WEST HARTFORD, Conn. —Sophomore Hunter Marks netted a game-high 19 points on Saturday to lead the Hartford men's basketball team past Wagner, 71-63, in non-conference action inside Reich Family Pavilion.
 
Graduate student Malik Ellison recorded his first career double-double on 12 points and 14 rebounds for the Hawks, who improve to 5-7. Led by 19 points by Alex Morales, the Seahawks fall to 2-6 on the season.
 
HARTFORD 71, WAGNER 63
A four-point play by Marks four minutes into the game helped the Hawks jump out to an early 8-2 advantage with 14:53 remaining in the half. Hartford continued to control the pace, holding Wagner to a 2-for-16 start from the field to build a 15-7 lead. Down the stretch, graduate student Traci Carter capped off a 6-0 half-ending run with four-straight points to send the Hawks into the locker room with a 31-26 edge.
 
A strong start to the second half saw Hartford take its first double-digit lead (41-31) with 12:33 left to play on Marks' third three-pointer of the night. The Hawks pushed the lead to 14 with 4:14 left on a Mitchell three, but the Seahawks chipped away to close the gap to 62-57 on back-to-back buckets by Alex Morales. Hartford held off the late charge, though, turning in a 9-for-10 effort from the line down the stretch to seal the win.
 
INSIDE THE BOX & NOTES

• Mitchell finished with 17 points off the bench, coming one point shy of his career high
• Marks, who opened the game with a 4-for-4 start including a pair of three-pointers, also came one point under his career high, which he recorded at Texas State last month
• The Hawks held the Seahawks to 35 percent shooting (23-for-65), including a .261 clip from long range (6-for-23)
• Hartford was solid from the free-throw line, going 86.8 percent (33-for-38), including 22-for-26 in the second half
• Freshman Miroslav Stafl and Carter also registered double figures, scoring 10 points apiece
• The victory ended a five-game skid for the Hawks

 
NEXT ON TAP
Hartford concludes its four-game homestand next Sunday, when it hosts Cornell. Tipoff from Chase Arena at Reich Family Pavilion is set for 2 p.m. Tickets can be purchased by calling 860-768-HAWK or by clicking here.