THE BASICS:
 
RESULT: Rider 89, Hartford 53
RECORDS: Hartford (2-1); Rider (2-1)
LOCATION: Alumni Gymnasium (Lawrenceville, N.J.)
 
THE LEAD:
 
A big second half propelled Rider past the University of Hartford, 89-53, on Wednesday night at Alumni Gymnasium in Lawrenceville, N.J. With the score tied at halftime, the Broncs broke open a one-possession game and pulled away from the Hawks using a 24-1 run.
 
Stevie Jordan led all scorers with 19 points, grabbing 11 rebounds for a double-double. Redshirt-junior John P. Carroll netted 17 points for Hartford, which suffered its first loss after opening the season 2-0.
 
FIRST HALF:
 
Hartford took a lead early, using a quick 3-for-4 start from the field to go up by a 7-3 margin 2:11 out of tipoff. The Hawks maintained that advantage, going up by as many as seven points when J.R. Lynch made it 16-7 with a three-pointer with 14:12 to go in the half.

Facing a 27-22 deficit, the Broncs clawed back and took their first lead of the game – a 28-27 edge – on an old-fashioned three-point play by Anthony Durham with 3:39 remaining in the half. The lead would change hands three more times before a 1-of-2 effort from the free throw line by Rider knotted up the game at 36-all at intermission.
 
SECOND HALF:
 
With Hartford going down by five points out of the break, a Jack Hobbs three-pointer at the 15:43 minute mark made it a two-point deficit for the Hawks. But the Broncs got hot, converting on 10 of their next 15 field goal attempts over the next eight minutes to go ahead by 26 points. Jordan Allen contributed 11 points to the Broncs' 24-1 run, which included 18-straight Rider points.

Snapping the Broncs' run with a pair of free throws, Lynch ended Hartford's nine-minute field goal drought with a layup at the 6:12 mark. But Rider continued to push the pace until the final horn, ending the game by scoring 15 of the final 20 points.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

• Leading Hartford in scoring for the third time in as many games, Carroll netted double figures for the third-straight contest.
• Lynch added 11 points for the Hawks in the losing effort.
• Allen finished with 16 points while Tyere Marshall rounded out Rider's double-figure scorers with 11 points.
• The Broncs were hot in the second half, going 18-of-34 from the floor (.529) to finish the night at 46.0 percent.
• After coming out of the gates shooting 37.5 percent in the first half, the Hawks were held to two field goals and 19.2 percent shooting in the final 20 minutes.
• The Broncs controlled the boards with a 45-28 advantage, scoring 15 points off second-chance opportunities.

 
NEXT ON TAP:
The next road trip lands the Hawks in Montego Bay, Jamaica, for the Jamaica Classic. Hartford will first square off against LIU Brooklyn on Saturday (5:30 p.m.) before taking on Miami (OH) on CBS Sports on Sunday (10 p.m.).