COLLEGE STATION, Texas  – In a homecoming for four University of Hartford men's basketball players who hail from the Lone Star State, the Hawks came up short at Texas A&M, dropping a 58-49 decision at Reed Arena Saturday afternoon. The Hawks dip to 7-7 on the season in their non-conference finale while the Aggies improve to 9-3 overall while remaining perfect at home this season with a 7-0 mark.

Texas native Mark Nwakamma paced all Hartford scorers with 13 points, pulling down a team-best seven boards, while Yolonzo Moore II, an Austin, Texas native, added nine points and four boards. Corban Wroe also finished in double figures for Hartford, which received all of its scoring from its starters, with 10 points.

The Hawks shot a season-low 28.1-percent (16-of-57) from the floor, but still hung around with the oversized Aggies, who were held without a made three-point field goal but went 51.3-percent from inside of the arc (19-of-37).

Coming out of the gates cold, Hartford dug itself out of a 12-2 deficit and closed the gap to one using an 11-2 run over a three minute span. Sparked by a Wroe layup at the 13:28 mark, Nwakamma converted on a three-point play before junior Taylor Dyson closed the gap to 14-13 with a deep three-pointer with 10:24 to go.

The cold shooting became prevalent over the next five minutes, though, as both teams combined to shoot 0-for-10 from the field. During that stretch, Texas A&M added the only points to the scoreboard, making a pair of free throws to bump its lead to three at 16-13 with 6:17 remaining. A Nate Sikma layup at the 5:19 mark ended the field goal drought and closed the gap again to a point, but it wasn't enough as the Aggies outscored the Hawks, 7-2, over those final minutes to close out the half with a 23-17 advantage.

Another hot start from Texas A&M, this time a half-opening 9-3, pushed the home lead back into double digits at 34-22 with 14:43 remaining. As they did in the first, the Hawks chipped away at their deficit, closing the gap to just three points at the 3:07 mark using an 8-0 rally that was sparked by a Moore three-pointer and capped by a triple by Dyson. Hartford was unable to get over the hump, though, as the Aggies scored seven unanswered to seal the game by making it a 54-44 advantage with just over one minute remaining.

Two Aggies finished in double figures led by 12 points from Jalen Jones. Overall, Texas A&M shot 38.0-percent (19-of-50).

Posting the program's second-best non-conference finish at 7-6, the Hawks return home to host Binghamton on Wednesday night at 7 p.m.

THE TURNING POINT:
Hartford dug itself out of a double-digit deficit in the second half, coming within three points of the Aggies with just over three minutes to go. Trailing, 47-36, at the 6:10 mark, the Hawks reeled-off eight-straight points in a run that featured a pair of three pointers from Yolonzo Moore II and Taylor Dyson. The comeback bid would be halted, though, as the Aggies answered with a run of their own, taking a 54-44 lead with 1:01 left with what proved to be a game-deciding, 7-0 run.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS: 

·         Hartford shot a season-low 28.1-percent from the field, going 16-of-57 on the night

·         Seniors Mark Nwakamma and Corban Wroe paced the scoring efforts for the Hawks with 13 and 10 points, respectively; classmate Yolonzo Moore II added nine in the loss

·         Both teams turned in poor performances from the floor in the first half as Hartford shot 24.0-percent (6-of-25) while Texas A&M went 30.8-percent (8-of-26) during that stretch

·         The Aggies did not hit an outside shot in the first half, scoring 16 points in the paint and the remaining seven from the free throw line

·         All but four of Texas A&M's points came in the paint (34) or from the charity stripe (20)

·         Inside of the three-point circle, the Aggies went 19-of-37 for 51.3-percent; overall, Texas A&M went 38.0-percent (19-of-50) from the floor

·         Hartford scored 14 of its points off of 13 Texas A&M turnovers 

NEWS AND NOTES: 

·         Despite the loss, Hartford's 7-6 out-of-league mark is the program's second-best non-conference finish in its 31-year Division I history; the best non-league record, a 9-6 mark, was posted in the 1989-90 campaign

·         The Hawks turned in a season-low shooting percentage against the Aggies, going just 28.1-percent (16-of-57) from the floor

·         Hartford scored just 17 first half points, the fewest in a half all season

·         The Hawks did not concede a three-pointer to Texas A&M as the Aggies missed all 13 of their attempts; this marks the second time this season Hartford holds an opponent without a make from downtown

·         Recording his seventh-straight double-figure scoring game with 13 points, senior forward Mark Nwakamma needs five more points to move into fifth place on Hartford's Division I scoring list

·         Leading the Hawks with seven boards, Nwakamma also cracked the program's top-10 in rebounding with 546 on his career

·         Hartford falls to 0-2 in the all-time series with Texas A&M and has yet to score a win against the SEC 

UP NEXT:
The Hawks return home to resume America East play against Binghamton on Wednesday night. Hartford will be seeking its ninth-straight win over the Bearcats with tipoff slated for 7 p.m. Tickets are still available and can be purchased on www.HartfordHawks.com, by calling 860.768.HAWK, or by visiting the Malcolm and Brenda Berman Athletics Ticket Office.