BOX SCORE

VESTAL, N.Y. - There was a renewed focus and energy for the Hartford men's basketball team on Monday night at Binghamton, and it paid off in the form of a 72-61 victory for the Hawks over the host Bearcats. Joe Zeglinski scored 26 points as Hartford moved to 3-1 in the America East in a game that they never trailed.

Zeglinski and Binghamton's Kyrie Sutton were named the America East Players of the Game.

Hartford jumped out to a 7-0 lead before the Bearcats got on the board. Clayton Brothers got things started with a lay-up before Morgan Sabia buried a three from the left corner and Milton Burton finished a lay-up underneath. All three buckets were assisted as the Hawks finished with a season-high 22 assists in the game.

Anthony Minor led the team with a career-high seven assists. He added six points and two blocks for Hartford.

After a Moussa Camara three-pointer made it 15-13 Hartford with 9:07 to play in the first half, the Bearcats never inched closer. Sabia knocked down six of the next eight Hawks points as Hartford built a 10-point lead.

With 5:33 remaining in the first, Zeglinski got on the board when he knocked down a three-pointer from the top of they key to give Hartford a 26-15 lead. Thirty-three seconds later, he buried another trey. He added five more points before the Hawks went into the break up 40-20, leaving him as the leading scorer with 11 points in the first half.

Zeglinski was just getting started. After Milton Burton hit a three early in the second half, Zeglinski nabbed a steal on the defensive end and converted it into a quick three points on the other end. The senior from Philadelphia was red hot from downtown, and hit seven of his first nine long-range attempts before missing his last two.

Hartford did a tremendous job on the defensive end, coming up with 11 steals as they forced 16 Binghamton turnovers. Burton, who added 13 points and five assists, tied his career high with five steals out of the Hawks' zone defense. Hartford also had a season-high seven blocks.

For the game, the Hawks shot 48.1 pecent (26-for-54). Their 46.9 percent output from downtown (15-for-32) was their best of the season. Fifteen total threes was also a season high for the Hawks.

Hartford played three of its first four conference games on the road, going 3-1 over that stretch. Now, the Hawks will host their next two contests, welcoming UMBC into the Chase Family Arena at the Reich Family Pavilion on Thursday evening at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling 860-768-HAWK or by visiting the Malcolm and Brenda Berman Athletics Box Office. Fans who can't make it to the game can listen on the flagship station of Hartford men's basketball, WDRC-1360 AM. Jeff Dooley and Randy LaVigne will have the call.