BALTIMORE, Md. – Senior J.R. Lynch scored 20 of his game-best 28 points in the second half to lead the Hartford men's basketball team to a 70-61 road win at UMBC on Wednesday. Trailing for most of the first half, the Hawks (12-12, 5-4 AE) outscored the Retrievers (14-10, 6-3 AE), 38-28, in the final stanza to come away with the regular-season sweep of the defending America East Champion.
 
With the triumph, Hartford snapped a five-game winning streak for UMBC which included recent victories against Vermont and Stony Brook, two of the top teams in the league.
 
HARTFORD 70, UMBC 61
 
Four early three-pointers within the first eight minutes of the game allowed the Retrievers to build a double-digit lead (17-7) with 11:45 left in the stanza. The Hawks were quick to return the favor, though, using three makes from downtown to fuel a 13-4 run that whittled the deficit down to one with 8:40 to go. Hartford was unable to take a lead down the final stretch of the half, but trailed by one point at the break at 33-32.
 
Scoring the first five points of the second half, Hartford took its first lead since opening tip — a 37-33 advantage — less than three minutes in. UMBC came back to tie up the game at 40-40, but senior Jason Dunne drilled a three to give the Hawks a lead they would not relinquish. A pair of Lynch free throws with 4:09 remaining helped stretch the margin to 10 (59-49), but the Retrievers came back to pull within 59-54 with 1:47 to go. Lynch came up clutch in crunch time, making eight-straight free throws to help the Hawks hold off UMBC's rally and seal the win. 
 
INSIDE THE BOX AND NOTES

• Lynch, who made a career-best 15-of-16 shots from the free-throw line, came one point shy of his career high with 28 points
• George Blagojevic and Dunne chipped in with 13 points apiece
• The Hawks cashed in from the free-throw line, outscoring the Retrievers, 22-11
• Hartford scored 18 points from the free-throw line in the second half
• After a half that saw the Retrievers go 50 percent from three (6-for-12), Hartford held UMBC to a 20-percent clip (2-of-10) in the second half
• With the regular-season sweep, the Hawks improve to 19-16 all-time against the Retrievers
• The defeat also ended UMBC's seven-game home winning streak

 
NEXT ON TAP
The Hawks enjoy a bye weekend before returning to action next Wednesday (Feb. 13) against Maine. Tickets for the 7 p.m. tip can be purchased by calling 860-768-HAWK, or by clicking here.