THE BASICS:

RESULT: LIU Brooklyn 75, Hartford 68
LOCATION: Chase Arena at Reich Family Pavilion
ATTENDANCE: 1,413
RECORDS: Hartford (1-7); LIU Brooklyn (6-1)

PHOTO GALLERY

THE LEAD:
Jason Dunne scored 18 points with seven rebounds and four assists, but a furious comeback attempt by the Hartford men's basketball team came up just short, as LIU Brooklyn topped the Hawks, 75-68. Hartford trimmed a 23-point deficit all the way to three in the closing minutes, but could not complete the effort.
 
Jalen Ross added 13 points for the Hawks, while Hassan Attia had four points, three blocks and four steals for the home squad. J.R. Lynch filled the stat sheet with eight points, six rebounds and three assists.
 
Jerome Frink led all scorers with 28 points and added five rebounds for the Blackbirds, while Raul Frias (14) and Iverson Fleming (10) also finished in double digits.



FIRST HALF:
Out of the gate, the Hawks got a quick bucket off the tip, then traded baskets with the visitors to hold a 4-3 lead. But LIU Brooklyn went on a run thanks to the three-ball, with back-to-back threes from Frias putting the visitors up 12-4. The teams then traded points to an 18-11 score after a John Carroll layup at the 9:55 mark.
 
The visitors went on a roll at both ends at that juncture, rolling off a 17-2 run to balloon the lead to 35-13. A J.R. Lynch three snapped the rally, but the Blackbirds were able to maintain their advantage into the locker room, entering with a 45-23 lead. LIU hit 7-for-11 from downtown in the first half.

SECOND HALF:
The start of the second half was a different story, though, as the Hawks started pressing on defense and went on a 21-8 rally, starting with Dunne at the free-throw line and ending with a three-ball from Ross. In between came a pair of nice layups by Attia in addition to back-to-back buckets by Dunne to cut the deficit to 53-44.
 
LIU-Brooklyn came right back with a 5-0 run to push the lead back into double digits. After moving the score to 59-47, the Hawks embarked on a 9-0 rally of their own, with Dunne springing J.R. Lynch on a fast-break layup to get it to a one-possession game, 59-56, at the 7:15 mark.
 
Again, though, the Blackbirds had an answer, pushing the lead back to nine. Hartford rallied again, this time with a Jack Hobbs triple making it a 67-64 score with 2:32 on the clock. After the two squads traded points to 69-66, the Hawks were unable to get the decisive basket, as the Blackbirds held off the charge with a 75-68 final.
  
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Ross extended his double-figure scoring streak to 22-straight games, dating back to January of last year.
• The Hawks wrapped up an incredibly busy first month of the season, playing eight games in November, all played in a span of just 20 days.
• Hartford outscored LIU-Brooklyn in the paint, 32-18, and the Hawks' bench outscored the Blackbirds', 19-14. LIU won the battle of the boards, 40-32.
• Attia's four steals and three blocks were both career highs.
• Dunne led the team in rebounds for the fifth time this season.

 
UP NEXT:
Hartford takes off on a three-game road swing beginning with a trip to Sacred Heart on Saturday, Dec. 3. The Hawks and Pioneers will do battle with a 1 p.m. tipoff, with live stats and video available on SacredHeartPioneers.com.