THE BASICS:

RESULT: UAlbany 74, Hartford 61
LOCATION: Chase Arena at Reich Family Pavilion (West Hartford, Conn.)
ATTENDANCE: 1,423
RECORDS: Hartford (6-17, 1-7 America East); UAlbany (13-10, 4-4)

PHOTO GALLERY

THE LEAD:
UAlbany built a double-digit lead in the first half and held on throughout the remainder of the contest as the Great Danes downed the Hartford men's basketball team, 74-61, in Chase Arena at Reich Family Pavilion on Saturday night.
 
Both sides saw four players finish in double figures. Jalen Ross netted 18 points in the losing effort for the Hawks, while Jack Hobbs and J.R. Lynch each contributed 11. Jason Dunne also had 10 points for Hartford. Ross surpassed 1,000 points (1,008) in his collegiate career – 200 at Eastern Michigan and 808 with the Hawks.
 
UAlbany's Joe Cremo led all scorers with 20 points and teammate David Nichols added 19. Devonte Campbell (13) and Travis Charles (12) also reached double digits for the Great Danes. Greig Stire delivered 15 rebounds to go with eight points for the visitors as well.


 
FIRST HALF:
Lynch started the game with strong aggression, scoring the Hawks' first five points and helping send Hartford to a 7-4 lead after a Dunne layup near the 16-minute mark. It was the largest lead the Hawks would hold. The Great Danes went on an 11-0 run, capped by a fastbreak layup from Cremo, and extended their lead to as many as 14 in the first half.
 
Ross, the Hawks' leading scorer this season, struggled early on. He started the game 0-for-9 from the floor before knocking down three of his final four field goals before halftime. But the senior stepped it up at the close of the stanza, scoring the Hawks' last eight points and using a pair of threes to send Hartford on a 6-0 run to close the half down just eight, 34-26.
 
SECOND HALF:
The Hawks cut the lead to seven early in the second half and got the ball back, but Lynch's triple from the corner rimmed out to keep the lead at 35-28 for UAlbany. That proved crucial, as the visitors embarked on a 14-1 run, ballooning their lead to a game-high 20 at the 13:55 mark.
 
Hartford responded by slowly chipping away at the deficit, getting it down to 10 after Dunne nailed a jumper with 6:04 left, and then nine when Jack Hobbs hit a three-ball with 5:25 to go. But that was as close as the Hawks would get, as the Great Danes were able to hold off every rally that the home squad put forth, emerging with a 13-point victory.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Ross extended his double-figure scoring streak to 37-straight games, dating back to January of last year. All 18 of his points came in the final 22:34 of game action, and his 19 field goal attempts matched his high in conference play.
• Four Hawks scored in double figures for the first time since Jan. 2 at Yale.
• Lynch's 11 points marked his most in conference play, just one point fewer than he had registered total in the first seven conference contests (12)
• Hobbs went 3-for-4 from beyond the arc, his sixth game this year with at least three made triples, but just his first in league action. The junior also matched his career high with two blocks.
• Hartford's 36 three-point attempts were a new season high, marking just the second time (30 vs. Navy) that the Hawks have attempted at least 30 in a game.

 
UP NEXT:
The Hawks will have a one-week respite before facing Vermont on Saturday, Feb. 4, at 7 p.m. The game will be a Red Out, with the first 300 fans receiving a free red T-shirt. All fans are encouraged to wear red to the game. Tickets are available by calling 860.768.HAWK or at HartfordHawks.com.