CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA ? The University of Hartford men's basketball team dropped a 78-70 decision at the University of Virginia on Sunday afternoon at John Paul Jones Arena.
The Hawks (5-9 overall) played a strong second half, outscoring the Cavaliers (10-2 overall) 42-37 and committing only three turnovers. However, Hartford shot a costly 7-of-17 from the free throw line in the stanza while Virginia made 18-of-27.
Junior Jaret Von Rosenberg and sophomore Joe Zeglinski each scored 15 points to lead the Hawks. Von Rosenberg also added a game-high five assists while Zeglinski added four. Freshman Kevin Estes chipped in with a career-high 12 points in his Virginia homecoming and junior Warren McLendon led the team with 10 rebounds.
Virginia's Mamadi Diane led all scorers with 20 points, 14 of which came in the first half. All four of his three-point baskets came in the first half. Adrian Joseph added 15 points and 12 rebounds while Calvin Baker and Sean Singletary finished with 12 each. Hartford did a good job defensively on Singletary, who entered the game ranked third in the ACC in scoring at 18.7 points per game.
“We ran into an excellent basketball team today, and while I'm not happy with the result, I was proud of the way our guys hung in there,” said head coach Dan Leibovitz. “We had a chance to win the game in the second half, and that's what you look for on the road against an ACC opponent.”
Hartford trailed by 13 at the half but got back into the game early in the second stanza behind the hot hand of Von Rosenberg, who hit a pair of three-pointers in the opening minutes of the half. The Hawks cut the lead to four on a pair of Estes free throws with 12:06 to play, but after the teams traded treys, the Cavaliers scored the next six points to pump the lead back to 10. McLendon went to the free throw line twice during the stretch but came up empty in three attempts.
Virginia never let Hartford get closer than five points over the final 8:33. The Cavaliers scored their final 12 points from the free throw line.
“We didn't do enough to win the game?we missed some free throws and couldn't come down with key rebounds,” said Leibovitz. “But I thought our team showed a lot of growth tonight, and I feel good about carrying that over against Yale and into the conference schedule.”
Hartford, which committed only 12 turnovers, shot 36 percent for the contest but only 48 percent from the charity stripe. Virginia shot 44 percent from the floor and 60 percent from the line. The Cavaliers, who entered the game leading the country in rebounding differential (+16.2 rpg), held a 51-40 edge on the glass. The Hawks, however, finished with a season-high 17 offensive rebounds.
Hartford will host Yale for its final non-conference game of the season. The Hawks and Bulldogs will meet on Saturday, January 5 at Chase Arena at Reich Family Pavilion. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
