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WEST HARTFORD, Conn. - Senior Day for the Hartford men's basketball team could not have gone any better, as the Hawks lead for much of the way, defeating New Hampshire 62-54. The win gives the Hawks the conference's sixth seed in the upcoming America East Championship, meaning they will face third-seeded Maine at approximately 8:15 p.m. on Saturday night. New Hampshire, which came into the night tied with the Hawks, will be the seventh seed and face No. 2 Boston University.

Seniors Joe Zeglinski and Kevin Estes were named the co-Players of the Game for the Hawks (10-19, 7-9). Zeglinski knocked down a game-high 22 points, leaving him just one point shy of becoming the second Hawk in the Division I history of the program to reach 2,000 for his career. Estes, meanwhile, made the most of his first start of the season, scoring a season-high 11 points on 4-of-4 shooting from the floor. He also pulled down five rebounds. Brian Benson earned the honor for the Wildcats (12-17, 6-10), putting together a double-double with 16 points and 15 rebounds.

The Hawks spotted New Hampshire an early 7-4 lead before rattling off the next seven points to take an 11-7 edge. They would not trail again the rest of the way.

Unlike previous games this season where the Hawks relied primarily on the three-point shot, Hartford built its lead on Sunday by slashing to the hoop and scoring down low. The Hawks hit just five three-pointers all game long, three by Zeglinski and two from Clayton Brothers. One of Brothers' threes, in fact, was an accident, as his alley-oop pass to Milton Burton eluded the target but dropped right through the hoop, making the score 50-32 at the time.

Hartford, which has struggled on the boards of late, grabbed 42 rebounds to just 32 for the Wildcats. The Hawks pulled down 14 offensive boards, converting that into 12 second-chance points. Senior Morgan Sabia led the way for Hartford with 10 rebounds, his seventh-career double-digit rebound game.

The Hawks led by as many as 18 in the second half after Brothers' three before New Hampshire whittled the final margin down to eight points. That was as close as New Hampshire got in the game's final 19 minutes, though, as they could not pull off a second comeback after erasing a 16-point deficit to the Hawks in Durham last month.

For Zeglinski, his 22 points marked a third-straight game with at least that many, and fourth in six games. He now sits at 1,999 career points, and with one score on Saturday night will join Vin Baker as the only Hawks to reach 2,000 career points since the program moved to Division I in 1984-85. Zeglinski finished 9-for-21 from the floor on Sunday afternoon, adding six rebounds.

Estes, who scored nine of his 11 points in the first half, has not missed a shot since February 12 at Boston University. He is 9-for-9 since then, and added a perfect 3-for-3 night from the free throw line on Sunday.

All five of Hartford's seniors excelled on their day. Sabia added 10 boards, four points, two steals and a block. Burton scored four points, pulled down four boards, had two assists and a steal, and Anthony Minor scored three points and dished out a team-high five assists. He also had a block and two rebounds.

Hartford will now enjoy a five-day break as they prepare for the America East quarterfinals against Maine on Saturday night. For a second consecutive season, the Hawks will host the America East Men's and Women's Basketball Championships, so the Hawks and Black Bears will tip off at approximately 8:15 on Saturday night at the Chase Family Arena at the Reich Family Pavilion. Their game will follow the Wildcats' matchup with Boston University, which will start at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday. The winners of those two games will face off Sunday evening at approximately 7:35 p.m.