The University of Hartford men's basketball team fell behind early and fell to Commonwealth Coast Conference foe Suffolk Wednesday, 75-67, inside the Chase Family Arena in the Reich Family Pavilion.

Suffolk used an early 14-4 run to open up a 10-point lead midway through the first half. The advantage grew to as much as 16 before a late spurt got the Hawks to within 11 points at the break.

Hartford continued to battle getting the game under double figures on multiple occasions, and even got as close as four points with a little more than 11 minutes remaining. The Hawks had possession with an opportunity to pull even closer, but a turnover stemmed the tide and eventually sparked a 7-0 spurt that pushed the deficit back to double figures. Hartford got as close as five points down the stretch, but each time, the Rams had an answer.

Freshman Henry Herman finished with a team-high 16 points as he went a perfect 8-of-8 from the foul line. Freshmen Stephen Akwiwu and Jaylen Brown each added 11 points. Akwiwu pulled down eight boards with two blocks, and freshman Kaosi Chijioke added a team-high 10 rebounds.



INSIDE THE BOX & NOTES

• Chijioke has recorded double-digit caroms in three consecutive games. He has led the team in rebounding six times this season, including three straight.
• Freshman Zach Skinner, in his 18 minutes of action, was the only Hartford player with a positive plus/minus stat, going plus-seven on the game.
• Second-leading scorer Trayon Rumley played just four minutes and saw his string of hitting a three-pointer in every game come to an end. His string of nine consecutive double-figure scoring games also came to an end.
• Herman has now led the team in scoring three times this season. His eight made free throws are tied for the most made by any Hartford player this season. He is the lone player to make all his free throws with a minimum of six attempts.
• Akwiwu moved into 10th on the all-time freshman record book with 125 rebounds.
• Tonight marked the ninth different starting lineup this season with Herman, Akwiwu, Brown, Chijioke, and Beluolisah Oranye taking the opening tip.

WHAT'S NEXT
Hartford (6-10 overall, 4-5 CCC opponents) remains home to begin the second trip through CCC action, hosting Gordon 3 p.m. Saturday. The game will be the Hawks' First Responders and Alumni Day. Hartford claimed the first meeting, 59-56, on a Rumley three-pointer as time expired on December 2.