DURHAM, N.C. — The Hartford men's basketball team dropped a heartbreaker in the opening game of the Duke Veterans Day Weekend Showcase on Friday, as it came up short to Campbell, 68-67. Graduate student Hunter Marks scored a game-high 18 points for the Hawks, who had the ball but could not capitalize with 14.1 seconds remaining. 
 
Hartford falls to 0-2 on the season, while Campbell, which was picked to finish first in the North Division of the Big South Conference, improves to 2-0 with the win.
 
CAMPBELL 68, HARTFORD 67
The Hawks, who held a pair of double-digit leads in the first half, cut a 68-64 deficit down to one after senior Michael Dunne drilled a tough step-back three with 46 seconds left. Clamping down on the ensuing defensive possession to hold Campbell scoreless, Hartford used its final timeout with 14.1 seconds remaining. 
 
With three fouls to give, the Camels burned 10 seconds off the clock before they held the Hawks without a shot in their final inbounds play with four seconds left. 
 
A stellar performance from behind the arc put Hartford in control of the game early. With the score knotted up at 12-12, senior David Shriver and junior Moses Flowers knocked down consecutive three-pointers to put the Hawks up by six. Shriver's final makes of the game from long range — a pair of threes at the 7:46 and 5:55 marks — opened up a 10-point lead for Hartford at 30-20 with 5:55 to go.
 
Campbell would cut into its deficit before the end of the half, though. With the Hawks up by 10 for the second time at 34-24 with 4:29 left, the Camels scored 10 of the final 14 points of the stanza to pull within four at halftime. 

The Hawks converted on 7-of-13 attempts from behind the arc and held the Camels to a 2-of-10 effort during the opening half. 
 
Campbell, which used a 6-0 run out of the break to take its first lead since the game's opening minute, exchanged blows with Hartford before pushing ahead by as many as six with 5:08 to go. A 7-0 run capped by Marks' fourth — and final — three-pointer of the afternoon gave the Hawks their final lead at 64-63 with 2:58 left, but the Camels quickly responded and went up by four with 58 seconds to play behind what proved to be a game-deciding 5-0 spurt.
 
INSIDE THE BOX & NOTES

• Hartford has opened the season by facing a pair of conference preseason favorites, previously falling at Wagner, which is projected to finish first in the Northeast Conference
• Ricky Clemons led five Camels in double figures with 12 points
• Williams and Shriver joined Marks in double figures with 13 and 10 points, respectively
• Marks had a hot hand on the afternoon, going 4-of-5 from long range while making each of his three attempts from inside the arc
• Williams dished out a game- and career-high seven helpers, as the Hawks assisted on 15 of their 25 field goals
• Hartford shot well from downtown, going 50 percent (13-of-26)
• The Hawks held the Camels to just 23.5 percent shooting from long range (4-of-17), but Campbell converted on 60.8 percent of its two-point field goals (24-of-47)
• Both teams combined for just 15 trips to the line, with the Camels holding the advantage with an 8-for-9 effort
• The meeting was the first-ever between Hartford and Campbell

 
NEXT ON TAP

• The turnaround is quick for the Hawks, as they remain in Durham for their second game of the Duke Veterans Day Weekend Showcase
• Hartford is set to face Army on Saturday
• Tipoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. on ACC Network Extra

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