LORETTO, Pa. – The Hartford men's basketball team couldn't overcome an early deficit and fell 77-53 on the road at St. Francis (Pa.) in the second annual Jack Phelan Classic on Saturday. The Red Flash raced out to a 9-0 edge early in the first half and steadily padded the lead as the game went on. SFU's Max Land led all scorers with 26, while Pano Pavlidis finished with 13 for Hartford. It was the first win of the season for SFU, while the Hawks dropped to 1-2.
 
Box Score
 
ST. FRANCIS (PA.) 77, HARTFORD 53
 
The Red Flash bookended Saturday's contest with a pair of runs that defined the final outcome. SFU opened the game on a 12-2 stretch – with Land scoring the first six points – and closed out the night with another 9-2 rally.  Freshman guard Landon Moore contributed 14 and junior forward Josh Cohen, an All-NEC Preseason selection, added 11.
 
For the Hawks, McClain reached double figures in scoring for the third time this season while Kimbrough tallied a season-best 11 points. Pavlidis hauled in 9 rebounds to lead the Hawks for the second game in three games.
 
Hartford biggest struggles came from behind the arc, where the Hawks finished 1-for-17 from long range. Graduate guard Michael Dunne connected for Hartford's lone 3-pointer, coming with less than four minutes to play. The Hawks shot .262 from 3-point range in the season's first two games, but the team finished .059 against SFU.
 
INSIDE THE BOX & NOTES

• Saturday marked Pavlidis's first game as the team leader in scoring
• Pavlidis, a graduate transfer from Molly University, has been a force for the Hawks through the seasons first week, leading Hartford in rebounding (7.7 rpg) and ranking second in scoring (12.3 ppg)
• The teams were even in the paint, each scoring 34, but SFU had a 41-29 edge in rebounding
• The disparity came on the defensive glass where the Red Flash held a 30-17 advantage
• Hartford's six assists were the team's fewest since recording the same amount at New Hampshire on Feb. 2, 2022
• Hartford's 3 point-percentage was the Hawks lowest since finishing 2-for-17 (.118) against Rider on March 9, 2013

NEXT ON TAP
The Hawks will visit Boston University on Thursday at 7 p.m. The former America East Conference foes have met 66 times in their history, making the Terriers the most familiar opponent on Hartford's 2022-23 schedule. BU owns a 44-22 advantage in the all-time series. The Hawks had won three in a row against the Terriers before falling 75-70 at home on Nov. 18, 2021.