BOX SCORE
PHOTO GALLERY
WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – Hot shooting from behind the arc coupled with a strong performance on the defensive end led the University of Hartford men's basketball team to a 74-57 defeat of UMBC at the Chase Family Arena at the Reich Family Pavilion on Tuesday evening. Veteran point guard Andres Torres notched his first career double-double, compiling a game-high 16 points with 10 assists to lead the Hawks (3-14, 3-2 AE) to their third win in four games.
UMBC's mark in the America East falls to 1-4 with an overall record of 2-15. Three Retrievers finished in double figures led by Ryan Cook (12) and Adrian Satchell (11). Nine different players contributed to Hartford's point production with freshman Wes Cole rounding out the top-scorers with 13 points. Mark Nwakamma pulled down a game-best seven rebounds and joined classmate Nate Sikma with nine points.
The first half was an even battle between the two rivals with four ties and eight lead changes. Both squads shot 50.0-percent from the floor, with the Hawks holding the advantage from three-point land connecting on 7-of-14 attempts while holding the Retrievers without a trey.
UMBC, which averages just over five made three-pointers per outing, was held to just one on the evening.
Hartford opened up the game with a hot hand from beyond the arc, nailing both of its attempts as Yolonzo Moore II and Clayton Brothers each swished three's in the opening minutes. Easy buckets kept UMBC in the contest early on, however, as it scored its first 10 points on uncontested lay-ups under the hoop.
With 6:58 to play in the opening stanza, Nate Sikma converted on 1-of-2 from the charity stripe to tie up the game for the fourth – and final – time at 19-19 and spark a 6-0 run by the Hawks that saw Nwakamma go off for five unanswered points.
That streak was ignited on the defensive end as Torres dove for a steal and in the process, flipped the ball down court to Nwakamma who slammed home a dunk on the opposite end. Two possessions later, Nwakamma went to work on defense and swatted away Chase Plummer's shot, grabbed the board, and eventually connected on an eight-footer. The rookie capped his run with a free throw to put give Hartford a five point advantage at 24-19 with 4:04 remaining in the first.
Satchell put Hartford's rally to an end with back-to-back scores however the Hawks would deliver from behind the arc as two-straight by Cole and Ryan Baker would put their team ahead by seven.
UMBC trimmed its deficit to five and during the final minute of the half, Cole hit nothing but nylon from behind the arc for the third time, providing Hartford with its largest lead of the period at 8. With the time winding down in the half, Satchell's jumper would send his team into the locker room facing a six point deficit at 33-27.
Hartford would not relinquish its halftime lead however UMBC kept things tight, trimming its double digit deficit to two points. After coming within a single bucket on three occasions, Hartford pulled away from a 47-44 game utilizing a 9-0 run that was started and capped by Torres. The senior's sixth and seventh point in that stretch on a pair of free throws pushed his team's advantage to 12 with 6:10 to play.
The Hawks shot 51.0-percent (25-of-49) from the floor, marking a new season high, while holding their opponents to 41.2-percent shooting, including just 9.1-percent (1-of-11) from downtown. Hartford also outrebounded its counterparts in the win, pulling down 32 boards to UMBC's 30.
The Hawks will not waste any time to play their next league game as they head north to Orono for a Thursday night clash with the Maine Black Bears (7:00 p.m.). Hartford has won seven of its last 10 against Maine including three-straight triumphs last season.
