BOX SCORE
BALTIMORE - The University of Hartford men's basketball team dropped a 69-60 decision at UMBC on Saturday night at RAC Arena in a rematch of last year's America East Championship title game.
Hartford (6-12 overall, 2-2 America East) shot just 35 percent for the contest and went 7-of-31 from beyond the arc. Sophomore Morgan Sabia led the Hawks with 18 points and pulled down six rebounds. Senior Michael Turner added 12 points and a career-high 11 rebounds to record his fifth career double-double.
UMBC (8-8 overall, 2-2 America East) had five players score in double figures. Jay Greene hit five three-pointers and finished with 17 points while Darryl Proctor put up 14 points and 14 rebounds. The Retrievers shot 42 percent from the floor and 7-of-17 from three-point range.
The Hawks started quickly, busting out to a seven-point lead in the opening minutes of the game. A layup by sophomore Andres Torres from Jaret von Rosenberg put Hartford up 11-4 with 14:00 remaining in the first half.
The Retrievers answered with a 14-2 run over the next 4:10. UMBC took its first lead on a three-pointer by Greene with 10:16 to play and then pumped the margin to 18-13 on a layup by Proctor.
Hartford battled back to tie the game twice more in the half, though UMBC took a 33-29 edge in the break. Both teams were solid with the ball over the first 20 minutes, combining for only three turnovers in the stanza.
UMBC started the second half strong and doubled its lead to eight behind a pair of treys from Greene. Hartford then trimmed the deficit to two following threes by Turner and Torres, making it 41-39 with 15:15 to go.
The Retrievers took control with an 8-1 run over the next 3:36. Matt Spadafora scored four points during the stretch, including an off-balance jumper to beat the shot clock that put UMBC up 49-40 with 11:10 to play.
UMBC pushed the margin to double figures and kept it there until Turner sank a pair of free throws to make it 59-51 with 3:08 remaining. The Hawks cut the margin down to five in the final seconds but never had a chance to tie or take a lead.
Von Rosenberg pulled down a career-high 11 rebounds and handed out six assists to go along with five points. Freshman Genesis Maciel scored nine points in 19 minutes while Torres added eight.
Hartford will next travel to Binghamton to take on the Bearcats on Monday, January 19 at 7 p.m.
