SOUTH BEND, Ind.  – The University of Hartford men's basketball team closed out 2014 with an 87-60 loss to No. 14/13 Notre Dame on Tuesday night at Purcell Pavilion. Senior forward Mark Nwakamma paced the Hawks (7-6) in their first-ever meeting with the Fighting Irish with 16 points, six boards, and a season-best five assists.

Scoring their ninth-straight win, Demetrius Jackson paced four Fighting Irish double-figure scorers with 18 points, helping his team improve to 13-1 on the season. Notre Dame shot 53.2-percent on the night, making 13 three-point shots, the most conceded by Hartford in a single game this season.

The Hawks came out of the gates hot, using an early 8-0 run while hitting seven of its first nine shots to build a seven point advantage as a Nwakamma bucket just over four minutes in made it a 10-3 Hartford lead. But Notre Dame quickly answered back by scoring eight-unanswered points of its own over the next 71 seconds to go up, 11-10. Following three more lead changes, an 8-0 spurt, capped by a three-point play by Jackson, put the Fighting Irish in front for good at 22-16. Eight three-pointers in the first half coupled with 15 points off Hartford turnovers helped the home team build a 43-28 advantage before the halftime break.

Senior Yolonzo Moore II joined Nwakamma in double-figures with 12 points. Veteran Nate Sikma and rookie John Carroll each added seven points in the loss.

Hartford remains on the road for its final non-conference game, which will be played on Saturday, January 3 at Texas A&M. Tipoff is slated for 5 p.m. (EST) in a contest that will be aired on the SEC Network.

THE TURNING POINT:
Hartford took a 10-3 lead through the first four minutes of action, but Notre Dame got hot from the floor and capitalized on 10 first-half turnovers by the Hawks to take a 43-28 advantage into the break. The Fighting Irish saw 18 of their first-half points come off of Hartford's miscues and shot 47.1-percent from three (8-of-17) during that stretch to erase their early deficit and build a comfortable halftime edge.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS: 

·         Notre Dame scored 15 points off 10 first-half Hawk turnovers to create a 15-point cushion at the halftime break

·         Despite a 50.0-percent effort from the floor(12-of-24) in the first half, the Fighting Irish shot 51.6-percent in that stretch, including an 8-of-17 effort from long range

·         On the night, Notre Dame scored 18 points off of Hartford's 10 turnovers and made 13-of-30 shots from outside

·         Hartford shot 45.5-percent on the night (25-of-55), including a 34.6-percent clip from three (9-of-26); the Fighting Irish bettered that effort by going 53.2-percent (33-of-62) from the floor and 43.3-percent from three (13-of-30)

·         Two Hawks finished in double figures, led by 16 points from senior Mark Nwakamma, who also led the team in rebounding (6) and assists (5)

·         Senior Yolonzo Moore added 12 points in the loss

·         Notre Dame had all but one of its starters post double-digits in the scoring column, led by 18 points from Demetrius Jackson

·         Jackson went 4-of-6 from long range while Pat Connaughton scored all 16 of his points from long range on a 4-of-8 effort

·         Hartford was outrebounded by Notre Dame, 37-25, as the Fighting Irish scored 12 points on second chance opportunities 

NEWS AND NOTES: 

·         Hartford faced a nationally-ranked opponent in No. 14 Notre Dame for the first time this season, and the first time since playing No. 3 Louisville on the road on November 19, 2013

·         Stringing together his sixth-straight double-figure scoring game with 16 points, senior forward Mark Nwakamma also led the team with six rebounds while adding a season- and team-best five assists

·         Adding 12 points in the loss, Yolonzo Moore II is 31 points away from 1,000 on his career

·         The Fighting Irish became just the second team to shoot 40.0-percent or better from three-point land against Hartford this season, going 43.3-percent (13-of-30)

·         The 13 triples conceded to Notre Dame were the most Hartford has allowed in a game this season 

UP NEXT:
The Hawks wrap up non-conference play and kickoff 2015 on the road with a trip to College Station, Texas to face Texas A&M on January 3. The Saturday afternoon matchup, which is scheduled for a 5 p.m. tip (EST), will be aired live on the SEC Network. Fans can also catch Jeff Dooley and Randy LaVigne's call on the airwaves on WDRC1360AM or online at www.TalkofConnecticut.com.