THE BASICS:

RESULT: Dartmouth 74, Hartford 65
LOCATION: Leede Arena (Hanover, N.H.)
ATTENDANCE:  689
RECORDS: Dartmouth (2-3), Hartford (3-6)

THE LEAD:
Pancake Thomas posted a new career high with 21 points, but a late 7-0 run for Dartmouth broke a 52-all tie to lift the Big Green to a 74-65 victory over the Hartford men's basketball team on Saturday. Evan Cooper delivered a season-high 14 points and George Blagojevic added 12 in a losing effort.
 
Jalen Ross added nine points, four assists and a career-high four steals in the loss for the Hawks. Dartmouth placed four players in double figures, led by 17 from Brandon McDonnell and a double-double with 15 points and 11 boards from Connor Boehm.

FIRST HALF:
Hartford opened the game cold from the field, coming up empty on its first nine shots to allow Dartmouth to open an 8-0 lead. Cooper snapped the spell with a triple from the right wing, and that send the Hawks on an 8-2 run, cutting the lead to 10-8 at the 9:31 mark on Cooper's second triple of the game.
 
Dartmouth scored four-straight points, but then the Hawks locked down defensively to embark on a 7-0 run. Blagojevic got it started with a two inside, then Taylor Dyson delivered a runner and a three-ball to put the Hawks ahead for the first time, 15-14. The teams traded points at that point, with a Ross three-point play tying the game at 20. But the Big Green finished off the stanza with four-straight points to take a 24-20 edge into the locker room.

SECOND HALF:
Out of the break, the teams traded three-balls to a 27-23 score, and then Dartmouth embarked on an 8-1 run, forcing a Hartford timeout with the score 35-24. Ross silenced that with a three-ball, and sent the visitors on a 17-6 run to tie the score at 41. Cooper drilled a pair of threes during the rally, and Blagojevic saw a three-ball find its way home as well.
 
Dartmouth bounced back, though, embarking on an 11-2 run to regain the lead at 52-43. Then it was Thomas coming through with seven-straight points, drilling a three and then converting a four-point play to cut it to two. J.R. Lynch then added a pair of free throws to tie the game at 52 each.
 
The Big Green then went on another rally, this one 7-0, to regain the lead 59-52. Thomas finished a three-point play to cut it back to a four-point deficit, but the Hawks would get no closer than that as Dartmouth closed out the game.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
• Thomas became the fourth different player in the last three games to finish with at least 20 points for the Hawks. Blagojevic and Lynch each had 20-plus against St. Francis and Ross did so against Providence.
 
• The Hawks shot a season-high 38 threes in the contest, connecting on a season-high 12.
 
• Hartford did a strong job forcing turnovers, as Dartmouth committed 16. The Hawks converted those into 24 points.
 
• The Hawks scored a season-high 44 points from the bench, led by Thomas' 21.
 
• This marked the last road game for the next 25 days for the Hawks, as the next affair outside of West Hartford will be Dec. 30 at Rider.

UP NEXT:
Hartford returns to Chase Arena at Reich Family Pavilion for a Wednesday night matchup against Quinnipiac on Dec. 9. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. between the in-state rivals. Tickets start at just $5 and are available by calling the Malcolm and Brenda Berman Athletics Ticket Office at 860.768.HAWK or visit HartfordHawks.com.