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WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – Sophomore Yolonzo Moore II collected a team-best 18 points, but it wasn't enough for the University of Hartford men's basketball team to hold on to its halftime advantage as the Hawks dropped a 56-46 decision to the UAlbany Great Danes at the Chase Family Arena at the Reich Family Pavilion on Saturday evening. With their third-straight loss, the Hawks fall to 3-3 in the America East and 10-9 overall while the Great Danes move to 16-4 with a 5-1 mark in conference play.

Moore's 18 points matched a game-high as Peter Hooley also contributed 18 tallies to go along with 12 boards on the evening for UAlbany. The duo was named the America East Player of the Game for their respective teams. Moore shot 8-of-17 from the floor and led the Hawks with seven rebounds, four steals and two assists.

Joining Moore in double figures was classmate Mark Nwakamma who collected 14 points. Nate Sikma finished with eight points while Evan Cooper and John Peterson rounded out Hartford's scoring with three points each.

Hartford held the Great Danes to 56 points, 10 points below their season average, but struggled to put the ball through the hoop in the final stanza, allowing the visiting squad to come back from behind and take control of the game. The Hawks shot just 20.0% in the last 20 minutes (4-of-20), and scored just 14 points during that stretch, a second-half low for the team this season.

The Hawks, who reversed a recent trend of slow starts on Saturday night, came out of the opening tip and drained six of their first nine shots to jump ahead, 13-8, just over five minutes in. UAlbany got back in the game quickly, though, as it scored the next six points to grab its first advantage of the night at 14-13 with 12:01 remaining.

After that, the two squads went back and forth, with Moore, who had the contest's first four points, taking over and single handedly keeping the Hawks in the game. A sophomore, he had 11-straight points for Hartford as both teams traded hoops over the next two minutes.

With the score knotted at 18 points apiece at 9:47, a Moore jumper from the elbow provided the Hawks with the advantage at the 8:59 mark before his seventh bucket of the stanza less than 40 seconds later made the score 22-19 in favor of Hartford. Sikma's second three of the evening gave the home team its largest lead of the game (6) with seven minutes to go until halftime.

Before the break, both teams swapped baskets in the closing minutes and Hartford carried a five-point lead into the locker rooms at 32-27.

It truly was a tale of two halves for Hartford, which after shooting 46.7% (14-of-30) to start the game, ran into a wall following the intermission. The Hawks made just one of their first 11 shots to start the stanza, and quickly fell behind the Great Danes, 43-35, with 11:22 remaining in regulation.

Nwakamma had all but two of the Hawks' second-half points and was the only Hartford player to score from the field in that span. Cooper and Moore each made 1-of-2 shots from the charity stripe to round out the second-half scoring.

The Hawks finished the game shooting 36.0% (18-of-50) from the field but made just 26.3% (5-of-19) of its shots from three point land. UAlbany effort from the field was lower at 34.5% (19-of-55), however, the Great Danes made 12 more trips to the free throw line than the Hawks and made 70.0% (14-of-20) of those attempts.

Hartford hits the road again for its next game as it is slated to play at New Hampshire on Jan. 24. The Hawks and Wildcats tip-off from Lundholm Gym at 7:00 p.m. in a matchup that will be broadcasted live on ESPN3.