THE BASICS:

RESULT: Rider 84, Hartford 68
LOCATION: Chase Arena at Reich Family Pavilion (West Hartford, Conn.)
ATTENDANCE: 866
RECORDS: Hartford (1-2); Rider (2-0)

PHOTO GALLERY

THE LEAD:
Jalen Ross scored 20 points, but a second-half surge lifted Rider past the Hartford basketball team on Wednesday, 84-68. It marked the Hawks' second game in a span of just over 36 hours, as they defeated Niagara in overtime on Tuesday morning.
 
Kahlil Thomas delivered a double-double for the Broncs with 20 points and 13 rebounds. Xavier Lundy added 19 points for Rider, while Dimencio Vaughn (15) and Norville Carey (11) each finished in double figures as well for the Broncs. Rider held a 49-33 edge on the boards and outscored the Hawks on second-chance points, 23-7.
 
Jack Hobbs delivered 14 points in 21 minutes in a losing effort for the Hawks, while George Blagojevic added 11. J.R. Lynch snared seven rebounds and dished out seven assists with just one turnover for Hartford.
 


FIRST HALF:
The teams started even out of the gate, with Ross carrying the bulk of the load offensively. The senior scored nine of the Hawks' first 16 points to give Hartford a 16-15 lead at the 13:38 mark. After the teams traded points to 19-19, the visitors went on their first significant run, rolling off a 9-1 rally for a 28-20 advantage.
 
The Hawks came roaring right back, though, with Ross scoring four straight points and Hobbs drilling a three to cap off a 7-0 run and cut the lead to one at 28-27. But the Broncs delivered an 11-0 run of their own for a game-high lead of 39-27. Andrew Ramirez helped lead Hartford on a 6-0 run to cut the deficit to six, as he set up Blagojevic with a pair of nice looks, and the Hawks went into the break down 41-35.

SECOND HALF:
The Hawks cut it to five out of the locker room, but Rider embarked on a 6-0 run to put the lead back to double digits. Ross snapped the run with a three-ball, and later a Lynch jumper got the lead down to seven, 52-45. But the Broncs staged another rally, getting a jumper and a three to push the lead back to 12. The teams traded triples to a 60-51 score, and Hartford was able to cut it to 62-55 with consecutive layups by Jason Dunne and Ross.
 
But Rider repeatedly parried every Hawks attack, using a strong inside presence to open a 73-61 lead with 4:21 to play. Hartford turned up the pressure to cut it to 73-65, but that was as close as the home squad would get as the Broncs pulled out the victory.
  
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Lynch set a new career-high with seven assists, his second-straight contest setting a career high in dimes. He has 13 assists to just one turnover in the last two games.
• Ross has now scored in double figures in 17-straight games, delivering 20-plus points for the second contest in a row. It marks the first time in his career he has had at least 20 in back-to-back games.
• Hobbs matched his career high with four made three-pointers and delivered a career-best 14 points in the contest.
• Hartford had another good outing at the free-throw line, going 15-for-19 from the stripe. The Hawks are now 41-for-51 (.804) in the last two games at the stripe.
• The Hawks had a season-best 19 points off the bench.
• Rider outscored the Hawks off turnovers, 18-6, and in the paint, 44-26.

 
UP NEXT:
The Hawks hit the road to take on Drexel in Philadelphia on Friday night for a 7 p.m. contest. Live stats and video will be available on DrexelDragons.com.