WEST HARTFORD, CT ? The University of Hartford men's basketball team couldn't shake off the rust after a weeklong holiday layoff and dropped an 81-71 decision to Canisius College on Friday afternoon at Chase Arena at Reich Family Pavilion.

The Hawks (6-6 overall) shot 38 percent for the game and couldn't slow down the Golden Griffins (5-7 overall) on the defensive end. Canisius shot 56 percent for the contest and got solid offensive production from both Chuck Harris (22 points) and Jovan Robinson (21 points). Senior Bo Taylor, who was named the Nestle Purine ONE America East Player of the Game, led Hartford with a career-high 23 points to lead all scorers.

The first 10 minutes of the game featured five ties and 10 lead changes, though Canisius took control behind an 8-0 run to lead 28-21 with 5:24 to go in the stanza. The Golden Griffins later scored nine straight points to increase the lead to 12, though the Hawks closed the half on a 9-1 run to trail 38-34 at the break.

Canisius had its lead trimmed to two points in the first two minutes of the second half, though it answered with an 11-2 run to lead 51-40 with 15:51 to play. Hartford cut the deficit to five at 53-48 and looked to be gaining momentum, but Harris and Robinson kept Canisius out ahead. The duo combined for 17 of the team's next 19 points as the Golden Griffins took their largest lead at 72-58 with 5:29 remaining. Harris canned three three-pointers during the stretch while Robinson hit two of his own.

Harris also finished with a game-high 10 rebounds to go along with his 22 points. Frank Turner (12 points) was a thorn in Hartford's side most of the game. The speedy guard dished out a game-high seven assists and proved to be a tough defensive assignment, getting into the lane and opening up outside shots for his teammates. Darnell Wilson also finished in double figures with 10 points.

Taylor shot 8-of-15 from the floor and pulled down six rebounds for the game. Freshman Joe Zeglinski and junior Rich Baker each added 11 points while sophomore Jaret Von Rosenberg had seven points, five assists and four steals.

Hartford opens America East play on Wednesday, January 3 at the University of Maine at 7 p.m.