WEST HARTFORD, Conn.  –  The University of Hartford men's basketball team suffered its fourth-straight loss on Saturday afternoon, as the Vermont Catamounts took a 65-46 decision at the Chase Family Arena at the Reich Family Pavilion. With the setback, the Hawks fall to 11-11 overall and 4-5 in America East action. Vermont moves to 12-10 overall with a 7-2 record in the league.

The Hawks shot a season-low 22.0-percent from the floor, including 19.4-percent in the second half, as Vermont turned a 26-20 halftime into a 16-point advantage with 6:44 left in the game. Vermont held Hartford to 13 made field goals, with just seven of those buckets coming from inside of the three-point circle.

Kurt Steidl scored a game-best 16 points for Vermont after going 4-of-9 from three and 4-of-4 from the free throw line. All but three of those points came in the second half as the Catamounts, who led 26-20 at the half, blew open a 39-34 advantage by wheeling off an 11-0 run. Steidl nailed two three-pointers during that game-decisive stretch, which was capped by a Hector Harold three-pointer that made it a 50-34 lead with 6:44 to go.

Hartford played without leading scorer and rebounder Mark Nwakamma, who left the game 46 seconds in. After making his return, the senior went down hard and left the game for good with 11:30 remaining in the first half.

Hartford returns to action on Tuesday when it heads to Binghamton for a 7 p.m. matchup. The contest will be aired live on ESPN3.

THE TURNING POINT:
Vermont, which led by six at the half at 26-20, extended its lead to eight points (39-31) with 11:10 to go before sophomore Justin Graham drilled a three-pointer to close the gap to five with 10:47 remaining. That proved to the Hawks' final field goal until the final seconds, as the Catamounts wheeled-off an 11-0 run to go up by 16 at 50-34 with 6:44 left.

HOW IT HAPPENED: 

·         Following five lead changes in the first half, Vermont closed out the first half with a 11-4 run to take a 26-20 advantage into the halftime break. John Carroll had seven first-half points to pace the Hawks in the first 20 minutes.

·         Trailing by eight, sophomore Justin Graham drilled a three-pointer with 10:47 left to cut Hartford's deficit down to five points (39-34), but Vermont got hot and wheeled off an 11-0 run that proved to be the dagger in the game. The Catamounts had three three-pointers during that stretch, two of which came from Kurt Steidl. Graham's three-pointer was the Hawks' final field goal until a Hobbs' layup with 9.1 seconds as Hartford was held it to just 10 free throws during that stretch. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS: 

·         The Hawks shot a season-low 22.0-percent on the afternoon, combining to make just 13 field goals

·         In the second half, Hartford was held to six field goals as Vermont, which led by five points at 39-34 with 10:47 left, put the game away with an 11-0 run

·         Following a Justin Graham three with 10:47 left, Hartford went without a field goal until there was 9.1 seconds remaining

·         Vermont shot 45.3-percent overall (24-of-53), including 41.2-percent (7-of-17) from three-point land

·         The Hawks attempted 30 shots from long range and converted on six for a 20.0-percent clip

·         The Catamounts outscored the Hawks in the paint, 26-10

·         Hartford made 14-of-17 free throws, while Vermont went just 10-of-17 from the charity stripe 

NEWS AND NOTES: 

·         Sophomore Justin Graham entered conference play without having a double-digit scoring game under his belt in his career; since then, he has scored in double-figures four times in the last nine games

·         Hartford has lost its last four to Vermont as the Catamounts have won 19 times in the last 20 games

·         The Hawks' four-game losing skid is their longest this season, and the longest since the 2013-14 season when they lost five-in-a-row, starting with an 87-48 setback at Louisville on Nov. 19, 2013

·         Senior forward Mark Nwakamma, Hartford's leading scorer and rebounder, saw his afternoon come to an end with 11:30 remaining in the first half after suffering an injury to his right knee 

UP NEXT:
Hartford hits the road for a Tuesday night clash at Binghamton. Tipoff from the Events Center is scheduled for 7 p.m.