WEST HARTFORD, Conn. — Senior David Shriver finished with a career-high 23 points on 7-of-14 shooting from beyond the arc as the Hartford men's basketball team late took down NJIT, 83-62, on Senior Day.
 
Hartford (10-18), improves to 8-8 in America East action, while NJIT, who were led by 15 points by Mekhi Gray, falls to 11-16 overall and 6-11 in the league.
 
HARTFORD 83, NJIT 62
Hartford started the game strong, jumping out to a 5-2 lead after a D.J. Mitchell pullup jumper.  With the score at 15-10, the Hawks would explode for an 8-2 run, capped off by a pair of Austin Williams free throws to take a 21-12 lead with 11:56 remaining.  Hartford would outdue themselves, going on a 16-2 run a few minutes later, extending the gap to 37-19. During the stretch the Hawks would drain four triples.  The Hawks would use another late 6-2 stretch, featuring a pair of Matt Hobbs free throws and four points from Briggs McClain, to take a 43-25 lead into the half. The Hawks were on fire in the first half, shooting 57.7 percent (15-of-26) from the floor, and 60.0 percent (9-of-15) from beyond the arc.
 
Hartford continued its hot shooting as Shriver drained a triple to give the Hawks a 48-27 advantage.  Hartford maintained its 21-point advantage after another Shriver triple saw the Hawks hold a 61-40 edge with 14:03 remaining.  Shriver would keep his strong game going, throwing down a dunk to increase the Hawks gap to 24, 72-48, with eight minutes left in the game. Kurtis Henderson would keep the Hawks momentum going, knocking down three-straight three-pointers to see the Hawks lead 81-59 with two minutes left in the game. The Hawks would not let NJIT back into the game, going home with an 83-62 win on Senior Day.

INSIDE THE BOX & NOTES

• Shriver's seven triples were a career-high
• Mitchell dropped 17 points in his return from injury, finishing 6-of-13 from the floor and 5-of-8 from three point land
• McClain joined Shriver and Mitchell in double digits, scoring 11 points
• Jared Kimbrough finished with a game-high nine rebounds
• Williams dished out a game-high seven assists
• Hartford outshot NJIT 52.6 percent (30-of-57) to 38.1 percent (24-of-63)

 
NEXT ON TAP
The Hawks head to Albany, N.Y., for their final road contest of the regular season on Tuesday. Tipoff against the Great Danes 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: Twitter | Instagram