WEST HARTFORD, CT ? The University of Hartford men's basketball team almost turned in another remarkable second-half comeback before falling 76-63 to the University of Vermont on Thursday night at Chase Arena at the Reich Family Pavilion.
The Hawks (9-11 overall, 3-5 America East) trailed by as many as 24 points in the second half before rallying to cut the deficit to five with 5:17 remaining. The Catamounts (14-6 overall, 6-1 America East), however, collected themselves and answered with six straight points, including a four-point play from Kyle Cieplicki.
Mike Trimboli led Vermont with 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting and hit five three-pointers. Sophomore Jaret Von Rosenberg led Hartford with 22 points and added three assists and two steals. Each were named their respective teams' Nestle Purina ONE America East Player of the Game.
Vermont controlled the pace in the first half en route to a 40-22 lead at the break. Chris Holm scored 13 of his 18 points in the stanza as the Catamounts outscored the Hawks 27-9 in the final eight minutes. Vermont shot 47 percent in the half and hit five treys while Hartford shot 43 percent but went just 1-of-7 from long range.
The Catamounts expanded the lead to 24 points with 13:21 to play in the game on a Trimboli three-pointer that made it 54-30. Another Trimboli three with 10:08 remaining gave Vermont a 59-37 edge, though Hartford responded with a 15-1 run over the next 1:35. Von Rosenberg scored seven points during a stretch, including a five-point swing that came as a result of an intentional foul. After making both free throws, Von Rosenberg buried a three-pointer to cap the run and pull the Hawks to within eight.
Hartford got as close as 63-58 after back-to-back treys from Von Rosenberg and freshman Joe Zeglinski. Vermont, however, built the lead back to double digits when Martin Klimes scored on an offensive putback and Cieplicki hit a three and was fouled. His free throw gave the Catamounts a 69-58 lead with 3:56 to go and essentially halted Hartford's momentum.
Zeglinski finished with 17 points and added six rebounds while senior Bo Taylor finished with eight points and eight boards. The Hawks shot 39 percent from the floor and only 27 percent from three-point range.
Holm grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds to record a double-double. Klimes also had six points to go along with eight rebounds while Cieplicki added seven points. Vermont shot 47 percent from the floor for the game and outrebounded Hartford 45-31.
Hartford will next host the University of Maine on Saturday, January 27 at Chase Arena at the Reich Family Pavilion. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game will be televised live on NESN.
