THE BASICS:

RESULT: Quinnipiac 99, Hartford 79
LOCATION: TD Bank Center (Hamden, Conn.)
ATTENDANCE: 767
RECORDS: Hartford (2-8); Quinnipiac (3-5)


THE LEAD:
Jalen Ross scored 21 points for the Hartford basketball team, but a hot-shooting Quinnipiac squad downed the Hawks 99-77 on Wednesday night in Hamden. The Bobcats shot 53.8 percent from the floor and converted 10 three-pointers on the night.
 
Daniel Harris led the way with 18 points for QU, but he was joined in double figures by Mikey Dixon (17), Donovan Smith (15), Reggie Oliver (12) and Peter Kiss (12). Smith delivered a double-double by adding 10 rebounds, while Phil Winston dished out 10 assists for the victors.
 
Jason Dunne added 17 points in the loss for the Hawks, while John Carroll delivered 14. Hassan Attia delivered three blocks and three steals in the contest.

FIRST HALF:
Hartford got on the board first with a spin inside and layup from Attia on its first possession. But Quinnipiac came out red-hot from the field, hitting five of its first six from beyond the arc to embark on a 24-7 run and open a 24-9 lead at the 12:57 mark. The Hawks then got quick consecutive buckets to cut it back to 10, on a Dunne jumper and an Andrew Ramirez three.
 
After the teams traded points to 26-16, QU heated up once more, going on a 9-4 run to push the lead to 35-20. The Bobcats were able to push the advantage to 17 with 3:52 left on a Abdulai Bundu layup, 46-29. A Carroll layup started Hartford on a 6-0 run, and the Hawks got the advantage back to single digits after a J.R. Lynch triple made it 50-41 with 1:09 left. QU got the final points of the stanza at the line and entered the locker room up 52-41.

SECOND HALF:
The Bobcats continued their strong offensive play out of the locker room, opening the half on a 12-4 run to push the lead to 19. A Dunne jumper snapped the rally, but the Bobcats went on another binge from the field, expanding the lead to 21 on a pair of free throws at the 15:12 mark. The teams traded points to a 75-53 score.
 
Dunne snapped the rally with a three-ball from the top of the arc, but Quinnipiac's offense continued to click at a high level into the closing minutes, and the Hawks were unable to close the gap as the Bobcats came away with the victory.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Ross extended his double-figure scoring streak to 23-straight games, dating back to January of last year.
• Carroll finished in double figures for the second-straight contest, marking his first back-to-back games in double digits this year. His 14 points were a season high.
• Lynch, who converted both of his threes in the game, has hit 13 of his last 19 from downtown.
• Hartford converted a season-high 31 free throws, going 31-for-40 from the stripe.
• Attia has 11 blocks and nine steals in just four games for the Hawks.

 
UP NEXT:
Hartford wraps up a three-game road swing with a contest at Boston College on Friday night. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. inside Conte Forum. The game will be carried on ACC Network Plus, and will be available on WatchESPN.