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WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – With a 56-49 triumph over league rival New Hampshire on Thursday evening, the University of Hartford men's basketball team improved to 1-1 in the America East while snapping its 13-game losing skid with a 56-49 decision at the Chase Family Arena at the Reich Family Pavilion. Senior point guard Andres Torres' game-best 27 points, nearly half of his team's offensive output, led the Hawks to their first win of the season while rookie forward Mark Nwakamma contributed 10 points and six rebounds in the victory.
New Hampshire falls to 0-2 in the America East and 5-8 overall.
A team that relies heavily on its three-point shooting, Hartford was held without a long range field goal (0-of-5) in the opening 20 minutes and went on to finish the evening with its worst performance from downtown, connecting on just one three-point shot in 14 attempts, 7.1-percent.
The Hawks, which trailed for the majority of the second half including a two-point deficit at the intermission, hung around with the Wildcats and began chipping away at New Hampshire's eight point advantage with 8:50 remaining. Nwakamma got the comeback going with his jumper at 8:29 while Torres followed suit by converting on an old-fashioned three-point play to cut the gap to 40-37 with 7:47 to play.
Hartford brought New Hampshire's lead to a single bucket on another free throw and Nwakamma tied the game for the first time since the 12:36 mark of the first half with a nifty post move in the paint to tie the score at 40-40 with 5:35 left on the clock.
Following the fourth deadlock of the contest, 42-42 with just over four minutes remaining, Hartford regained a two point lead on a pair of free throws by Torres however that was short-lived as New Hampshire responded with a three-pointer by Alvin Abreu and a lay-up by Chandler Rhoads whichb put their squad up by three with just 125 seconds left.
Nwakamma again came up with a key play at a pivotal moment after cleaning-up on a missed lay-up by Torres and slamming home a dunk to again bring the Hawks within a single point. The play forced New Hampshire coach Bill Herrion to use a timeout and after the 30-second break, Hartford gained the lead and would not relinquish on another huge play, this time by Clayton Brothers. The veteran guard's intense pressure on Rhoads caused a New Hampshire turnover which he converted into a lay-up by hitting classmate Torres on the break with 94 seconds on the clock.
Down the stretch, the Hawks hit 8-of-10 from the charity stripe in the final 45 seconds to hold on to the advantage and seal the deal. Torres finished 14-for-17 from the free throw line and 19 of his game-best points came in the second half.
After allowing eight offensive rebounds in the opening half, which translated into seven second-chance points by New Hampshire, the Hawks limited the Wildcats to just two in the final stanza. In addition, the Hawks, which were plagued by turnovers in the first with 11, committed just four in the second half.
Hartford held the Wildcats to 29.4-percent shooting from the floor (15-of-51), marking the lowest shooting percentage by an opponent this year. Both teams finished even with 35 boards apiece. For New Hampshire, Ferg Myrick netted 12 points while Brian Benson pulled down a game-best 14 boards.
The Hawks continue play in the America East on Sunday, January 8 when they host the Vermont Catamounts. Tip-off between the league foes is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
