BOX SCORE
FAIRFIELD, CT - The University of Hartford men's basketball team earned its first road victory of the season in a 59-55 final over Sacred Heart University on Sunday afternoon at the Pitt Center.
Hartford (4-7 overall) never trailed in the contest and played without leading scorer Joe Zeglinski, who was sidelined for the first time in his career due to a sprained ankle. Sophomores Andres Torres, Morgan Sabia and Anthony Minor stepped up to fill the scoring void, each finishing in double figures.
Hartford got out to a great start defensively, forcing five missed field goals and four turnovers over the first 4:30 of the game. The Hawks scored the first eight points and led by as many as 12 in the stanza. Sacred Heart (3-4 overall) cut the deficit to three behind an 8-0 run midway through the half, but Hartford answered right back with seven straight points to pump the margin back to double digits.
Torres scored 12 of his career-high 15 points in the first half as the Hawks led 31-25 at the break. Hartford shot 43 percent in the stanza and forced 11 turnovers.
Hartford's sophomore trio combined for 24 of the team's 28 points in the second half. Following a bucket by Minor to open the half, Sabia poured in the Hawks' next eight points to pump the lead to eight at 41-34 with 13 minutes to play.
Sacred Heart never trailed by more than seven in the second half and threatened to take the lead in the final minutes. A jumper by Ryon Howard tied the game at 50-50 with 5:12 remaining, though the Hawks answered right back with a dunk by Sabia to reclaim the lead.
The Pioneers trailed 54-52 with 30 seconds to go and had possession of the ball with the shot clock turned off. Following a 30-second timeout, Sacred Heart inbounded the ball to Ryan Litke, who missed the go-ahead three-pointer from the corner. Minor secured the rebound for the Hawks and was promptly fouled. After missing two freebies on the previous possession, Minor calmly knocked down both free throws to give Hartford a four-point advantage.
Sabia added a free throw with 19 seconds to play to make the lead five, but Shane Gibson drained a three for Sacred Heart on the other end to cut the deficit to two with 11 ticks left on the clock. Hartford then made it a two-possession game on a pair of free throws by senior Jaret von Rosenberg, and Sacred Heart missed on its final three-pointer to give the Hawks the victory.
Sabia netted 11 of his 14 points in the second half. Minor scored all 10 of his points in the final stanza and added a season-high five rebounds. Von Rosenberg and classmate Michael Turner each dished out a game-high five assists.
Howard scored 11 points to lead Sacred Heart while Joey Henley added 10. The Pioneers shot 39 percent for the game and committed 20 turnovers.
Hartford will enjoy an eight-day layoff for exams before playing at 22nd-ranked Baylor University on Monday, December 22 at 8 p.m.
