WEST HARTFORD, CT ? The University of Hartford men's basketball team topped Boston University by a 66-57 final on Saturday night at Chase Arena at the Reich Family Pavilion.
Hartford (8-9 overall, 2-0 America East) is off to a 2-0 start in the conference for the second straight season. The Hawks shot 45 percent for the game and forced Boston University (4-11 overall, 1-2 AE) into 23 turnovers. BU shot 38 percent from the floor and a season-low seven percent from three-point range (2-of-27).
Freshman Morgan Sabia led Hartford with 14 points, 11 of which came in the first half. He also added seven rebounds. Sabia and BU's Corey Lowe (20 points) were named Nestle PurinaONE America East Players of the Game.
Neither team led by more than four points in the first 10 minutes of the game. Trailing 14-13 with 9:37 remaining, Hartford took control behind and 8-0 run and held the lead for the rest of the contest. BU went five minutes without a score and missed five field goals while committing four turnovers during the span.
BU finally busted out of its slump on a layup by Lowe with 5:09 to go and later cut the deficit to two at 22-20. Hartford, however, closed the half with a 9-3 run to take a 31-23 lead into the locker room at intermission. BU shot 31 percent in the stanza and made just 1-of-13 from three-point range.
Hartford pumped the lead to double digits with an 11-0 run early in the second half. The Hawks scored on their first six possessions of the half and forced three turnovers during the run. Sophomore Joe Zeglinski scored five points during the stretch, and Hartford took its biggest lead at 44-28 on a layup by junior Jaret Von Rosenberg with 15:44 to play.
The Hawks came back down to earth over the next eight minutes, scoring only once in 10 trips down the floor. The Terriers took advantage, trimming the deficit to single digits at 46-37 on a jumper by Matt Wolff with 8:13 to go. Sabia then snapped Hartford out of its funk with a three-pointer on the ensuing possession, one of three in the game for the rookie.
BU trimmed a 10-point deficit to five in the final minute, but Hartford closed out the game from the free throw line. The Hawks hit 7-of-8 from the charity stripe in the final 47 seconds to seal the victory.
Hartford finished with a season-high 13 steals and dished out 18 assists on 22 field goals. Von Rosenberg and junior Warren McLendon each finished with 12 points while classmate Michael Turner had seven rebounds and a career-high eight assists. Zeglinski and freshman Kevin Estes also added nine points apiece.
Wolff and Matt Holland added 11 points each for the Terries. Holland also recorded a double-double with a game-high 12 rebounds.
Hartford will take a three-game winning streak to UMBC on Wednesday, January 16. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
