BROOKLYN HEIGHTS, NY ? The University of Hartford men's basketball team had the final possession and a chance to tie the game in the closing moments of its season opener on Friday night, but fell 62-59 to St. Francis College at the Pope Center.
Sophomore Joe Zeglinski finished with a team-high 13 points but missed the game-tying basket as the clock wound down. Hartford (0-1 overall) grabbed the rebound but didn't have enough time to attempt another three-pointer.
Three Hawks finished in double figures, with juniors Warren McLendon and Michael Turner adding 10 points apiece. Turner also finished with 10 rebounds to record his second career double-double.
St. Francis (1-0 overall) trailed by as many as 17 points in the contest and 11 points in the second half. The Terriers got back into the game with a 14-1 run early in the second half and took their first lead at 33-31 on a Robert Hines three-pointer with 14:52 remaining. Hines finished with a game-high 21 points.
The lead changed hands seven times in the final 15 minutes of the game. The Terriers led by three when McLendon was called for a travel on a three-on-one break that gave the ball back to St. Francis. The call received a reaction from the Hartford bench and earned the Hawks a technical foul. Hines made both free throws to give St. Francis its biggest lead at 57-52 with 3:23 to go.
The Hawks cut the deficit to three on a pair of McLendon free throws. Hartford then forced a turnover on the ensuing possession and tied the game after Turner buried a three from the corner with 1:56 to play.
Ricky Cadell answered with a three-pointer on the other end to give the Terriers the lead back for good. He finished with nine points in the game, all from downtown. Leading by two with 12 seconds remaining, St. Francis had a chance to ice the game with Hines on the line to shoot a pair. He made the first but missed the second, and the Hawks called their final timeout to prepare for the final possession.
Hartford shot 42 percent in the game but committed 20 turnovers. St. Francis shot 36 percent and held a 40-31 edge on the glass.
The Hawks had a hot hand to start the game, connecting on eight of their first 11 attempts from the floor to jump out to a 19-2 lead in the first nine minutes of the contest. McLendon scored six points in the run but had to sit the final 10 minutes of the half after picking up two fouls.
St. Francis, which started the game by going 1-for-12 from the floor, picked it up in the final 10 minutes. Trailing by 17, the Terriers cut the deficit to single digits with a 9-1 run with 5:24 to play in the half.
The Hawks led 27-19 at the intermission. Junior Fabrice Tafo had six points in the first half while Turner chipped in with three points and eight rebounds.
Hartford will next play at Quinnipiac University on Sunday, November 11 at 4 p.m. The game, which will be televised live on NESN, will be the head coaching debut for former University of Connecticut assistant Tom Moore.
