BOX SCORE

BOSTON—The University of Hartford Hawks tried to come back from an 11-point deficit to Boston University in the second half, cutting the lead as low as two, but fell to the Terriers, 64-55, on the road in the final game of the regular season.
 
Freshman guard Yolonzo Moore II led the way for the Hawks with 17 points on 5-of-10 shooting. Moore was joined in twin figures by senior guard Andres Torres and freshman forward Mark Nwakamma. Torres scored 12 points to go along with six assists, four steals and three rebounds while Nwakamma added 11 points and a pair of rebounds.
 
With 11:35 to play in the second half, Boston U. guard Matt Griffin missed a three in transition, but guard Darryl Partin was there to grab the offensive rebound for the Terriers. Later in the possession, Partin hit a three from the right wing to give the Terriers an 11-point lead, 49-38. The Terriers pulled down 13 offensive rebounds on the day leading to 13 second-chance points.
 
The Terriers controlled the boards, collecting 37 rebounds to Hartford's 18, including a 13-4 edge on the offensive glass.
 
A minute later, the Hawks began a 14-5 run to pull within two. The run started when guard Clayton Brothers hit one of two free throws to cut the lead to 10. After forcing Boston turnovers on their next two possessions, senior forward Genesis Maciel had the ball on the right baseline when he found a cutting Moore in the lane for a layup and a foul. Moore hit the free throw to cut the Terrier lead to seven, 49-42, with 10:31 to play.
 
The Terriers answered with a pair of free throws, but the Hawks came right back. Torres found Brothers cutting on the baseline for a layup to make it a 51-44 game. Brothers followed that with a play on the other end of the floor, taking a charge from D.J. Irving to give the Hawks the ball back.
 
The Hawks capitalized on that opportunity with a Nate Sikma layup to cut the lead to five, 51-46. Brothers then stepped up again on the defensive end, taking the ball from Boston's Travis Robinson and breaking away for a layup. With the Hawks trailing by three, 51-48, with 8:35 to go, the Terriers called time out.
 
The Hawks forced 20 Terrier turnovers on the day and scored 24 points off those turnovers. Hartford turned the ball over 14 times.
 
After going back and forth for the next three minutes, the Terriers pushed their lead up to four, 54-50. With 5:39 remaining, Nwakamma drove to the basket from the right elbow for a layup to cut the lead in half, 54-52.
 
However, the Hawk momentum ended there. On the ensuing possession, Nwakamma was whistled for his fifth foul on a play away from the ball. The foul sent Irving to the line where he was able to make both free throws to give the Terriers a four-point cushion.
 
The Hawks connected on one field goal over the final five minutes, an off-balance three at the end of the shot clock by Sikma. That three brought it back to a three-point game, 58-55, with 2:47 to play. The Terriers then closed the contest scoring the final six points.
 
The game was back-and-forth through the first 15 minutes of the first half. Neither team led by more than four points. The Hawks took an 11-7 lead after on an Andres Torres three from the right wing. The Terriers held a three-point lead, 18-15, thanks to a toe-on-the-line jumper from the left corner by Zach Chionuma.
 
At the 5:18 mark of the first half, Yolonzo Moore II hit a three-pointer from the left corner to tie the game at 18 apiece. The Terriers then proceeded to end the half on a 13-3 run to take a 31-21 lead into the intermission.
 
The Hawks shot just 33.3 percent from the field in the first half on 7-of-21 shooting while going 5-of-15 from beyond the arc. The Terriers shot 52.3 before the break on 11-of-21 shooting from the field.
 
The Hawks picked their shooting up in the second half, finishing 20-of-46 from the field. The Terriers finished 21-of-45.
 
The Hawks opened the second half on a 7-0 run. Brothers started the half hitting a pair of free throws. After a defensive stop, Sikma fed Nwakamma for a layup and a foul. Nwakkama hit the free throw. On the ensuing Boston U. possession, Torres stripped the ball from forward Patrick Hazel and went the length of the floor for a layup to bring make it a 31-28 game with 18:31 to play.
 
The Hawks would later cut the lead to two, 34-32, on a Nwakamma dunk in which he was fouled. Nwakamma could not hit that free throw, which would have made it a one-point game.

Next up for the Hawks is the America East Championship Tournament at the Chase Family Arena in West Hartford. The Hawks will begin tournament play Saturday, March 3, in the quarterfinal round. The Hawks will play as either the fifth or sixth seed.