WEST HARTFORD, Conn. — Paced by solid offensive performances from a pair of veterans, the Hartford men's basketball defeated New Hampshire in its America East opener on Wednesday, scoring a 69-57 win inside Reich Family Pavilion. Graduate student
Traci Carter and senior
Austin Williams combined for 37 points for the Hawks, who returned to action after an unplanned 28-day hiatus. that included key contributions from the Hawks' veterans
With its second straight win, Hartford improves to 3-10 on the season. New Hampshire (6-6 overall) dips to 1-2 in America East action.
PHOTO GALLERY
HARTFORD 69, NEW HAMPSHIRE 57
The Wildcats took an early 5-3 edge, but that would be their first — and last — lead of the night. Scoring 14 of the game's next 16 points, the Hawks pushed ahead by double figures at 17-7 with 10:16 to go in the opening half. Five different players contributed to that run, which was led by five points from Williams.
Hartford's hands were hot in that stanza. Going 57.5 percent from the field — including 6-of-12 from behind the arc — the Hawks used a 5-0 run that was single-handedly fueled by Williams to push ahead by as many as 13 (27-14) with 6:45 left in the half. New Hampshire rallied late in the stanza and used an 11-2 run to pull within three at 33-30, but Carter responded with five-unanswered points of his own to send the Hawks into the break with a 38-30 lead.
The Hawks' run extended into the second half, as Williams netted the first five points to make it a 43-30 advantage less than three minutes in. At the midway point, Shriver, who finished 4-of-4 from long range on the night, delivered triples on back-to-back possessions to give Hartford a 58-42 lead with 9:54 to go. The Hawks would take a 17-point lead — their largest of the game — on the next possession and went on to coast to the win.
INSIDE THE BOX & NOTES
- The Hawks' 28-day hiatus was the longest any America East team has endured this season
- Leading all scorers with 19 points, Carter came one rebound shy of a double-double
- Williams, who scored 18 points, scored his 500th career point at Hartford
- The Hawks turned in a season-high .571 clip from behind the arc, converting on 12-of-21 attempts
- Overall, Hartford shot 52.0 percent from the field while holding New Hampshire to a 36.8 percent clip
- Shriver fueled Hartford's hot shooting from long range, going a perfect 4-for-4 from long range for 12 points
- Hartford snapped a three-game skid against New Hampshire with the win
- With the win, the Hawks improve to 48-30 in the all-time series
NEXT ON TAP
The Hawks hit the road for the first time in league play on Saturday, when they head to Vermont for a rematch of last season's America East semifinal game. Tipoff from Patrick Gymnasium is set for 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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