BOX SCORE
POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – For the second-straight game, another nailbiter went in the favor of the opposing team as the University of Hartford men's basketball team was bested in double overtime, 89-86, at Marist at McCann Arena on Wednesday evening. Nate Sikma tied a game-best 23 points, a new career-high for the rookie, while senior Andres Torres added 17.
Freshman Jamie Schneck pulled down 13 rebounds, a career-best, and contributed 16 points, also a career-high, for his first career double-double. Classmate Wes Cole added 14 points, including four three-pointers, three of which came down the stretch to keep the Hawks within striking reach.
Hartford falls to 0-11 and Marist shifts to 5-6.
The Hawks could not get into a groove offensively to start the game and found themselves facing an 11-point deficit at 22-11 mid-way through the opening half. Hartford charged back, however, using a 9-0 run sparked by Schneck's first bucket of the game to come within a single basket of the Red Foxes at 22-20 with 8:33 to play in the first.
Turnovers plagued the Hawks during the final stretch of the first half as four miscues translated into six Marist points and helped the Red Foxes rebuild a double digit lead at 42-29. Hartford had a chance to enter the locker rooms with an 11-point deficit but Schneck's reverse lay-up in the final seconds of the stanza was called off as it left his hands just after the shot clock expired.
The second half was a different story for the Hawks. After shooting just 34.3-percent in the first 20 minutes, Hartford shot at a 51.7-percent (15-of-29) clip in the second to help erase its double digit deficit.
The Hawks came out of the intermission firing with 11 unanswered points, going 4-for-4 from the floor including a pair of three's by Torres to close the gap to just two with 16:20 to play. Following that stretch, Marist got hot and returned the favor with a 10-0 run of its own to regain a double digit lead at 57-45. The Hawks never let up and continued to claw and facing a three-point deficit, Cole nailed a long three-pointer with 22 seconds left in regulation and followed that with a defensive stop on the other end to send the game into overtime.
After opening the first overtime with lay-ups by Torres and Sikma, the Hawks held on to their lead for the majority of the period. Hartford, which played both overtime periods without Mark Nwakamma, lost its lead with 1:16 remaining after Sikma fouled out.
With just 22 seconds remaining, Yolonzo Moore had a chance to tie up the score but could only convert on one of two free throws. Following two made free throws by Marist on the next possession, Torres was fouled from beyond the arc and came through under pressure as he drilled all three free throws to keep the game even at 81-81.
In the second overtime, Hartford again got things going early on and took a three point advantage midway through the stanza. Marist erased the visiting team's lead however as three Hawks' fouls sent the Red Foxes to the line where they cashed in on five of 4-of-6 attempts down the stretch to seal the game.
Isaiah Morton led the Red Foxes with 23 points while Anell Alexis pulled down 14 rebounds, a game-high.
The Hawks will regroup in Philadelphia after the holidays to prepare for their next contest, a New Year's Eve matinee at La Salle at 2:00 p.m.
