Box Score
ORONO, Maine – Milton Burton scored a career-high 23 points and added four assists, but the Hartford men's basketball team fell to Maine on Sunday, 66-52. Burton was the only Hawk to reach double figures as Hartford (7-20, 5-9) has now lost its last four games.
Burton's 23 points led all scorers as he earned recognition as the Nestla PurinaONE America East Player of the Game for the Hawks. Junior Bernal, who was honored before the contest for reaching 1,000 career points, claimed the distinction for the Black Bears. He scored 13 points and added 10 rebounds. Maine (18-9, 10-4) never relinquished the lead as the game progressed from Alfond Arena in Orono, utilizing an impressive 49-26 advantage on the boards to fuel their victory.
Hartford came out strong on the defensive end for much of the first half. They trailed just 19-14 with five minutes lingering in the period. From there, though, the Black Bears took advantage of a significant size advantage on the inside and pulled away to a 16-point halftime lead.
By the end of the game, Maine would muscle themselves to a 38-14 advantage in the paint, adding 16 second-chance points thanks to 16 offensive rebounds.
Burton's seven points led Hartford at the half. He hit three of five field goals before intermission, but also drew two personal fouls. Joel Barkers added five points, and Clayton Brothers came off the bench to knock down his first three-pointer since he put together a career day at La Salle on December 6.
Burton's hot hand continued in the second half, as he scored the first seven points for Hartford. Although Maine matched Burton's output early, the Hawks began to get some momentum on their side midway through the stanza. As Burton continued to nail treys with some help from freshman Ryan Baker and junior Morgan Sabia, Hartford cut the Black Bears' lead to eight points with 6:40 to play. That would prove to be as close as the Hawks would get, as Maine hit twice as many free throws as Hartford attempted (16 to 8) to seal the victory.
During their second-half comeback attempt, the Hawks found production from some new sources. In addition to Burton's career game, senior Zack Zeglinski scored three points and dished out a career high three assists. Ryan Baker, who hadn't scored since pouring in 12 against Boston University on January 9, finished with five points and a career-best four rebounds. He also took an important charge that helped continue the Hawks' second-half run. Senior David Bookman turned away two Black Bear shots in five minutes off the bench.
Also critical to their improved play after halftime was a renewed focus on taking care of the basketball. The Hawks turned the ball over just twice in the second half while forcing Maine into eight second-half giveaways. On the day, Maine turned the ball over 14 times compared to 11 for the Hawks.
Meanwhile, Morgan Sabia, who scored six points and added six rebounds, rejected a career-high four shots to help keep the potent Maine interior attack at bay.
Hartford will wrap up its road schedule on Wednesday when they visit Binghamton for a 7 p.m. game. The Hawks defeated the Bearcats, 64-63, in West Hartford earlier this season. All the action can be heard live on the flagship station of Hartford men's basketball, WDRC-1360.
