WEST HARTFORD, Conn. - The University of Hartford men's basketball team fell in the 2024-25 season opener falling to inner-state foe Mitchell College by a 82-79 final. 

Rapid Recap:

• The Hawks had an early 5-2 lead after a jumper by freshman River Eberhardt (Berlin, Conn.) and a three-pointer by sophomore Kaosi Chijioke (Atlanta, Ga.). The Hawks continued to lead by a 12-8 margin at the 14:25 mark of the first half with a three by freshman Troy Santos (Taunton, Mass.). A 12-0 counter from the Mariners gave the visitors a 22-14 lead with 7:04 to play in the first half. Hartford bounced back with an eight-point spurt featuring three free throws by junior Drew Stack (Madison, N.J.). The Hawks tied things up at 26-26, but Mitchell College responded with a 7-0 run to hold onto the lead. The Hawks closed strong behind three points from sophomore Zach Skinner (Berlin, Conn.) and Santos, but they would head into the break trailing 35-33. 
• The Mariners picked up where they left off in the second half extending the lead to 12 points with 16:44 to play. Stack stopped the momentum for the visitors with a three-point play. A bucket by freshman Reggie Selden (Franklinville, N.J.) and sophomore Joshua Petion (Brooklyn, N.Y.) cut the deficit to just 50-46 with 13:36 to play. Mitchell hit back with a six-point spurt keeping the lead at double-digits. An 8-2 run by the Hawks trimmed the Mitchell lead to 66-64 with five more points going to Santos. A tip-in bucket ith 3:05 to play by Petion cut the Mariner lead to a single-point, but Mitchell kept responding with layups to push the lead to 76-69 with 1:13 to play. The Hawks almost had a heroic comeback as Santos completed a four-point play with seven seconds to play to cut the lead to one point, but Mitchell made its free throws before Santos missed the game-tying opportunity. 

Inside the Numbers:

• Santos was a star in his first collegiate game scoring 27 points (10-19 FG, 3-8 3PT, 4-4 FT) to go with five assists, three rebounds and two steals. Stack tallied 18 points (5-14 FG, 4-12 3PT, 4-4 FT), while Petion added 10 points (4-7 FG, 2-4 FT) and seven rebounds. 
• Jaylyn Clardy paced the Mariners with 25 points (10-20 FG, 0-4 3PT, 5-9 FT), three steals and three assists. Eddie Volkerts added 20 points (9-16 FG, 0-3 3PT, 2-6 FT) eight rebounds and four assists in the win. 
• The Mariners dominated in the painted area outscoring Hartford 50-30, while also winning the rebounding battle 42-29. 
• Hartford did best off of turnovers with 24 points opposed to Mitchell's 15. 

Up Next: 
The Hawks will be on the road traveling to Nashua, New Hampshire on Tuesday with a 7:00 PM tip. 

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