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HAMDEN, Conn.  – The University of Hartford men's basketball team suffered a 71-53 loss to Sacred Heart in game three of the Connecticut 6 Classic Friday night at TD Bank Sports Center. Senior guard Yolonzo Moore II paced the Hawks in their season-opener with 22 points, while veteran forward Mark Nwakamma contributed 15.

Hartford, which had won its previous two against Sacred Heart, drops to 0-1 on the young season while the Pioneers move to 1-0.

Trailing 28-21 at the half, the Hawks clawed back to come within one point of the Pioneers with 15:49 to go. Despite the effort, Hartford was unable to complete the comeback bid, as Sacred Heart extended its lead into double-figures with a 9-0 run and never looked back.

The Hawks return to action on Sunday when they host Saint Peter's in their home opener. Opening tip from the Chase Family Arena at the Reich Family Pavilion is scheduled for 2 p.m.

THE TURNING POINT:
Hartford took a 4-2 lead out of the gates, but Sacred Heart rattled off a 14-3 run  to go up 16-7 with 12:09 left in the first. Trailing by 10 at 24-14 with 6:44 left until intermission, the Hawks managed to trim the deficit to single digits before halftime. Despite closing that first-half gap to a single point at 33-32 on back-to-back layups from Nwakamma and Moore with 15:49 left to play, Hartford was unable to finish off the comeback as Sacred Heart answered with a 9-0 spurt to regain its double-digit lead. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS: 

·         Despite making six more three-point attempts, Hartford converted on 10 less shots than Sacred Heart from the field and turned in a 39.2% effort from the floor on the night

·         Sacred Heart, which shot 48.0% in the first half, made 18-of-26 (69.2%) from the field in the second to maintain at least a seven-point edge down the stretch; the Pioneers finished the game shooting 58.8% (30-for-51)

·         Shooting just 29.6% from the field, the Hawks turned that effort around in the second by going 12-of-24 from the floor

·         Hartford was outrebounded, 35-23, on the night

·         From the line, the Hawks shot 75.0%, but made just eight visits on the evening

·         Yolonzo Moore II compiled a game-high 22 points while Mark Nwakamma, who led the team in rebounds with six, shot 7-for-11 to finish with 15 points

·         Sacred Heart's success in the paint helped decide the game as the 42 of the Pioneers' points came from 10-feet in

·         In seven minutes, senior Jamie Schneck recorded three blocks, one short of his career-high of four

·         De'Von Barnett shot 8-for-11 from the field to lead Sacred Heart with 18 points; Evan Kelley and Jordan Allen each added 13 points 

NEWS & NOTES: 

·         Scoring 22 points in the season opener vs. Sacred Heart, MooreI notched his fourth career 20-plus point game

·         Mark Nwakamma's 15 points marks his 10th-straight double digit scoring game, dating back to last season

·         With his 15 points, Nwakamma moved into ninth place in Hartford's Division I scoring history with 1,227 career points

·         Prior to tonight's setback, the Hawks had won their previous two against Sacred Heart

UP NEXT:
Hartford returns to action on Sunday when it hosts Saint Peter's in its season opener. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. The game can be seen on AmericaEast.TV with Brian Irizarry on the mic or heard on WDRC 1360 AM with Jeff Dooley and Randy LaVigne on the call.