Box Score UNCASVILLE, Conn. – For the first time since 2009, the University of Hartford men's basketball team had five players score in double figures on Saturday night, but the Hawks were unable to pull out the win against Hofstra as they fell 81-78. Hartford returns to the hardwood of Mohegan Sun Arena tomorrow as it closes out the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Tournament at 6 p.m. when it faces Holy Cross in the consolation game of the Springfield Bracket.

Hartford (2-4) led by five with 8:42 left, but Hofstra (2-3) rattled off nine unanswered points, forcing the fifth lead change of the night by retaking the advantage at 68-64. The Hawks never recovered from that deficit, but had a chance to tie the game at 81-all with a three with 11.5 seconds remaining. A shot would never get off, though, as sophomore Evan Cooper was whistled out of bounds. 

With the Pride inbounding from the sideline near Hartford's bench on the ensuing possession, the Hawk defense worked a loose ball, one that forced both Hartford and Hofstra players to hit the deck. Dion Nesmith, the game's leading scorer wtih 27 points, saved the possession for the Pride, preventing one last chance for the Hawks to tie up the contest.

All but one Hartford starter recorded double digits in the scoring column led by sophomore Taylor Dyson's 16 points, a career-high that was established on a 6-of-10 shooting effort from the floor. Despite seeing just 22 minutes due to foul trouble, junior Mark Nwakamma added 15 while Cooper came off the bench to net 13 points. Junior Yolonzo Moore II (13) and senior Oren Faulk (10) rounded out the top scorers for the Hawks, who shot over 50 percent from the field (52.7 percent) for the second time in three games.

A lack of rebounding on the defensive side coupled with a plethora of whistles called against Hartford allowed the Pride to take a six-point lead into the locker rooms at halftime. Leading for the majority of the first and by as much as 10 points at 29-19, Hofstra turned seven offensive boards into 12 points and went 13-for-19 from the charity stripe during the opening stanza to build its 37-31 halftime advantage. 

Trailing by that 10 point margin with 5:30 left in the first, the Hawks received three-pointers from Dyson and Moore while using a Faulk dunk and another Dyson layup to close the gap to four, but sophomore Darren Payen's jumper from the top of the key beat the buzzer to provide Hofstra with that six-point edge at 37-31 at the half.

Out of the break, Hartford responded immediately, reeling off a 5-0 run to start to make it a one point game at 37-36 just 90 seconds in. That run was halted by the Pride, though, as Nesmith picked up where he left off in the first, draining a three to put his team back in front by four. Dyson, who's three started the Hawks' brief run to start the second, added six more points, including his thrid triple of the game, to help Hartford keep the game tight at 46-44 with 16:08 on the clock.

With 12:36 remaining, junior Wes Cole drained the 123rd three-pointer of his career to keep it a two-point deficit at 55-53. With that triple, he cracked Hartford's top-10 and sparked a 10-0 run that put Hartford ahead by five (60-55), marking its first lead since the opening minutes. Capped by an old-fashioned three-point play by Nwakamma and a Moore jumper, the Hawks held on to that advantage for the next two and a half minutes.

Down the stretch, Hartford was unable to hold on to that lead, though, as Hofstra scored nine unanswered to push ahead by four with 6:01 left. The Hawks would cut that deficit to one on two occasions, but two free throws and a Nesmith three would prove to seal the game for Hofstra, providing the Pride with a six-point lead with under three minutes left.

In addition to netting a career-high in points, Faulk also had personal-bests in rebounds (8), steals (2) and assists (3). Hofstra shot 46.9 percent (23-of-49) overall but was 50.0 percent from three, making half of its 24 attempts. The Pride more than doubled the Hawks' 16 attempts at the free throw line where they went 31-of-41.