BOX SCORE
VESTAL, N.Y. – Four Hawks reached double figures, led by 15 points by senior Andres Torres, to help the University of Hartford men's basketball team bring its record in league play back to even at 2-2 with a 69-57 defeat of the Binghamton Bearcats on Sunday afternoon at the Events Center.
Hartford moves to 2-14 overall while Binghamton falls to 0-17 and 0-5 in the America East.
Rookie Mark Nwakamma added a career-high 14 tallies, including a career-best seven boards, to earn America East Player of the Game honors while classmate Wes Cole netted 12 with a pair of three pointers and a perfect 4-of-4 effort from the charity stripe. For the Bearcats, Robert Mansell scored 19 points to lead four players with double digit scoring.
Binghamton came out of the gates hot, but the roles were reversed in the second half as the Hawks turned around a single point deficit and put the Bearcats away early in the final stanza. Hartford led by as much as 18 in that period, a lead that Binghamton managed to trim to single digits with less than 90 seconds remaining. The Hawks were quick to regain their double digit advantage and held on down the stretch to seal the victory.
Hartford's bench played a key role in keeping the Hawks within reach during the first half. Cole, Genesis Maciel and Ryan Baker combined for 19 of the Hawks' 26 points during that stanza to help their team enter the intermission facing just a one point deficit at 27-26.
In the second half, Hartford, which shot 64.7-percent (11-of-17) during that stretch, opened up with a 6-0 run to take the lead at 32-27 and went on to outscore Binghamton, 20-11, over the next eight minutes to build a 13 point advantage with 10:17 remaining. The Hawks continued to execute and pushed their lead to 18 on five-straight makes from the free throw line at 58-40 with just under seven minutes left on the game clock.
Binghamton cut its 18 point deficit in half over the next four minutes and threatened to make a late run but Maciel, who made his return to the court after missing the last five games with an injury, silenced the Bearcats with a deep three to secure the win. Maciel did not look rusty in his conference debut as the senior compiled 10 points including two three-pointers.
After throwing the ball away seven times in the first half, the Hawks committed just four turnovers during the final 20 minutes. Furthermore, Hartford's defense clamped down after the halftime break, forcing Binghamton into six turnovers and converting those into 10 points on the other end.
Both teams finished even in the battle of the boards with 25 apiece. Ten Hartford players saw action on Sunday afternoon with all but one contributing to the team's scoring.
Torres, who finished with three assists, passed former teammate Joe Zeglinski and Jack Ayer on Hartford's all-time list. He now sits eighth in the record books with 259 career helpers.
The Hawks continue their busy stretch when they return home on Tuesday, January 17 to play host to the UMBC Retrievers. Tip-off from The Chase Family Arena at the Reich Family Pavilion is set for 7:00 p.m.
