WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – Redshirt-senior John Carroll poured in a career-high 31 points, but it wasn't enough for the Hartford men's basketball team as UMass Lowell battled back for a 76-73 victory over the Hawks. Ending a five-game home winning streak with the setback, Hartford (9-10) falls to 2-2 in America East action.
 
Christian Lutete hit seven threes and went 6-of-6 from the line to lead all scorers with 35 points for UMass Lowell (11-9), which improves to 3-2 in the league. Trailing at the break, the River Hawks shot 54.2 percent in the second half to take the win.
 


UMASS LOWELL 76, HARTFORD 73
 
Both teams traded blows in the opening part of the first half before a 13-0 run powered by back-to-back Jason Dunne three-pointers and seven-straight points from senior George Blagojevic put the Hawks up by 12 (29-17) with 9:02 to go. UMass Lowell stormed back, pulling within one on a 15-4 spurt, but the Hawks outscored the River Hawks, 5-2, in the final minutes to take a 38-34 lead into the break. 
 
Hartford maintained its lead throughout the opening part of the second half, but UMass Lowell remained within striking distance. With the Hawks leading by five at 61-56 with 7:52 left, an 8-0 run capped by two three-pointers from Lutete gave UMass Lowell its first lead since midway through the opening half with 6:20 to go. Trailing by as many as five, Hartford reclaimed its lead — a one-point edge at 73-72 with 1:15 remaining — on a putback by Blagojevic and a monstrous dunk by Carroll, but a layup by Obadiah Noel followed by a pair of free throws put the River Hawks back on top, 76-73, with 18.1 seconds left.
 
Calling a timeout, Hartford had one final crack at tying up the game in the closing seconds, but Dunne's off-balanced three-point attempt rimmed in-and-out.
 
INSIDE THE BOX AND NOTES

• Carroll corralled 10 rebounds for his third double-double since the start of conference play
• The forward has been on a tear against America East opponents, averaging 20.5 points and 10.5 rebounds in four contests
• The Hawks shot 46 percent on the afternoon (29-of-63), but suffered a rare streak of cold shooting from the free-throw line with a 58.3 percent effort (7-of-12)
• Blagojevic and Dunne also netted double figures for the Hawks, adding 14 and 11 points, respectively 
• Dunne, who entered the game ranked 10th all-time in scoring, moved to eighth in the record book,passing Ron Moys (1987-91) and Ryan Stys (2000-04) with 1,301 career points
• Senior J.R. Lynch (7 points), who saw a 15-game double-figure scoring streak come to an end, dished out six assists and came away with three steals
• Lynch also made moves in the record books, passing Michael Griffin (1993-97) for eighth with 150 career thefts
• The defeat marked the Hawks' first to the River Hawks in three games (since Jan. 14, 2017)

 
NEXT ON TAP
Hartford remains home for its next game, as they play host to New Hampshire on Wednesday. Tipoff between the Hawks and Wildcats is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN+. Tickets can be purchased by calling 860-768-HAWK or by clicking here.