WEST HARTFORD, CT ? The University of Hartford staved off a late charge by St. Francis College (NY) and held on for a 58-52 victory Sunday afternoon at Chase Arena at Reich Family Pavilion.
The Hawks improved to 3-0 at home this season and 6-4 overall, their best start through 10 games since beginning the 1996-97 campaign with the same mark. Only the 1990-91 squad (7-3) had a better record through 10 games.
Hartford led 51-39 with 6:01 remaining after sophomore Fabrice Tafo made a pair of free throws. St. Francis (0-12), however, used a full-court press to get back into the game. The Terriers forced three turnovers and used an 11-1 run over the next three minutes to pull within two at 52-50. SFC's Marcus Williams had six points during the stretch.
The Hawks responded by going down low to senior Bo Taylor on their next possession. Taylor, who finished with a game-high 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting, spun his way to the hoop for an easy bucket and a four-point Hartford lead.
Williams made it 54-52 on the ensuing possession, cleaning up a miss on the offensive glass. Hartford then had three looks at the rim on its next trip down the floor but came up empty. Sophomore Michael Turner came up with a big steal on the defensive end and was quickly fouled, though he missed both to give the Terriers yet another chance to tie the game.
St. Francis squandered the chance, turning the ball over with 33 seconds to play. Senior Alex Zimnickas was fouled and made both to give the Hawks a 56-52 advantage with 24 seconds remaining. He then made the defensive play of the half, drawing a charge on SFC's Allen Sheppard with 11 seconds left. Sophomore Jaret Von Rosenberg sealed the win in the final seconds with a pair of free throws.
Von Rosenberg was named the Nestle Purina ONE America East Player of the Game. He finished with 15 points, nine of which came in the second half. Taylor also had four steals and three assists to go with his 16 points while Zimnickas finished with 12 points and a career-high eight rebounds.
Hartford led 32-26 at the break after ending the first half on a 10-2 run. The final play of the stanza came when Tafo pulled down a defensive board with six seconds remaining. His outlet went to Von Rosenberg on the wing, and the speedy guard took it to the top of the key before finding Taylor under the hoop for an easy lay-in at the buzzer. Taylor had 11 points in the half.
Both Williams and Robert Hines finished with 10 points to lead St. Francis. The Terriers shot 37 percent for the game and made only 2-of-15 from three-point range. Hartford shot 40 percent from the floor and a season-high 80 percent (16-of-20) from the free throw line.
Hartford will next play at Brown University on Friday, December 22 at noon.
