THE BASICS:
 
RESULT: Hartford 60, Rutgers 58
RECORDS: Hartford (7-7); Rutgers (10-5, 0-2 Big Ten)
LOCATION: Rutgers Athletics Center (Piscataway, N.J.)
 
THE LEAD:
 
Redshirt-junior John Carroll scored a game-best 17 points as the University of Hartford men's basketball team defeated a Big Ten opponent for the first time in program history on Thursday evening with a 60-58 win at Rutgers. Carroll scored 13 points in the second half, including a key layup that gave the Hawks a four-point cushion with 71 seconds left.

Playing in front of hometown crowds, junior Jason Dunne, who hit a clutch free throw to extend a one-point lead to two with 1.8 seconds left, and classmate J.R. Lynch each scored 14 points for the Hawks. Hartford, which has won four of its last five, begins America East Conference play with a 7-7 overall record.

HEAD COACH JOHN GALLAGHER SAID:
"Our guys showed us what senior leadership is tonight. John Carroll and Hassan Attia made some big baskets in big moments against their inside defense, and I think that rattled Rutgers a little bit. When we can go into those physical guys and make some layups, it's big. We've won four of five and we're starting to establish a great identity. We're embracing the defense and we're on the right track"
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 

• The Hawks dominated in the opening part of the first half. Taking an early 11-6 lead, Lynch drained a three and junior George Blagojevic scored on a layup to put Hartford up, 16-8, with 11:14 left in the half.
• But Rutgers stormed back and tied up the game at 16-all with 8:35 left before halftime behind the strength of an 8-0 run, which included four points from Corey Sanders.
• A plethora of Hartford turnovers allowed the Scarlet Knights to take their largest lead of the half – a seven-point advantage at 27-20 – with 3:16 to go. The Hawks managed to close the gap down to two before the break, though, as they ended the first with a 7-2 run behind a combined 4-of-4 effort from the free-throw line by Dunne and Blagojevic.
• A back-and-forth start to the second half saw the lead change hands five times in the first four minutes. Trailing by one, Hartford went on an 11-4 run sparked by seven unanswered points to take a six-point lead at 45-39 with 10:08 left.
• The Hawks pushed their advantage to seven (50-43) on a Carroll three-pointer at the 7:01 mark, but Mike Williams contributed 10 points to a 12-3 run that gave Rutgers the edge at 55-53 with 2:39 left.
• An Attia dunk tied up the game at 55-all with  just over two minutes to go before Lynch grabbed a huge defensive rebound and knocked down a jumper eight seconds later to make it a two-point Hawks' lead with 1:41 left.
• Carroll extended Hartford's lead to four, capitalizing on a Rutgers' turnover with 71 seconds left, and despite Sanders pulling the Scarlet Knights within one after getting fouled behind the arc and hitting all three free throws, Dunne made the front end of a one-and-one with 1.8 seconds left to seal the win for the Hawks.     

 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE & NOTES:

• Leading the team in scoring for the third-straight game and the eighth time this season, Carroll extended his team-best double-figure scoring streak to eight games.
• Attia stuffed the stat sheet before fouling out in the final minutes of the game, finishing with 11 points, nine rebounds, six blocks and two assists.
• The Hawks held a 39-34 advantage on the boards, as Attia and Carroll (9) combined for 18 rebounds on the night.
• Rutgers was active defensively, forcing 17 turnovers while committing just six.
• Sanders also finished with a game-high 17 points while Willams (13 points) and Deshawn Freeman (10) also finished in double figures for the Scarlet Knights.
• Hartford enters America East action with the most non-conference wins since 2014-15 (7). In addition, the Hawks' 7-7 record marks their best non-conference finish since 2014-15.

 
NEXT ON TAP:
The Hawks open up America East Conference play on the road, taking on defending league champion UAlbany on Wednesday, Jan 3. Tipoff from SEFCU Arena is slated for 7 p.m. on ESPN3.