THE BASICS:RESULT: Hartford 88, UMBC 65
LOCATION: Chase Arena at Reich Family Pavilion (West Hartford, Conn.)
ATTENDANCE: 1,154
RECORDS: Hartford (8-20, 3-10 America East); UMBC (6-22, 2-11)
THE LEAD:George Blagojevic led four players in double figures with 23 points as the Hartford men's basketball team delivered a resounding 88-65 win over UMBC on Wednesday night.
Pancake Thomas added 20 points, while
Jalen Ross and
Evan Cooper each poured in 14.
The Hawks delivered 22 assists to just seven turnovers, as Thomas and Ross tied for the team lead with six each. The Hawks shot a season-best 15-for-25 from downtown and went 30-for-53 (.566) in the game from the floor. Jourdan Grant and Will Darley led the Retrievers with 15 apiece in a losing effort.
FIRST HALF:Both teams came out of the gates red-hot, with
Jason Dunne and Ross each converting a pair of buckets to help the home squad out to an early 11-9 lead. After UMBC converted a free throw to make it 11-10, the Hawks got back-to-back triples from
Evan Cooper to push the lead to 17-10.
After the Hawks moved the lead to 19-13, consecutive baskets down low for Cody Joyce cut the edge to 19-17. But
J.R. Lynch came back with a three on the fast break to push the lead to five, and at that juncture, the teams traded baskets to a 26-25 score. A layup from Blagojevic and a triple from Thomas – his first points of the night – made it a six-point lead. The teams traded points to 33-30, and then Blagojevic finished off the stanza by knocking down a triple to send Hartford to the locker room ahead 36-30.
SECOND HALF:After UMBC started the second with a three-ball, Hartford countered with a strong start from long range of its own, going on a 12-5 run to open a 48-38 lead. Included in that period were two triples each from Blagojevic and Thomas to push the lead to double digits for the first time. The Retrievers regrouped, though, cutting it back down to 50-45 at the 12:55 mark.
But the Hawks had another run in them, running off seven straight with
Jack Hobbs, Thomas and Ross each converting baskets to make it a 12-point edge. UMBC continued to fight back, but every time Hartford had an answer, pushing the lead to 13 on a three-point play for Cooper that made it 67-54.
The Hawks moved the lead to 70-60 at the 6:11 mark, and then went on an 11-0 run to put the game out of reach. Cooper played a key role, getting a steal-and-layup immediately following a Thomas make to start the run, then capping it off with a three-ball from the right corner to make it 81-60. From there, the Hawks were able to finish things off, coming away with the 88-65 victory.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:• Blagojevic's 23 points were the most since he scored a career-best 24 against St. Francis (NY). He hit all four three-pointers he took in the win. He had finished in single digits in each of the previous 10 games.
• The Hawks delivered season bests in field-goal percentage (.566), three-point percentage (.600) and assists (22).
• Cooper made it back-to-back games in double digits, going 5-for-7 from the floor in the win.
• With Blagojevic and Thomas both over 20, it marked the first time two Hawks have topped the mark since Blagojevic and
J.R. Lynch each bested 20 against St. Francis.
• Hartford held the conference's leading scorer, Jairus Lyles, to 2-for-11 from the floor and five points.
• The Hawks had a strong performance at the line, going 13-for-15 (.867).
UP NEXT:Hartford will wrap up its home regular season on Saturday night against New Hampshire in Chase Arena at Reich Family Pavilion. Prior to the contest, the Hawks will pay tribute to senior guard
Taylor Dyson and managers Chris Couamin and Becky Babatunde. Tickets start at just $5 and are available by calling 860-768-HAWK (4295) or online at HartfordHawks.com.
