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WEST HARTFORD, Conn. - Once again, Morgan Sabia had to prove that his career night was no fluke. For the fourth time this season, the senior from San Anselmo, California set or tied his career high, this time eclipsing his previous high of 26 with an impressive 27-point outburst. Sabia was just as dominant on the glass, where he pulled down 17 rebounds including 11 in the first half. Behind his double-double and a season-best 22 points from senior Milton Burton, the Hartford men's basketball team rolled to an 82-74 victory over St. Francis (N.Y.) on Monday night, closing their non-conference schedule with an impressive 3-1 mark at home.

Burton and Sabia formed the first Hartford duo to both reach 20 points since Michael Turner and Joe Zeglinski did so on December 4, 2008 in a 97-82 victory over Lafayette. Burton added six rebounds, helping the Hawks to 42 rebounds and a season-best 12-board margin. Zeglinski added 10 points, his 94th career double-digit game.

As they have done many times this season, the Hawks played tremendous defense out of the gates, holding the Terriers to just two points over the game's first 8:37. The Hawks built a 9-2 lead before St. Francis got going, making it 13-12 Hawks when Stefan Perunicic hit his second three-pointer of the game. With 8:32 remaining in the first, the Terriers took their only lead of the contest when Akeem Johnson's lay-up made it 14-13 in favor of St. Francis.

Although Hartford quickly regained the lead and never relinquished it, the game remained tight throughout the opening period. With the score tied at 24 and under two minutes to play, Burton drove to the hoop and tipped in a missed shot to give Hartford a 26-24 advantage they would take into the break.

Sabia set the tone for the second when he nailed a three-pointer less than 30 seconds after intermission. His lay-up with 15:04 on the clock gave Hartford a 10-point cushion, its largest of the game to that point.

St. Francis would not go quietly. After the Hawks extended their lead to 50-37 with 12:01 to play, the Terriers began chipping away, going on a 13-3 run to close to within three at 53-50 with 8:02 to play.

 The Hawks never panicked, though. Burton's three-pointer and two free throws from Sabia extended the advantage back to eight, and St. Francis never got closer than four down the rest of the way.

In an effort to get back into the game, the Terriers began fouling Hartford in earnest with more than 2:30 remaining on the clock. Hartford came into the game shooting just .617 from the charity stripe as a team, but the Hawks hit them when they counted on Monday, going 27-for-40 (.675). Both numbers represented season highs for the team.

Sabia's 27 points gives him 1,239 for his career, moving him past Ryan Howse and Bob Tanguay to assume 13th place overall in the Hawks' all-time history (eighth in the Division I history of the program). Sabia is also now just one rebound behind Zeglinski for ninth place on the school's record list, and just two behind Turner for eighth. Zeglinski's ten points leaves him at 1,766, 20 behind Justin Bailey for fourth overall (third since the Hawks went to Division I).

With the non-conference schedule now complete, the Hawks turn their attention to the America East. Hartford opens league play on Wednesday night at Maine, visiting Orono at 7:00 p.m. Hartford dropped two contests to Maine last season, although they hold a 30-27 all-time advantage. All the action can be heard on the flagship station of Hartford men's basketball, WDRC-1360 AM, with Jeff Dooley and Randy LaVigne at the mics.