ORONO, ME ? The University of Hartford men's basketball team held on to win its America East opener against the University of Maine on Wednesday night by a 62-60 final at Alfond Sports Arena.
The Black Bears nearly stole the game away on the final play. With .8 seconds remaining, Kevin Reed hoisted a potential game-winning three-pointer from the corner that rimmed out. Hartford improved to 7-6 overall and 1-0 in the conference.
The Hawks shot 42 percent for the game and committed a season-low four turnovers, including just one in the second half. Trailing 35-30 at the break, Hartford came out more aggressive on defense in the second stanza and slowed down the pace on offense. The Hawks also got big production off their bench, as sophomores Michael Turner (12 points), Fabrice Tafo (8 points) and Jaret Von Rosenberg (6 points) combined to score 20 of their 26 points in the half.
Senior Bo Taylor was named the Nestle Purina ONE America East Player of the Game for the Hawks. He led all scorers with 15 points and pulled down a team-high seven rebounds. Junior Rich Baker also pitched in with nine points.
The Hawks trailed by as many as seven points in the second half before finally clicking on offense. A 7-0 spurt with put Hartford up for the first time in the stanza with nine minutes to play, though Maine took back the lead with 5:29 to go. The Hawks answered with a 9-2 run over the next 2:40 to take the lead for good, taking their biggest lead at 59-53 on a Von Rosenberg bucket.
Hartford led by two in the final moments when Turner was fouled went to the line for two shots with 26 seconds remaining. He missed both free throws and Maine came down with the rebound and called timeout with 21 seconds to go.
Maine worked the ball down to Mark Socoby in the post, who was guarded Baker. Socoby's turnaround jumper was short and the ensuing scramble on the floor resulted in a jump ball. The Black Bears had possession and drew up a play for the final shot. Reed, who had 14 points to go along with a game-high nine rebounds, got a good look at the basket from the corner but couldn't get the shot to fall. He was named Maine's America East Player of the Game.
Hartford led for the first seven minutes of the contest until a 9-0 run gave Maine a 15-11 advantage. The Black Bears didn't relinquish the lead for the rest of the half, going up by as many as seven before the Hawks narrowed the deficit to 31-30 with 42 seconds remaining. Maine closed out the half strong with back-to-back buckets from Chris Bruff?the second coming on a buzzer-beating layup off a Jon Sheets steal?to take a 35-30 lead into the locker room.
Hartford will play its conference home opener against Boston University on Saturday, January 6. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Chase Arena at Reich Family Pavilion.
