LAS VEGAS ? Behind a career-high 31 points from junior Jaret Von Rosenberg, the University of Hartford men's basketball team pulled out an 80-72 overtime victory over South Carolina State University in Saturday's final round of the 2007 Findlay Toyota Las Vegas Invitational at Orleans Arena.
Von Rosenberg scored 16 points in the second half and added nine more in the overtime to pace the Hawks (3-4 overall). He finished the game shooting 6-for-9 from three-point range and a perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line. He becomes the sixth player in the school's Division I history to record at least two 30-point scoring games in a career, as last season he recorded 30 in against Maine.
“We came to Vegas with the goal of winning two games, so I'm very pleased at how we were able to hang in there and grind out a win,” said head coach Dan Leibovitz, whose team went 2-2 for the tournament. “I thought we came out a little flat in the first half, but Jaret really picked us up with his energy and carried us in the second half and overtime. Hopefully we can get on a roll here and carry this momentum into our upcoming games.”
Hartford trailed by seven points with 2:35 remaining in regulation but ended the half on an 8-1 run. Sophomore Joe Zeglinski started the stretch by cutting the deficit to five by tipping in his own miss. Von Rosenberg followed with an old-fashioned three-point play, dropping in a lay-up and converting a free throw after being fouled. After SCSU made it 66-63 with a free throw, Von Rosenberg hit the game-tying three-pointer with 14 seconds to play.
The Bulldogs had the final possession of regulation and had to go the length of the court. Hartford's full-court pressure kept SCSU from getting into its final play, forcing Carrio Bennett to take an off-balance shot that he missed at the buzzer.
Von Rosenberg and Zeglinski took over in the overtime period, hitting back-to-back threes to put the Hawks up 72-66 with 3:17 to play. Zeglinski added another bucket in the final minutes and Von Rosenberg closed out the game with six straight free throws.
Zeglinski finished with 11 points while junior Warren McLendon recorded 10 points and seven rebounds before fouling out in overtime. Junior Michael Turner, who had five points and six steals, was named to the all-tournament team.
Jason Flagler led four Bulldogs (1-5 overall) in double figures with 15 points while Jason Johnson added nine points and a game-high 11 rebounds. SCSU outrebounded Hartford 53-33 but committed 22 turnovers in the contest.
The lead changed hands several times in the first half, though SCSU jumped ahead with a 12-0 run to take a 24-17 advantage. The Bulldogs, who led 34-31 at the half, held onto the lead until a tip-in by Zeglinski with 11:29 to go put the Hawks up 47-46. SCSU went ahead 57-56 on a pair of free throws by Flagler with 6:00 remaining and built the lead to seven, setting the stage for the Hartford comeback.
Hartford will next host Army on Wednesday, November 28 at Chase Arena at Reich Family Pavilion. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. The Hawks will honor the men and women of our country's military with “Armed Forces Night.” All active and retired members of the military will receive free admission while their family members will receive a discounted ticket price of $3.
