THE BASICS:
 
RESULT: Hartford 84, UMass Lowell 73
RECORDS: Hartford (9-8, 2-1 AE); UMass Lowell (6-9, 0-2 AE)
LOCATION: Chase Arena at Reich Family Pavilion (West Hartford, Conn.)
PHOTO GALLERY
 
THE LEAD:
 
Redshirt-junior John P. Carroll led all scorers with 24 points and senior Hassan Attia netted a career-high 20 points on Wednesday night as the University of Hartford men's basketball team defeated visiting UMass Lowell, 84-73.

Junior J.R. Lynch contributed 19 points in the win, falling just shy of a double-double with a career-best nine assists. Classmate Jason Dunne added 11 points for the Hawks, who shot 56.9 percent from the field (33-of-58). Three players put up double figures for the River Hawks in the losing effort, led by Josh Gantz (19 points).


 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 

• The River Hawks had a hot hand from long range in the first half. Knocking down five triples in the game's first seven minutes, the visiting team was able to build a 19-11 with 13:30 to go until halftime.
• Hartford answered, though, as an 18-7 run featuring eight-straight points from Attia erased a 28-19 deficit and put the Hawks on top by two at 37-35. Inside the final minute, an Attia layup provided the Hawks with their largest lead of the half – a 41-38 edge – heading into the break.
• Out of the intermission, the River Hawks erased a five-point deficit and went up by one in the early part of the second half. Hartford responded by scoring 11 of the game's next 14 to go up by eight, but that lead was again spoiled, this time by a 12-3 UMass Lowell run capped by a Gantz three-pointer that made it 67-66 with 7:31 to go.  
• The River Hawks were unable to hold on, though. With the score tied up for the sixth time at 72-72 with 4:47 to go, Hartford closed the door on UMass Lowell with a 12-1 run fueled by six points from Lynch.

 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE & NOTES:

• Hartford has been hot as of late, winning four of its last five. With nine wins, the Hawks have matched last season's total
• Attia had an impressive shooting night, going 8-of-10 from the field and 4-of-5 from the free-throw line to hit his new career high. He stuffed the stat sheet with a game-best seven rebounds, adding two blocks and a pair of steals.
• The senior picked up his 300th point in the contest and is two block shy of 100 on his career.
• Lynch's nine assists bested his previous career high (8).
• Both teams had a hot hand from the field in the first half, with Hartford shooting 58.1 percent (18-of-31) to UMass Lowell's 53.8 percent (14-of-26).
• The Hawks went on to finish the game shooting 56.9 percent (33-of-58) from the field and 88.2 percent (15-of-17) from the free-throw line.
• Converting on seven first-half three pointers on 46.7 percent shooting, the River Hawks were limited to just two makes (2-of-5) from long range in the second half.
• The Hawks finished with a 31-28 advantage on the boards and outscored the River Hawks in the paint by a 56-26 margin.

 
NEXT ON TAP:
The Hawks conclude their three-game homestand with a visit from Binghamton on Saturday, Jan. 13. Tipoff from Reich Family Pavilion is slated for 2 p.m. on ESPN3.
 
Tickets for Saturday's tilt available can be purchased online (www.HartfordHawks.com/tickets), by calling 860-768-HAWK or by visiting the Malcolm and Brenda Berman Athletics Ticket Office, located inside of the Sports Center.