WEST HARTFORD, Conn. — The Hartford men's basketball staged a furious rally, slashing an 18-point deficit down to one with 3:11 left to play, but it wasn't enough as the Hawks dropped a 75-70 decision to former conference mate Boston University in their home opener on Thursday night.
Graduate student
Hunter Marks scored 18 points to lead the Hawks, who fall to 0-4 on the season. The Terriers, who received a game-high 21 points from Walter Whyte, move to 2-2.
PHOTO GALLERY
BOSTON UNIVERSITY 75, HARTFORD 70
Boston University — which shot 46.7 percent (7-of-15) from behind the arc in the opening half, took a 41-25 lead into the break. The hot shooting continued into the second half, as three more makes from long range provided the Terriers with their largest lead of the game, an 18-point spread with 13:07 to go.
Despite the deficit, Hartford refused to go down easy. Rallying for a 23-6 run, including 10-unanswered points, the Hawks whittled the Terriers' lead to one at 64-63 with 3:11 left on the clock. Hartford wouldn't come any closer, though. Trailing by three at 73-70 with 19.6 seconds left, the Hawks had three fouls to give before they sent Whyte to the line for a one-and-one.
Whyte missed the front end, and after the Terriers used their final two fouls before hitting the bonus, the Hawks had one chance on an inbounds pass with 4.6 seconds left, but threw the ball away. With Hartford forced to foul in the final seconds, Javante McCoy made both free throws to ice the game.
The Terriers had a hot hand to open the game, making each of their first four attempts from long range to open up an nine-point lead with 13:20 left. Hartford, which trailed by as many as 16, managed to bring the deficit down to seven (28-21) with a 9-0 run, but six quick points pushed BU's advantage back into double figures for the remainder of the half.
INSIDE THE BOX & NOTES
- Hartford was playing without starting guards Austin Williams and Dejuan Clayton
- Flowers (15 points) and Kimbrough (13) also finished in double figures for the Hawks
- Kimbrough came one rebound shy of a double-double, pulling down nine, including five offensive boards
- Thursday's game marked the first meeting between the teams since Boston University left the America East for the Patriot League, in 2012-13
- The Hawks entered the contest riding at a three-game winning streak against the Terriers
- Anthony Morales went 4-of-6 from three to finish with 18 points off the bench
- After going 7-of-15 from three in the first half (46.7%), the Hawks held the Terriers to a 4-of-14 clip from long range in the second (28.6%)
NEXT ON TAP
The Hawks embark on their longest road trip of the season. The five-game swing — which stretches over 21 days — begins with a stop at Merrimack on Tuesday (Nov. 27). Tipoff is set fro 7 p.m.
For an inside look at Hartford men's basketball, stay with HartfordHawks.com for updates and follow the team on social media:
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