BOX SCORE

PHOTO GALLERY

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. - There was a good old fashioned court storming at the Chase Family Arena at the Reich Family Pavilion on Saturday night, a sight not common for Hartford men's basketball games in the past, but something the current crop of Hawks hopes to repeat again soon. Preferably tomorrow night. That is when the Hawks get back on the court after their thrilling 66-63 victory over third-seeded Maine on Saturday night in the America East quarterfinals. Genesis Maciel scored a career-high 19 points to lead Hartford, which has now won its first tournament game in four of the past five seasons.

The win propels Hartford into the America East semifinals, where it will face second-seeded Boston University at approximately 7:34 p.m. Sunday evening. That game will follow top-seeded Vermont against No. 5 Stony Brook, which tips at 5:04 p.m. The winners will square off in the conference title game next Saturday on the higher seed's home court at noon.

Maciel, who shot 5-of-7 from beyond the arc, nailed what proved to be the game-winning three from the right corner with 31 seconds left. It came off a set play called during a timeout five seconds earlier. Senior Anthony Minor cut towards the middle and found a wide open Maciel in the corner to bury the jumper. Minor finished with 14 points, five rebounds and a career-high five steals.

The heroics of Maciel and Minor overshadowed a historic night for senior Joe Zeglinski. With his free throw late in the first half, Zeglinski became the second Hawk in the Division I history of the program - and just the third overall - to reach the 2,000 point milestone. Zeglinski finished with 10 points on the evening, giving him 2,009 for his career. He also knocked down one three-pointer, leaving him just seven shy of 400 and a tie with Gerry McNamara of Syracuse for the tenth-most all-time in NCAA Division I history.

Maine jumped out on top early, as Hartford missed its first eight three-pointers before Maciel knocked one down with 8:57 remaining to cut the Black Bears' lead to 18-13. The Black Bears led by as many as nine, 24-15, with 7:14 to go in the first half.

From there, the Hawks went on a 7-0 run, started with two Minor lay-ups and aided by a Milton Burton dunk and Zeglinski's historic free throw. After Maine's Raheem Singleton knocked down a trey to push the Black Bears' lead back to five, Minor and Kevin Estes put in back-to-back lay-ups to cut the deficit to one at 27-26.

Maine once again surged ahead by six, but a Maciel three with 1:10 to go in the half and a lay-up by Burton pulled Hartford within a point at the break.

Despite a turnover on the opening possession, the Hawks started the second half strong. Hartford took its first lead with 16:42 on the clock when Zeglinski cut to the hoop and finished to give the Hawks a 38-36 lead. That came in the midst of a 16-8 stretch that saw the Hawks extend their advantage to 47-40 with 13:27 remaining.

Maine would answer with a 10-0 run of its own to regain a three-point cushion with 9:44 to play. But when Milton Burton's lay-up put Hartford back up 51-50 with 7:44 to play, the Hawks went ahead for good. The Black Bears cut the deficit to one several times, but Maciel and Minor had answers for them every time.

After Maine's Terrance Mitchell hit two free throws with 57 seconds to go, cutting the Hawks' lead to 63-62, Minor dribbled up the court and let time wind down. With 12 seconds to go on the shot clock, head coach John Gallagher called timeout and drew up a play for his hot hand, Maciel. The Hawks executed it to perfection, and Maciel tickled the twine for three, giving the Hawks a 66-62 lead. Singleton would add one free throw, but Maine could do no more as Hartford advanced and the loud and boisterous contingent of Hartford fans in the stands rushed the court to celebrate the victory.

The Hawks are now one step away from their second ever trip to the America East Championship Game. Standing in their way is No. 2 Boston University, which defeated New Hampshire 69-60 earlier Saturday night. The Hawks and Terriers split the season series, with each team winning on its home court. Sunday's contest will be held at the home of the Hawks, Chase Arena at the Reich Family Pavilion.