BANGOR, Maine  –   Three Hawks scored in double figures on Wednesday night as the University of Hartford men's basketball team topped Maine, 63-60, at the Cross Insurance Center. Improving to 14-14 overall, Hartford, which has locked up the fifth seed in the America East Playoffs, stands at 7-8 in conference play. With their fourth-straight loss, the Black Bears (3-25) drop to 2-13 in the league.

Leading Hartford's offense was freshman reserve John Carroll, who scored 12 of his 15 points in the second half to help the Hawks erase a five-point deficit at the break. He shot 5-of-10 from the floor, including 5-of-6 from the free throw line, and had a team-high six rebounds as the Hawks' bench produced 26 points. Sophomore Justin Graham knocked down a pair of threes to finish with 13 points while senior Corban Wroe rounded out the top-scorers with 12 points, adding a game-best five assists.

Hartford turned around a 32.3-percent first half effort from the field by going 52.2-percent in the second. Trailing by five points at the half, the Hawks erased that deficit and took a 36-32 lead by opening the stanza with a 12-3 run that featured three consecutive three-pointers, including two from Graham.

The paced slowed down a bit for the Hawks, though, as their hot shooting from the field cooled down. Over the next seven minutes, the Hawks were held to just one field goal, allowing the Black Bears to regain their lead at 41-38 with 10:46 left to play.

Maine went on to lead by two at 43-41 with 9:16 to go, but that would prove to be its last as the Hawks used a 12-5 run to push ahead by five (53-48) with 4:17 left. The Black Bears continued to hang around, though, and kept it a one-possession game. With one minute remaining, Carroll pushed the lead back to four with two free throws before rookie Kevin Little got to the rim twice for the Black Bears to make it a one-possession game each time. Following those buckets, Maine had no choice but to foul the Hawks, allowing them to preserve their lead from the free throw line.

Maine shot 43.1-percent (25-of-58) on the night and was led by a 22-point effort from Little. Till Gloger, who started out the game 5-of-5 from the field in the first half, was held to just one field goal in the second half for 13 points.

The Hawks finish the 2014-15 regular season at home against Stony Brook on Saturday at 7 p.m. The Hawks' six seniors will be honored in a pregame ceremony.

THE TURNING POINT:
Opening up the second half with a 12-3 run that featured two three-pointers from Graham, a triple from Nate Sikma, and an old-fashioned three-point play from Carroll, Hartford erased a 29-24 halftime deficit and took a 36-32 edge over the Black Bears. The Hawks were unable to build upon that lead, though, as the Black Bears answered with a 9-2 run that put the home team back in front at 43-41. Following a three-point play from Wroe with 8:59 left to play, Hartford led for the remainder of the game, despite Maine keeping things close down the stretch.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS: 

·         Maine made 44.8-percent of its first half shots (13-of-29) and held Hartford to a 32.3-percent (10-of-31) clip

·         The Black Bears also dominated the boards in the opening stanza as they held a 22-15 edge

·         Hartford turned things around in the second half and went 52.5-percent from the field, making 4-of-11 triples during the second stanza

·         The Hawks outshot the Black Bears from the free throw line, going 12-of-17 (70.6%) on the game; Maine was held to just seven free throws, making four for 57.1-percent

·         Hartford's bench outscored Maine's by a 26-4 margin

·         Maine finished with a 41-21 edge on the battle of the boards 

NEWS AND NOTES: 

·         Hartford improves to 39-29 in the all-time series with Maine and has won nine of the last 11 meetings

·         The Hawks and Black Bears closed out the regular season series with a split as Maine beat Hartford, 70-61, last month at Chase Family Arena

·         Senior forward Mark Nwakamma, the Hawks' top-scorer and rebounder, saw just four first-half minutes and missed the entire second with an injury

·         Despite seeing limited minutes, Nwakamma pulled down three boards to become Hartford's seventh leading rebounder in its 31-year Division I history with 625

·         Handing out three assists, senior guard Yolonzo Moore II moved into seventh place with 285 on his career

·         Hartford is 7-7 when playing on the road

·         Sophomore Justin Graham recorded his seventh-consecutive double-figure scoring game, finishing with 13 points 

UP NEXT:
The Hawks conclude the 2014-15 regular season at home on Saturday night against the Stony Brook Seawolves. Prior to Saturday's 7 p.m. tip, Hartford's six seniors will be honored for their four years donning the Scarlet and White. Tickets for the game can be purchased by calling 860.768.HAWK, online at HartfordHawks.com, or by visiting the Malcolm and Brenda Berman Athletics Ticket Office.