THE BASICS:

RESULT: Albany 75, Hartford 59
LOCATION: SEFCU Arena (Albany, N.Y.)
ATTENDANCE: 4,408
RECORDS: Hartford (9-22, 4-12 America East); Albany (24-7, 13-3)

THE LEAD:
Pancake Thomas delivered his 13^th 20-point game of the season, finishing with 23, but Albany delivered a strong defensive performance to defeat the Hartford men's basketball team, 75-59, on Saturday night.
 
With the result, the Hawks will be the No. 7 seed in the upcoming America East Tournament, and will return to SEFCU Arena on Wednesday against the No. 2 Great Danes.
 
Albany placed four players in double figures, led by Evan Singletary's 19 points and five assists, while Greig Stire posted a double-double with 18 and 10 rebounds. Jalen Ross added 13 points in a losing effort for the Hawks.

FIRST HALF:
Hartford came strong out of the gates, with Ross leading the way. The junior started the scoring with a nice jumper, and added another two and a three-ball that put the Hawks ahead 14-8. The Great Danes cut it to 14-11, but Jack Hobbs scored five of the game's next seven points to push the advantage to 19-13 at the 12:37 mark.
 
Albany put together a rally at that time, as the Hawks went cold on the offensive end. Albany put together an 18-4 run, building a 31-23 lead with just 1:49 left in the half. But Hartford got two huge threes from Thomas – the second just before the halftime buzzer – to enter the locker room down just four, 33-29. Thomas was held scoreless for the first 17:29 of the half, then scored eight points in the final 2:31.

SECOND HALF:
The teams traded baskets out of the break, with each scoring on its first two possessions to make it 37-33. But Albany rolled off five-straight points to push the lead to a game-high nine. Hartford rallied to get it back down to four on five consecutive points for Jason Dunne at 44-40, but a crucial block/charge call didn't go the Hawks' way, and Albany used it as a springboard for a 7-0 run to push the lead to 11.
 
The Great Danes were able to increase the lead to 12, but Hartford refused to wilt, cutting the deficit back to eight after consecutive buckets by Ross and Thomas. From there, the teams traded blows, but a three-ball by Evan Singletary and two free throws by Joe Cremo stretched the lead to 14, and Albany was able to hold on for the victory.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
• Thomas now has 532 points on the season, the 16^th most in Hartford history and the 11^th most in the Hawks' Division I history.
• Thomas is averaging 19.0 points per game this season, the highest average in the America East. He averaged 21.3 points in conference play, second only to UMBC's Jairus Lyles.
• Ross finished in double figures for the 12^th consecutive game. He is now averaging 12.8 points in conference play this year, second behind Thomas on the team.
• Albany went 15-for-21 at the line, as opposed to the Hawks going 6-for-7.
• Jason Dunne delivered nine points in the loss for the Hawks, shooting 4-for-6 from the floor.

UP NEXT:
Hartford has earned the No. 7 seed and will return to Albany to take on the Great Danes on Wednesday in the opening round of the America East Tournament. Game time is set for 7 p.m. in SEFCU Arena and the game will be televised on ESPN3. The contest will also be carried on the Talk of Connecticut 1360 AM with Jeff Dooley and Randy LaVigne on the call.