BOX SCORE

BERKELEY, Calif. - After 17 days away from the basketball court, the Hartford men's basketball team dove back in headfirst, visiting California out of the Pac-10. Hartford played the Golden Bears tough, but could not get things done on the offensive end as they fell, 74-56. The Hawks forced 20 turnovers by Cal, but shot just 33.3 percent.

Genesis Maciel and Joe Zeglinski led the way for Hartford (2-9) with 11 points each. Milton Burton added 10.

Both teams got off to slow starts on Tuesday night, with the Hawks gaining a 7-6 advantage with 14:55 to play in the first when Clayton Brothers scooped in a lay-up. After Cal retook the lead with a three-pointer, Maciel responded with a three of his own, giving Hartford a 10-9 lead. It would be the last lead of the game for the Hawks, as Cal went on a 15-2 run over the next 6:17.

A season-high 13 players got into the game for the Hawks, with senior Kevin Estes and sophomore Ryan Baker each scoring their first points of the season. Baker ended up with five, while Estes had two. Freshman Ben O'Neill made his first appearance as a Hawk, playing two minutes. Ross Erickson also added four points. Hartford finished with 21 total points off the bench, a season-best. The Hawks outscored Cal 21-12 in bench points.

Trailing 39-25 at the half, the Hawks came out with a renewed energy to start the second half, playing strong defense and getting good looks on the offensive end. Unfortunately, the Hawks were unable to convert many of those chances. Hartford was 13-for-41 in the second half, while Cal was 7-for-20. Hartford was undone from the three-point line, where they shot just 8-for-28 for the game.

After trailing by as much as 25 in the second half, Hartford began to claw back into it midway through the period. Baker nailed a three, and after Cal's Harper Kamp knocked down two free throws, Burton drilled back-to-back jumpers to cut the lead to 62-46 with 7:25 to go. Cal called timeout after a turnover, but the Hawks could not capitalize and cut the lead anymore, and the Golden Bears built the lead back up to 20 with 4:43 to play.

The win gave Cal's head coach Mike Montgomery his 600th career collegiate victory. He is in his thid year at Cal after collegiate stints at Montana and Stanford.

Hartford remains on the West Coast for its next game, a visit to St. Mary's on Friday night. The Gaels made the Sweet 16 last season in the NCAA tournament, and are receiving votes in both polls this season. The game tips off at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, with Jeff Dooley and Randy LaVigne at the mics for WDRC-1360 AM.