University of Hartford

THE BASICS:

RESULT: Central Connecticut State 75, Hartford 60
LOCATION: Detrick Gymnasium (New Britain, Conn.)
ATTENDANCE: 2,317
RECORDS: Hartford (0-1); CCSU (1-0)

THE LEAD:
Austin Nehls led all scorers with 18 points, including a momentum-changing four-point play, as Central Connecticut State topped the Hartford men's basketball team 75-60 in the season opener for both teams.
 
Jalen Ross had 18 points to lead the Hawks, while Jason Dunne added 13 in a losing effort. John Carroll delivered nine points and five rebounds in his first game in nearly a year for Hartford, while George Blagojevic nabbed six rebounds.
 
Nehls was one of four players to finish in double digits for the Blue Devils, with Khalen Cumberlander (14), Mustafa Jones (12) and Tidell Pierre (12) also topping 10 points. Eric Bowles dished out eight assists in the win for CCSU.

FIRST HALF:
Carroll started his first game of the year with a bang, knocking down a mid-range jumper to put the Hawks up 2-0 early. But CCSU countered with a 7-0 run to move ahead 7-2 before five-straight points from Ross knotted the score at 7-7. At that point, though, the Hawks ran cold from the field, and the Blue Devils were able to embark on a 9-0 run to take a 16-7 advantage.
 
Nikola Colovic energized the Hartford offense with back-to-back baskets, and the teams then traded points to a 25-19 score after Carroll converted a three-point play. But CCSU was able to lock down defensively, pushing the advantage to 13 at 36-23. Dunne came up big, though, drilling a three-ball just before the halftime buzzer to send the teams to the break with a 36-26 tally.

SECOND HALF:
Hartford's defense came out strong out of the locker room, allowing the Hawks to go on a 7-2 run to cut the lead to 38-33. A Chris Williams jumper stopped the rally, but Hartford continued to chip away, using pressure defense to force the Blue Devils into mistakes, cutting it to 46-42 at the under-12 media timeout. The teams then traded points to 50-46.
 
CCSU then got the four-point play from Nehls and used the momentum swing to lock down defensively, going on a 13-0 run to push the lead to 63-46, culminating in another Nehls three. Hartford made a couple runs at the lead, but ultimately couldn't get the momentum-changing basket, as CCSU emerged with the victory.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
• Colovic (four points, one rebound) and Andrew Ramirez (six points, two rebounds, two assists) each made their Hartford debut in the contest.
• Dunne delivered two blocks, two assists and a steal in his career-high 36 minutes of work.
• Both teams struggled at the free-throw line, with CCSU going 9-for-17 and the Hawks going 5-for-15.
• The Hawks created a third of their offense off turnovers, outscoring CCSU 20-11 in that category.
• The Blue Devils won the battle of the boards, 48-33, and delivered 24 assists on 30 baskets.

UP NEXT:
Hartford will host its home opener on Tuesday, Nov. 15, for a morning matchup against Rider at 6:30 a.m. The #630Flight game will be carried live on ESPN2 nationwide as part of the ESPN Tip-Off Marathon, with Jason Benetti and Tim Welch on the call.