VESTAL, NY ? The University of Hartford men's basketball team advanced to the finals of the America East Championship for the first time in school history with a 59-52 victory over Boston University in the semifinals on Sunday afternoon at the Binghamton University Events Center.
Hartford (18-15 overall) will play at top-seeded UMBC on Saturday, March 15 at noon on ESPN2. The Retrievers posted a 73-64 victory over Vermont in the day's first semifinal game to earn their spot in the finals. Tickets for the championship game will go on sale through the Hartford Athletics Box Office on Monday at 8 a.m. Tickets can be purchased either by phone or by walk-up.
The Hawks, who have now won three straight games, also set a school record for Division I wins. Entering the game, Hartford had been 0-9 all-time in conference semifinal play.
Sophomore Joe Zeglinski led the Hawks with 16 points while junior Warren McLendon posted his second consecutive double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. He also added a career-high five blocks and shot 4-of-9 from the floor. Hartford shot 41 percent for the contest and held BU to only 34-percent shooting.
The results were drastically different from when the two teams met 10 days ago. The Terriers handed the Hawks their worst conference loss of the season in a 97-66 final on February 28 in Boston, MA. BU's John Holland, the America East Rookie of the Year, had a career-high 38 points and 11 rebounds in that meeting. On Sunday, the Hawks held Holland to only four points and four rebounds. Corey Lowe led the Terriers with 16 points while Matt Wolff (12) and Carlos Strong (11) also finished in double figures.
Both teams struggled to put the ball in the hole in the first half. Hartford shot 41 percent for the stanza while limiting BU to 33-percent shooting. The Hawks snapped an 11-11 tie on a bucket by freshman Anthony Minor with 14:33 to go in the half and held onto the lead for the remainder of the period. Hartford went into the locker room up 26-21 at the break, its biggest lead of the first half.
The Hawks never trailed in the second half and built a double-digit lead midway through the stanza behind a 15-4 run. Hartford's biggest lead came thanks to a rare three-pointer by McLendon, who hoisted up the shot after being left alone at the top of the key. The last trey the Hartford big man attempted was at Maine on January 21, and his last make came at North Texas on December 8. The bucket gave the Hawks a 51-37 lead with 5:20 to play in the contest.
BU cut the deficit to 52-45 on a basket by Strong and a steal and layup by Lowe with 2:30 remaining. The Hawks, however, sealed the win from the free throw line in the final minutes. Junior Jaret Von Rosenberg made all six of his attempts as Hartford went 6-of-8 from the line in the final 1:19.
Hartford and UMBC split the regular season series, with each team winning by one point on its home floor. The Hawks held a two-point lead at UMBC in the first meeting but lost the game on a three-pointer by Brian Hodge at the buzzer. Each team will be making its first appearance in the conference finals, and the winner will receive and automatic bid to the upcoming NCAA Championship.
