THE BASICS:

RESULT: Stony Brook 66, Hartford 54
LOCATION: Chase Arena at Reich Family Pavilion (West Hartford, Conn.)
ATTENDANCE: 1,182
RECORDS: Hartford (8-20, 3-10 America East); Stony Brook (16-10, 11-2)

PHOTO GALLERY

THE LEAD:
Second-place Stony Brook (16-10, 11-2 America East) delivered a late rally to push past an injury-depleted Hartford men's basketball team Wednesday night, outlasting the Hawks 66-54. Hartford (8-20, 3-10 America East) held a 39-38 lead in the second half, before Stony Brook took control late.
 
Lucas Woodhouse led all scorers with 15 points for the Seawolves, who also got a double-double from Roland Nyama (12 points, 10 rebounds). Bryan Sekunda went 4-for-7 from beyond the arc en route to 14 points, while Woodhouse also dished out eight assists.
 
The Hawks, playing with only seven regulars, turned in a strong effort. Junior Hassan Attia logged his second career double-double, posting 14 points and 11 boards, while tying his career-best with five blocks. Sophomore guard J.R. Lynch, coming off a career-high 22-point night versus UMass Lowell, reached double-digits (11 points) for the third consecutive game. Hawks sophomore Andrew Ramirez set a career best with eight rebounds and junior Jack Hobbs also notched eight boards, matching his career mark.



FIRST HALF:
Both squads started slow on the offensive end, trading blows to a 7-6 Hawks lead after Hobbs nailed a three pointer from the left corner at the 13:30 mark. SBU was able to pull back ahead and pushed its lead to 12-7 before Attia threw down a thunderous one-handed dunk to cut it to 12-9. But Stony Brook hit back-to-back threes and the lead for the home squad was 18-9.
 
George Blagojevic got the Hawks rolling, though, as his inside two sent the Hawks on a 9-0 run to tie the score at 18. Blagojevic added another layup, as did Max Twyman, with a Lynch three-ball rounding out the points. SBU rallied to garner a 25-20 lead before two Ramirez free throws sent the teams to break with the Seawolves ahead, 25-22.
 
SECOND HALF:
The Seawolves took the early momentum out of the break, pushing their lead to 32-25 after a Lucas Woodhouse jumper. But the Hawks came roaring back, as a Hobbs three sent Hartford on a 10-0 run that culminated in a triple for Lynch to put the Hartford ahead, 35-32. SBU got a quick answer, and the teams traded blows to a 39-38 Hawks lead after Attia finished a layup through contact.
 
Stony Brook rallied at that juncture, delivering a 7-0 run to pull ahead 45-39. A Hobbs three slowed the momentum, but the Seawolves slowly pushed their lead to 55-46 after catching fire from beyond the arc. An Attia putback slam stemmed the momentum, but SBU was able to continue its strong performance from the field, eventually pushing the lead to 61-50. The Hawks cut it to seven after a Ramirez steal-and-layup, but that was as close as the home squad would get in the contest.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Attia moved into sole possession of fifth place on the Hawks' single-season blocks list, with 52 this season. Three of the four seasons ahead of him belong to Vin Baker, with Warren McClendon (53, 4^th) next on the list.
• Attia matched his career high with five blocks in the game. Five of his 11 rebounds came on the offensive glass.
• Lynch scored in double figures for the third-straight game and the fourth time in the last six. He has 75 points in the last six games.
• Andrew Ramirez matched his career high with eight points and played a career-best 34 minutes. His eight rebounds were also a new career best.
• The Hawks were without the services of three starters – Jason Dunne, Jalen Ross and John Carroll – all of whom are day-to-day.

 
UP NEXT:
The Hawks will hit the road for a Saturday afternoon contest at New Hampshire. Tipoff is slated for 1 p.m. inside Lundholm Gymnasium in Durham. Hartford then will return home to take on Binghamton on Wednesday, Feb. 22, at 7 p.m. The game will be Senior Night, with the Hawks honoring Jalen Ross and student manager Jason Radowitz prior to the contest.