THE BASICS:

RESULT: Hartford 98, UMBC 87
LOCATION: RAC Arena (Baltimore, Md.)
ATTENDANCE:  697
RECORDS: Hartford (7-13, 2-3 America East); UMBC (5-15, 1-4)
 
THE LEAD:
Jalen Ross led four players in double figures with a career-high 27 points, as the Hartford men's basketball team never trailed in a 98-87 win over UMBC on Thursday night. The Hawks had their best offensive night of the season, shooting 55 percent from the field, 50 percent from beyond the three-point line and 82.6 percent at the foul line.
 
Justin Graham delivered 14 points, his most of conference play, while Pancake Thomas and Taylor Dyson each delivered 15. Thomas narrowly missed a double-double with nine rebounds. Jairus Lyles led the Retrievers with 24 points.

FIRST HALF:
After the teams traded points to start things, with the Hawks holding a 5-4 lead, Hartford locked down defensively, holding the Retrievers to 1-for-5 from the floor with a turnover to embark on a 12-3 run. The Hawks got to the rim during the rally, which featured four layups, the last a three-point play by George Blagojevic that made it 17-7. The Hawks were able to push the lead to 11 after a three-ball by Thomas put the score at 23-12.
 
Hartford cooled down toward the close of the half, and UMBC was able to whittle the deficit to as little as five after a Joe Sherburne jumper made it 29-24 with 4:43 left. Layups by Ross and Jason Dunne started a run that pushed the lead back up to 11 for the Hawks, 37-26. The Hawks pushed the advantage to 39-29, but UMBC finished the half with a Sherburne three that sent the home squad to the locker room down just seven.

SECOND HALF:
UMBC cut the deficit down to six on a Sherburne three-ball early in the second half at the 18:10 mark, but a Blagojevic layup sent the Hawks on a 10-2 run that culminated in a Thomas triple to push the lead to 53-39 and force a UMBC timeout. Hartford then traded threes for UMBC's twos, as triples for Thomas and Evan Cooper made it a 59-43 lead, with 16 the largest margin of the contest to that point.
 
But the Retrievers were able to stem the tide, and later, a 6-0 run cut the advantage to just nine, at 62-53. The Hawks were able to push the lead back to 15, but UMBC answered with a 10-2 rally to get the lead back into single digits. The Hawks stopped that run, but UMBC kept coming, and a late 6-0 run cut the lead to just 84-80 with 2:42 left. But the Hawks got a crucial three from Graham as the shot clock expired on the next possession, and from then on got the stops and free throws they needed to preserve the victory.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
• The Hawks placed at least four players in double figures for the sixth time this year and the first time since the Sacred Heart game on Dec. 14. Hartford is now 5-1 in that situation this season.

• The 98 points marked the most the Hawks have scored since putting in 101 against Concordia on Jan. 21, 2003.
 
• Hartford won the battle of the boards, 35-33. UMBC committed just nine turnovers to Hartford's 12, though, as each team had eight steals.
 
• Hartford led for the final 37:13 of the ballgame, taking a 5-4 lead and maintaining the rest of the way.
 
• Graham was 6-for-7 from the field in the victory. He had gone just 10-for-45 in the last six games.
 
UP NEXT:
Hartford continues its road swing with a trip north to Durham to face New Hampshire on Sunday, Jan. 24, at 1 p.m. The game will be carried live on the Talk of Connecticut 1360 AM with Jeff Dooley and Randy LaVigne on the call, and the contest will be televised on AmericaEast.TV.