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WEST HARTFORD, Conn.  – Senior Yolonzo Moore II scored 19 points on Sunday afternoon as the University of Hartford men's basketball team took down visiting Florida International University, 82-69, at Chase Family Arena. Moore led five players in double figures as the Hawks (7-5) put 80-plus points on the scoreboard for the second time this season against a Panthers' (6-6) squad that entered the game ranked in the nation's top-50 in scoring defense.

Junior Taylor Dyson contributed 16 points – 14 of which came in the game's first four minutes – while senior Mark Nwakamma added 15. Rounding out the Hawks' top-scorers were veterans Corban Wroe and Wes Cole, who added 12 and 11 points, respectively. Moore also posted game-best numbers in steals (4) and assists (5), while adding five rebounds on the night.

Facing just one deficit 24 seconds in, Hartford came out of the gates firing. At the 13:35 mark, the Hawks built a 13-point lead as a three-pointer from rookie John Carroll capped 14-straight Hartford points from Dyson. The junior guard opened up the game making five of his first six shots from the floor, a clip that included a 4-of-5 performance from long range.

Despite a late first half charge by FIU, the Hawks took a double-digit lead (42-31) into the halftime break thanks to a pair of three-pointers from Moore and Cole. Hartford surpassed its previous season-best total in made three point field goals (9) in the first half alone, making 10 during that stretch. On the night, the Hawks shot 38.2-percent from behind the arc, making 13-of-34.

Florida International made things interesting down the stretch, using a 13-5 rally topped by a layup from Adrian Diaz at the 9:41 to make it a three-point game at 56-53. Diaz finished with a game-best 29 points, missing just one of his 14 attempts from the field. The Hawks remained composed, though, as they wheeled off a 14-4 run to push their lead back into double figures at 13 points at 70-57 with just over four minutes left. In the final four minutes of regulation, Hartford put the Panthers away by going 7-of-8 from the free throw line and scoring 12 of the game's final 19 points to seal the win. 

The Hawks enjoy a brief break for the holidays before they return to action at Notre Dame on Tuesday, December 30. The first-time meeting between the Hawks and Fighting Irish will be streamed live on ESPN3 with start time slated for 7:30 p.m.

THE TURNING POINT:
A pair of 11-0 runs in the first half helped the Hawks build a double-digit lead, despite a pair of scoring spurts from the Panthers. Leading, 42-31, at the halftime break, Hartford saw that advantage dwindle down to three points at the 9:41 mark at 56-53 thanks to a 13-5 spurt from the Panthers, but never folded. A 14-4 run that spanned over the next five minutes pushed the Hawks' lead back into double digits at 70-57 with 4:24 to go. Despite FIU making an attempt at a comeback bid with five unanswered points, the Hawks closed on the game on a tear, scoring 12 of the final 19 points to put the Panthers away.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS: 

·         Hartford poured-in a season-best 82 points against a Florida International team that ranked among the nation's top-50 in scoring defense

·         Five players finished in double figures, led by a 19-point effort from senior Yolonzo Moore II

·         Also finishing in double figures were Taylor Dyson (16), Mark Nwakamma (15), Corban Wroe (12), and Wes Cole (11)

·         Finishing with a season-high 13 makes from long range, the Hawks surpassed their previous season-best total (9) in the first half alone, draining 10 triples before the intermission

·         Pulling down 14 offensive rebounds, the Hawks had 16 points off of second chance points, a season-high

·         Hartford shot 45.8-percent (27-of-59) on the night, a clip that was edged by a 53.1-percent (26-of-49) effort by Florida International

·         Hartford held a 30-27 advantage on the boards, led by six from Nwakamma and classmate Nate Sikma

·         Adrian Diaz, a transfer from Kansas State, kept the Panthers in the game with a contest-best 29 points; he went 13-of-14 from the field, scoring 15 of those points in the second half

·         Hartford forced 19 FIU turnovers, scoring 34 points off of those miscues 

NEWS AND NOTES: 

·         In the five games that Hartford has led at the half, it has never lost

·         Putting up the most points in the opening half this season (42), the Hawks finished with 82 points, a season-best against Division I opponents

·         For the first time since a win over Binghamton on February 27, 2014, Hartford had five players finish in double figures

·         Nwakamma has scored in double figures eight times this year and carries a five-game double-digit scoring streak into the holiday break; Moore leads Hartford with nine double digit scoring games, accomplishing the feat in his last three outings

·         Hartford knocked down a season-high 13 shots from long range, where it shot 38.2 percent from the night

·         The 13 made threes marks the most triples made by Hartford in a single game since it had 11 against the Bearcats last February

·         The Hawks' three-point defense continues to be impressive as it held the Panthers to 5-of-16 shooting from long range (31.3%)

·         After missing the Hawks' last three games with a hip injury, senior Wes Cole knocked down 3-of-6 shots from downtown and went 2-of-2 from the charity stripe to finish with a season-high 11 points

·         With the victory, the Hawks ended a two-game home losing streak while scoring their second-straight against a Conference USA team

·         Hartford's 7-5 start is the program's second-best in its Division I history 

UP NEXT:
The Hawks enjoy a brief break for the holidays before wrapping up their non-conference schedule with a 10-day road trip that features two games. That stretch is kicked off with a date at Notre Dame on Tuesday, December 30 at 7:30 p.m. Fans who can't make the trip out to South Bend for the first-ever meeting between the Hawks and Fighting Irish can catch all of the action on ESPN3 or on the airwaves on WDRC1360AM with Jeff Dooley and Randy LaVigne on the call.