THE BASICS:

RESULT: Hartford 92, Central Connecticut 83 (2 OT)
LOCATION: Detrick Gymnasium
ATTENDANCE: 2400

THE LEAD: 
Taylor Dyson (17 points) led five players in double figures, as the Hartford men's basketball team outlasted Central Connecticut, 92-83 in double overtime in the final game of the Connecticut 6 Classic on Friday. Justin Graham (16), John Carroll (15), George Blagojevic (15) and Jalen Ross (14) also finished with more than 10 points, while Carroll led the Hawks with nine rebounds. Khalen Cumberlander had 19 points and 12 rebounds in a losing effort for CCSU.

FIRST HALF:
The Blue Devils opened the scoring, but a Dyson three got the Hawks offense started, as the Hawks and CCSU went back-and-forth early on. Hartford got a pair of tough buckets from Ross to garner a 9-8 lead that the Hawks held on to for the majority of the final 15 minutes of the half. Graham knocked down a clutch triple at 14:25 to give the visitors a five-point lead, the largest of the half for either squad.
 
After Hartford pushed the advantage to 24-19 on a Pancake Thomas layup at 6:54, the Blue Devils started to chip away, slowly cutting into the Hawks' lead. Hartford held the advantage at 30-27 after a pair of Graham free throws, but CCSU scored the final four points of the stanza on a pair of deuces to take a 31-30 advantage at the break.

SECOND HALF:
Hartford grabbed momentum right out of the locker room, taking the lead on the first possession as J.R. Lynch knocked down a three and Carroll followed with a layup to take a 35-31 lead. But CCSU battled back to cut it to a 37-35 advantage. That's when Hartford embarked on a 13-2 run, with five points from Blagojevic and a crucial three from Ross keying the rally, to take a 50-37 lead at the 12:29 mark.
 
The Blue Devils were able to cut the lead to four, 55-51, after an Austin Nehls three with 7:04 to play. But the Hawks had another run of threes, with Blagojevic, Dyson and Lynch drilling consecutive triples to push the advantage back to 13.
 
CCSU recovered, though, getting a three to cut the lead back to 10, and the teams traded baskets to a 68-59 score with 3:06 to play. The Blue Devils then locked down defensively, and scored the final seven points of regulation, including a tying three from Jahlil Nails with 11.1 seconds left. Hartford had a chance to hit the winner, but Pancake Thomas' three rimmed out just before the buzzer to send it to overtime.

OVERTIME:
The Hawks struck first with a pair of free throws by John Carroll, but Nails came right back with a three at the shot-clock buzzer to give the Blue Devils a 72-71 lead. Dyson responded with a nice two to regain the edge, but CCSU tied it at the line, 73-all. Graham drilled a three from the corner in response to put the visitors up three, but Central knotted it up at the line once more. Neither team was able to convert its shots in the closing minute, and the game headed to the second OT.
 
DOUBLE OVERTIME:
The Hawks started the second overtime with four straight points at the free-throw line, but CCSU countered with a pair of baskets to knot things up at 80. Ross provided the clutch basket of the period, with an off balance shot in the lane falling for an 82-80 edge. Graham followed with a key layup to push the advantage to four, but CCSU got three straight points at the line to make it 84-83. After Dyson canned two free throws following an offensive board, the Hawks got a stop and Graham hit two more at the line. Dyson closed it out with a defensive rebound and two FT before Thomas finished things off with the final two points at the line.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
• The 92 points marked the first time the Hawks have topped the 90-point mark since scoring 97 on Dec. 4, 2008, against Lafayette.
 
• The Hawks went to double overtime for the first time since March 4, 2012, against Vermont.
 
• It marked the first time since Dec. 21, 2014, against Florida International that the Hawks placed five players in double figures.
 
• Blagojevic delivered 15 points in 34 minutes in his collegiate debut, while Lynch contributed six points, two assists and a steal.
 
• Hartford outscored CCSU 20-2 in points off turnovers and 11-4 in fast-break points.
 
• The Hawks led for 39:43 to just 2:57 for CCSU. The game was tied for 6:59.
 
UP NEXT: 
The Hawks hit the road for three games in five days, beginning with a contest at St. Louis on Sunday. Tipoff is slated for 5 p.m. against the Billikens, and the game will be televised on Fox Sports Midwest.