BOX SCORE
WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – Another nailbiter went the way of the opponent on Saturday afternoon, as the Hartford men's basketball team jumped out to a fast start but were eventually bested in double overtime, 78-74 at Monmouth. Joe Zeglinski led all scorers with 31 points, tying a career high. Hartford had only four players score until late in the second overtime, although all four reached double figures.
Milton Burton pulled down 10 rebounds in the first half, already a career high. He finished with 16 to go along with 15 points, his first career double-double. Morgan Sabia added 15 points, while Genesis Maciel knocked down 12.
Hartford opened the game with stifling, swarming defensive intensity. Monmouth did not score for the first 12:25 of the contest, opening up 0-for-16 from the floor and 0-for-8 from downtown. Hartford forced seven turnovers during that time, creating havoc for the host Hawks, who found Hartford closing in on them even on shots that looked to be easy lay-ups.
Monmouth finally got on the board when Marcus Ware hit two free throws with 7:35 remaining in the first half. It would be another two minutes before R.J. Rutledge scooped in Monmouth's first field goal of the game.
Meanwhile, Hartford was also having trouble with the defense of Monmouth. Despite that, Hartford's ball movement created good looks from the outside and allowed them to take advantage of looser pressure down low. Morgan Sabia hit two of his first three attempts from beyond the arc, and Joe Zeglinski finished the first half 3-for-6 from downtown. Zeglinski was the leading scorer at the break with 11, while Sabia added 10. Hartford led 15-0 before Monmouth got on the board, and held a 30-17 advantage at the break.
It was a totally different story in the second half. After holding Monmouth to 17.2 percent shooting in the first half, Hartford allowed Monmouth to shoot at a 16-for-27 (59.3) clip in the second as Monmouth erased the double-digit lead. In fact, it was Hartford that had to erase a 57-54 deficit with less than a minute remaining as Zeglinski was fouled, seemed to hang in mid-air for an eternity, and hit the shot before making the free throw to tie it.
Zeglinski's free throw was a bit of an anomaly for Hartford, which went into the Sacred Heart game as the best free throw shooting team in the America East and shot just 6-for-18 from the line on Saturday at Monmouth. In fact, the Hawks were 0-for-9 before Maciel hit one to break the streak.
It might have been a very different game if the Hawks had hit their free throws throughout. Instead, the game went to overtime, where Hartford again battled back from a five-point deficit to tie it. They came up with two big defensive stops at the end of the first extra period to keep the game even.
In the second overtime, Hartford could not get going, failing to score until less than a minute remained in the period. Hartford played both overtime periods and the end of regulation without Morgan Sabia, who came into the game as their leading scorer but fouled out trying to grab a rebound on the defensive end late in regulation. Monmouth also lost their leading scorer on the season before the game went into extra time, as Ed Waite fouled out late in the second half.
Gary Cox finished with 20 points to lead Monmouth. He and Zeglinski traded three-pointers at the beginning of the first overtime, setting the tone for Monmouth's relentless offensive attack. Hartford never led in either extra period.
After two days off, the Hawks will be back at practice on Tuesday, and will continue to practice through the 21st. They will not play another game until December 28, however, when they travel across the country to take on California and then St. Mary's on the 31st.
