WEST HARTFORD, Conn. - The Nor'Easters of University of New England traveled to West Hartford to take on the Hawks in what would be the first match up between these two Conference of New England foes. UNE would get the better of the two in this meeting, as they would take home the victory 90-84.

Rapid Recap:

• The Nor'easters would be the first to get on the board as a three pointer from Jack Pyzynski would put UNE ahead. Hartford would fight back with seven unanswered points from the Hawks, coming off a triple from freshman Troy Santos (Taunton, Mass.) and a pair of layups from freshman Chidera George (Atlanta, GA) and sophomore Jaylen Brown (Baldwin, NY). The Nor'easters would find a way to secure a lead as they went up 13-12 around the seven minute mark in the first half. Some knockdown shooting from sophomore Drew Stack (Madison, NJ) and freshman Reggie Selden (Franklinville, NJ) spearheaded a Hartford run putting them up 22-15. It would not be long before UNE would find a way to even the score again, this time at 22 a piece. The two teams would continue to trade blows throughout the first half, with neither team seemingly pulling away. Another made three from Selden and a pair of free throws would put the Hawks up six with just under a minute and a half to go in the first, but a couple made buckets from the Nor'easters would shrink the lead to four going into the second half. 
• UNE came out swinging as they would bring the game to a stalemate once again to start the second half. A made free throw from Chidera and another three pointer from Stack to go along side one from sophomore Kaosi Chijoke (Atlanta, GA) would put Hartford up seven with 15 minutes to play. The Hartford lead would be extended even further after a made layup by Chijoke followed by a foul on a three point attempt, in which he would nail all three free throws. However, the game would be far from over as the Nor'easters would cut into the Hartford lead, bringing the game within two at the eleven-minute mark. A jumper from Santos, followed by a Stack three-pointer and a layup from Chidera kept the Nor'easters at an arms length as the Hartford lead would extend to nine. Late in the game the Nor'easters made their way back into the contest, cutting the lead to three, a made layup in transition would put UNE ahead 82-81 with a little over a minute left to play. An and-one layup for Adam Lux would put the Nor'easters up four with 43 seconds to go, and a turnover for Hartford would result in fastbreak points for UNE extending their lead to six with 29 seconds left. A late-game three from Chijoke would not be enough, as the Nor'easters win 90-84.

Inside The Numbers:

• Chijoke lead the Hawks in scoring with 18 points (6-13 FG, 2-3 3PT, 4-7 FT) seven boards, two assists, and a steal. Stack finished the night with 16 points (5-13 FG, 5-12 3PT, 1-1 FT) to go along with three rebounds and three assists. Santos rounded things out for the Hawks with 15 points (4-12 FG, 1-8 3PT, 6-6 FT) combined with five rebouds, five assists, and a steal. 
• Jaelen Jackson, Jack Pyzynski, and Adam Lux all finished with 18 points for the Nor'easters to tie for the game-high.
• The teams kept it close, as there were 16 lead changes and six times the score was tied.
• The Nor'easters efficiency from behind the arch got it done for them tonight as they shot 45% as a team from behind the line.

Up Next:

The Hawks will take on Wentworth Institute of Technology, Wednesday Dec. 11th, that game is slated for a 7:30PM start.

For the latest information on Hartford Athletics follow the Hawks on Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube.