THE BASICS:

RESULT: Hartford 76, Binghamton 69
LOCATION: Chase Arena at Reich Family Pavilion (West Hartford, Conn.)
ATTENDANCE: 1,731
RECORDS: Hartford (9-21, 4-11 America East); Binghamton (12-18, 3-12)

PHOTO GALLERY

THE LEAD:
Jalen Ross and Jason Dunne each scored 22 points to lead the Hartford men's basketball team to a 76-69 victory over Binghamton on Wednesday. It was the final home contest in Ross' career, as the Hawks honored him and manager Jason Radowitz for Senior Night prior to the game.
 
Ross (15-for-16) led the Hawks to a big night at the free-throw line, where Hartford went 32-for-37 (.865) as a unit. J.R. Lynch added 16 points and four assists, while Hassan Attia snared 10 rebounds in the victory.
 
Everson Davis led the Bearcats with 19 points, while Bobby Ahearn and Timmy Rose each chipped in 13.
 
The Hawks are in sole possession of seventh place, and can clinch the No. 6 seed in the America East Tournament with either a win in their season finale or a Binghamton loss to Maine on Saturday.



FIRST HALF:
Both teams got out to a sluggish start offensively, with Binghamton holding a 4-2 lead at the 15:59 mark. Ross then went on a 5-0 run on his own, delivering a jumper and a three-ball to put the Hawks ahead 7-4. The teams followed by trading blows back and forth over the next eight minutes, with the Bearcats holding a 21-19 lead.
 
A George Blagojevic jumper got the Hawks going, as the home squad embarked on a 9-0 run to take a 28-21 advantage. Lynch added a three-ball during the rally for the Hawks. The Bearcats were able to get it back down to two, but back-to-back threes for Dunne pushed the lead to eight, and the teams swapped points to a 38-32 halftime score.
 
SECOND HALF:
Out of the break, both teams started slowly, but the Hawks were able to push their lead to 46-38 after a Lynch three-ball at the 16:28 mark. Davis then took things over for the Bearcats, posting a 6-0 run of his down to cut the lead to just two, 46-44. Dunne followed that with a big three-pointer and a jumper as the Hawks pushed the lead to nine, 53-44.
 
Binghamton refused to wilt, but the Hawks had an answer for each of their attacks, keeping the lead between six and 10 into the final minute of play. The Bearcats staged a late rally, getting a bucket, a steal and a second layup to cut the deficit to 71-67 with 47 seconds remaining, but the home squad was able to close out the game at the line.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Ross posted his 41^st-straight game in double digits and now has 545 points on the year, the 10^th most by a Hartford player in the Division I era (14^th overall). His 15 free throws and 16 attempts both marked career highs.
• Dunne's 22 points marked his fourth-straight game in double figures and sixth in the last seven. He now has six 20-point games on the season.
• Attia finished with double-digit rebounds for the fifth time this season and the fourth time in the last seven games.
• Lynch delivered his fifth-straight game in double figures, and hit three triples for the fourth-straight contest. He has scored 80 points (16.0 average) in that span.

 
UP NEXT:
The Hawks hit the road to close out the regular season with a trip to Albany to face the Great Danes on Saturday night. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. inside SEFCU Arena.