THE BASICS:

RESULT: Appalachian State 70, Hartford 61
LOCATION: Chase Arena at Reich Family Pavilion
ATTENDANCE: 704
RECORDS: Hartford (1-4); Appalachian State (2-2)

PHOTO GALLERY

THE LEAD:
Jason Dunne had a career-high 22 points and 10 rebounds, but Appalachian State converted its free throws down the stretch to hold off a late charge by the Hartford men's basketball team on Wednesday.
 
Ronshad Shabazz scored 28 points and nabbed eight rebounds in the win for the Mountaineers, while Isaac Johnson (11 points, seven rebounds, four blocks) and Jake Babic (nine points) had strong games off the bench.
 
Jalen Ross added 13 points for the Hawks in a losing effort, while John Carroll added seven points and eight boards. Carroll and J.R. Lynch each delivered two steals for the Hawks as well.

FIRST HALF:
The Hawks scored right off the opening whistle, with the tipoff leading to a quick two by Dunne to put the Hawks ahead 2-0. The two teams went on to trade points for much of the first eight minutes, battling to a 12-12 score after a pair of Carroll free throws. Appalachian State then delivered the next four points to garner a 16-12 advantage at the 11:27 mark.
 
At that juncture, back-to-back triples from Dunne and a strong defensive lockdown started the Hawks on a 9-0 run to take a 21-16 advantage. The Hawks and Mountaineers traded points to a 26-22 score following a Carroll layup, but then App State delivered a 7-0 run to take the lead. Ross drilled a three to snap the rally, but the Mountaineers scored the last four points of the half to enter the locker room up 32-29.

SECOND HALF:
Out of the locker room, the Appalachian State offense heated up, starting the stanza on a 19-4 run to balloon the lead to 51-33 at the 12:17 mark. The Mountaineers used a mix of inside and outside game to manufacture the rally, and crashed the offensive glass to the tune of five offensive boards on seven missed shots.
 
A three-ball from Dunne snapped the Mountaineers run, and that sparked the Hartford defense as well. Five straight points from Andrew Ramirez cut the deficit to 51-41, and two more shots at the line by Lynch got it down to single digits at 51-43. After the Mountaineers hit a bucket, Jack Hobbs answered with a three from the corner to get the lead down to seven, 53-46.
 
The teams began to trade points, with the Hawks trimming it to 59-54 on a Dunne three-point play at the 2:53 mark. Hartford cut it down to four on a Dunne layup after a steal with one minute on the clock, but Appalachian State was able to close out the game at the line.
  
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Dunne's double-double marked the second-straight game that a Hawk has delivered one, as Carroll had 12 points and 11 boards at Drexel.
• Ross has now scored in double figures in 19-straight games, dating back to the middle of conference play last year.
• Nikola Colovic delivered his first career block in the contest. Ramirez had a career-high seven points.
• Hartford's 17 turnovers were a season high, as were the Hawks' seven steals.
• Hobbs made his first start of the season, delivering six points and five rebounds in 26 minutes of work.

 
UP NEXT:
The Hawks hit the road over the holiday weekend, traveling to Rutgers for a Friday affair at 1 p.m. and then advancing to North Texas on Sunday at 1 p.m.