WEST HARTFORD, Conn.  – The University of Hartford men's basketball team suffered a heartbreaking 63-61 loss to Rider on Saturday at the Chase Family Arena at the Reich Family Pavilion. Senior Corban Wroe and rookie John Carroll each had 11 points in the loss as the Hawks dip to 6-5 on the season. Rider, which was led by 14 points from Matt Lopez, improves to 5-6 on the year.

Hartford trimmed a 12-point, first-half deficit down to seven (31-24) before halftime, and continued to chip away out of the break. With 15:32 to go, Wroe tied up the game at 37-all with his third three-pointer of the night, but Rider responded with a brief 5-0 spurt to regain a 42-37 cushion. That proved to be the theme for the next 10 minutes of the contest as each time the Hawks made it a one possession game, the Broncs had an answer.

That changed down the stretch, though, as Yolonzo Moore II made a pair of free throws for the Hawks with 4:07 left to make it a 59-56 game before sophomore Justin Graham tied up the game at 59-59 at the 3:16 mark with his second big three-pointer of the night. The make from long range was the Hawks' first field goal since a Nate Sikma three-pointer made it a 50-48 deficit for the home team at the 10:09 mark, but it also proved to be Hartford's last of the night.

With 1:10 to go, Moore, who finished with 10 points, went on to make two more from the charity stripe to give the Hawks their first lead since the game's opening minutes at 61-59. However, Hartford was unable to get stops on the defensive end as a Lopez layup on the ensuing possession would tie things up for the third time in the half.

A turnover, the Hawks' 15th of the night, proved to be the dagger for Hartford. Out of a timeout, the Hawks were whistled for a 10-second back court violation, and Rider capitalized as Teddy Okereafor, who made one of his first seven shots, drilled a jumper to put his team up, 63-61, with 12 seconds left. Hartford had a chance to tie up the game with three seconds remaining as Carroll was fouled under the basket. Despite the Hawks making 22-of-24 from the charity stripe heading into those final 2.8 seconds, the rookie came up short on both free throws. Hartford managed to get the ball back under its own basket following Carroll's second miss, however the Hawks were unable to get anything going with a second remaining.

Senior forward Mark Nwakamma joined Wroe, Carroll and Moore in double-figures with 10 points, adding a game-best eight rebounds.

The Hawks break for finals and return to action at home on Sunday, December 21 against Florida International. The contest is part of a doubleheader as the women's team hosts Quinnipiac at 12 noon. The men's game is set to tip-off at 2:30 p.m.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS: 

·         Hartford was plagued by turnovers, committing 16 on the night while allowing Rider to score 19 points off of those miscues

·         The Broncs scored the go-ahead bucket with 12 seconds left off of a Hawk turnover – a 10 second back court violation out of a timeout

·         Prior to freshman John Carroll's final two free throw attempts with 2.8 seconds left, Hartford had 22-of-24 from the charity stripe

·         Shooting 46.7% in the first half, Rider went 50.0% from the field to finish at a 48.2% (27-of-56) clip, compared to a 35.6% (16-of-45) effort from the Hawks

·         Hartford suffered a seven-minute span in the second half where it did not register a made field goal but stayed in the game by going a perfect 8-of-8 from the charity stripe

·         Sophomore Justin Graham ended the Hawks' field goal drought with 3:16 left in the game, tying up the game at 59-59 with a three-pointer, but that proved to be the last make from the floor for Hartford

·         Senior Mark Nwakamma, who scored eight of his 10 points in the second half, saw limited minutes down the stretch as he picked up his fourth foul with 9:47 left in the game

·         From the free throw line, the Hawks shot a season-best 84.6%, making 22-of-26

NEWS AND NOTES: 

·         Also falling at home to Central Connecticut last Saturday, the Hawks suffered back-to-back losses at Chase Family Arena for the first time since the 2012-13 season when it lost to Albany (Jan. 19, 2013) and Vermont (Jan. 30, 2013)

·         Senior forward Mark Nwakamma's team-best eight rebounds tied a season-high

·         Rider took a 2-1 edge in the all-time series with Saturday's win

·         Defeating Saint Peter's, Niagara and Quinnipiac earlier this season, the Hawks ended a four-game winning streak against teams from the MAAC with the loss to the Broncs 

UP NEXT:
Following a week-long break for final exams, the Hawks play their final home game of the non-conference season on Sunday, December 21 against Florida International. The first-time meeting between the Hawks and Panthers is part of a doubleheader with the Hartford women's team, which is scheduled to tip off against Quinnipiac at 12 noon. The men's game is slated for a 2:30 p.m. start time.