THE BASICS:

RESULT: Drexel 87, Hartford 73
LOCATION: Daskalakis Athletic Center (Philadelphia, Pa.)
ATTENDANCE: 2,025
RECORDS: Hartford (1-3); Drexel (1-2)


THE LEAD:
Jalen Ross delivered his third-straight game with 20-plus points, finishing with 30, but an early second-half surge by Drexel proved too much to overcome, as the Hartford men's basketball team was bested in Philadelphia, 87-73 on Friday night. John Carroll registered his second-career double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds in the loss.
 
Kurk Lee led the Dragons with 24 points, while Rodney Williams (21) and Kari Jonsson (12) also finished in double figures. Drexel won the battle of the boards, 41-36, led by Austin Williams' 11, and held a 42-18 edge in points in the paint.
 
J.R. Lynch finished in double digits for the first time this season with 15 on the game. Ross was 9-for-18 from the floor and 4-for-5 from beyond the arc in the defeat.

FIRST HALF:
Drexel took advantage of a cold start for the Hawks to build an early 10-2 lead, but Ross willed the Hawks back, cutting the lead to just 11-8 and scoring all eight Hartford points in the meantime. But the Dragons scored four-straight points, and then a late charge call nullified a Hartford basket and propelled Drexel to push the lead to 20-8.
 
But the visitors banded together and rallied, locking down defensively to embark on a 13-0 run to gain the lead, 21-20. The Hawks eventually moved the lead to 23-21, and held Drexel without a field goal for 10:01. During the skein, Hartford held the Dragons to 0-for-12 from the floor with five turnovers.
 
The Dragons snapped the rally with a three-ball at the 1:50 mark, and with an advantage at the free-throw line, were able to carry a 31-28 lead into the break.

SECOND HALF:
Buckets by Ross and Carroll early in the second half cut the lead back down to one, 33-32, and the teams traded points to a 36-35 score. But Drexel started to rally at that juncture, and put together a 19-6 run, capped by a John Moran triple from the left corner, gaining a 55-41 lead at the 11:24 mark.
 
The Dragons were able to push the lead to 16 before a Jack Hobbs three-ball snapped the rally and sent Hartford on a 9-2 run to cut the lead back down to nine, 59-50. From there, the two teams traded points over the next several minutes to a 13-point Drexel lead with 3:48 on the clock.
Hartford was able to get the lead down to nine on multiple occasions in the closing minutes, but the Dragons were able to escape the Hawks press and hold on for the victory.
  
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Carroll's double-double was the second of his career, joining the Niagara game from November 2016. His 11 rebounds bested his previous career high of 10, set on two prior occasions.
• Ross has now scored in double figures in 18-straight games, delivering 20-plus points for the third contest in a row. He scored 85 points in a span of 86 hours, 28 minutes in his three games this week.
• Hartford had another good outing at the free-throw line, going 21-for-25 from the stripe. The Hawks are now 62-for-76 (.816) in the last three games at the stripe.
• Max Twyman hit his first Hawks three-pointer in a losing effort. He played a career-high 17 minutes.

 
UP NEXT:
The Hawks return home for a Wednesday afternoon matchup the day before Thanksgiving, with a matchup against Appalachian State at 2 p.m. For tickets, call 860.768.HAWK (4295) or visit HartfordHawks.com.