex Zimnickas, who hit his first four shots of the game and scored nine of the team's first 16 points. The Hawks went ahead by seven on a driving layup by sophomore Jaret Von Rosenberg and then led 20-13 following a Bo Taylor fadeaway jumper with 11:13 remaining in the half.
The Hawks then went ice cold from the floor, missing their next 12 attempts while committing four turnovers over a near 10-minute span. Army got back into the game with 13 unanswered points, turning a seven-point deficit into a six-point lead. Hartford finally stopped the run on a Zimnickas basket with 1:48 to go and ended the half with five straight points to trail 26-25 heading into the locker room.
Hartford's scoring woes continued in the second half. The Hawks missed 11 of their first 12 shots and scored only two points in the opening 10 minutes as Army upped its lead to as many as 16 points. A Taylor three-pointer got the Hawks rolling again, though the Black Knights answered right back behind a trey from Cory Sinning to lead 47-31 with 8:20 to play in the game.
The Hawks got back into the game over the next two minutes, reeling off 10 straight points to make it 47-41 with 6:11 to go. Von Rosenberg buried back-to-back three-pointers during the stretch while both Taylor and sophomore Michael Turner made layups. Hartford would get as close as five points when a free throw from Taylor made it 52-47, though Army made enough big shots down the stretch to secure the victory.
Zimnickas finished with a career-high 16 points and added five rebounds to lead the Hawks. Taylor also finished in double figures with 13 points. Matt Bell led Army with 17 points while Jarell Brown and Marcus Nelson chipped in with 16 and 12, respectively.
Hartford will play its home opener on Saturday, November 25 against Dartmouth College. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Chase Arena at Reich Family Pavilion.
