WEST HARTFORD, CT ? The University of Hartford men's basketball team fended off a late charge by Stony Brook University on Thursday night to come away with an 83-81 victory at Chase Arena at Reich Family Pavilion.
Hartford (10-11 overall, 4-2 America East) led by as many as 12 points in the second half but could not put Stony Brook away. The Seawolves hung around by shooting 51 percent from the floor and dominating the glass by a 40-21 margin. Stony Brook (4-15 overall, 1-6 America East) had the final possession with a chance to tie or win, but freshman Anthony Minor poked the ball away from Ricky Lucas at the top of the key and time expired as it rolled into the backcourt.
Hartford freshman Morgan Sabia finished with 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting and made four three-pointers. Sabia and Lucas were named Nestle PurinaONE America East Players of the Game. Lucas shot 9-of-12 from the floor and 10-of-10 from the foul line to finish with a game-high 33 points.
Hartford committed a season-low five turnovers in the game, including only two in the second half. The Hawks shot 49 percent for the contest and recorded 20 assists on 29 field goals.
The Hawks used hot outside shooting to take command in the first half. Trailing 20-15, Hartford ripped off a 20-5 run that featured five three-pointers?including a pair from both senior Brian Glowiak and freshman Andres Torres?to jump out to a double-digit lead at 35-25 with 6:16 remaining in the half. The Hawks, who led 44-35 at intermission, hit eight of their first 12 attempts from behind the arc and finished at 50 percent (8-of-16) for the stanza.
Stony Brook trailed the entire second half and was down 10 points with 9:34 to play before making its charge. The Seawolves went on an 11-2 run and cut the deficit to 72-71 with 6:33 to go on a three-pointer by Michael Tyree. Hartford missed six straight shots during the stretch but managed to stay ahead by making shots at the charity stripe. Sabia finally got the Hawks back on track with a jumper with 5:36 to play that made it 76-71.
The Seawolves cut the lead to 79-77 with 3:40 to go on a pair of Lucas free throws. Turner kept the Hawks in front by scoring the team's final four points in the game, though a layup by Mitchell Beauford cut the deficit to two at 83-81 with 40 seconds remaining. Sophomore Joe Zeglinski missed a pull-up jumper on the ensuing possession, and Lucas pulled down the rebound with 10 seconds left on the clock.
Lucas raced up the court on the final possession and tried to penetrate the defense at the top of the key. Minor helped out on the double team and was able to strip the ball off Lucas' leg and into the backcourt. Both teams scrambled for the loose ball, but the horn sounded before anyone could gain possession.
Turner scored a team-high 17 points for the Hawks and added five rebounds and four assists. Glowiak shot 4-of-7 from three-point range and finished with 12 points while junior Warren McLendon had 11 points and a career-high six assists. Demetrius Young also scored in double figures for Stony Brook with 16 points and added a game-high 12 rebounds to record the double-double.
Hartford will next play at New Hampshire on Sunday, January 27 at 1 p.m.
