BALTIMORE, Md. — Grad student Malik Ellison compiled his sixth double-double of the season, but it wasn't enough for the Hartford men's basketball team as it dropped a 70-59 decision at UMBC on Wednesday. Ellison scored 20 points and grabbed a game-best 12 rebounds for the Hawks (13-11, 6-3 AE), who snapped a three-game winning streak with the defeat.
 
R.J. Eytle-Rock led all scorers with 21 points for UMBC, which improves to 10-14 and 3-6 in the America East with the win.
 
UMBC 70, HARTFORD 59
After a back-and-forth start, UMBC used a 9-2 run to take its largest lead of the half — a five-point edge — at 19-14 with 5:40 to go. The Hawks responded with eight-straight points sparked by back-to-back triples from Traci Carter, but the Retrievers rattled off an 8-0 spurt that included consecutive three-pointers of their own to end the half on top, 28-24.
 
The run continued into the second half, as the Retrievers scored the first four points of the stanza to take a 32-24 lead. UMBC, which shot 57 percent in the second, would push ahead by as many as 13 on an old-fashioned three-point play by Horvath. The Hawks chipped away at the deficit, as six-straight points from Ellison followed by a pair of free throws from grad student Traci Carter cut a 10-point deficit down to four (51-47) with 7:44 to go, but the Retrievers scored 15 of the final 22 points to seal the win.
 
INSIDE THE BOX & NOTES

• Contributing eight points, Marks joined Ellison in double figures in rebounding with 11 boards
• Carter, who dished out a team-best five assists, also netted double figures with 18 points behind an 8-for-10 effort from the free-throw line
• Hartford was held to a 3-for-18 effort from behind the arc
• With the win, UMBC, which has swept the regular-season series, evens up the all-time series at 19-19

 
NEXT ON TAP
The Hawks return home to play host to first-place Vermont on Saturday night at 7 p.m. Hartford will be hosting a ComiCONN night, with the first 500 fans receiving red lightsabers. For tickets, call 860-768-HAWK or click here.

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