FRANKLIN, Mass. - The Hartford men's basketball team improved to 3-1 on the season Wednesday night defeating Dean College by a 74-72 final in overtime on the road.
Rapid Recap:
- The Hawks found themselves in an early lead as senior Kent Olewiler (York, Pa.) finished a layup followed by a sophomore Jaron Broomfield (Bronx, N.Y.) triple gave them a 5-3 lead. The Bulldogs would get the next five points to take the lead back but Broomfield netted another from the corner to even the score yet again at 8-8 after four minutes of play. The teams stayed knotted after 10 minutes of game action as junior Kyle Winters (Corte Madera, Calif.) would finish a layup to push the score to 18-18. The Bulldogs would eventually use a six-point spurt to get a 29-24 advantage with 4:02 remaining in the first half but freshman Jalen Fleming (Plainfield, N.J.) would net a three followed by a paint finish for junior Leonard Pelzer (Berlin, Germany) helped the Hawks keep the score within a single point. A three at the buzzer by Christian Yeates gave the home team a 35-31 lead headed into the break.
- Junior Joshua Petion (Brooklyn, N.Y.) kicked off the second half for Hartford finishing a layup followed by another for Winters as the Hawks trailed 37-35 early. Senior Drew Stack (Madison, N.J.) and Olewiler would get Hartford in front with five makes from the free throw line as the lead was 40-37. Olewiler and Broomfield were the catalysts for scoring early in the second half as a layup for Kent followed by a three for Jaron kept the visitors in front 45-42 with 14:32 left in the second half. Max Shosa had a good stretch for the Bulldogs hitting two huge threes, Fleming knocked down another as the lead was 56-50 with 8:43 to play. Dean College would take the lead back with 6:40 to play before extending it to 61-57 with 5:57 on the clock. Petion proved key down the stretch scoring back-to-back tough layups before Olewiler drilled a corner three to give Hartford the lead back with 4:03 to play. Broomfield and Petion would add layups in between Bulldog buckets to keep the lead at five points in favor of the Hawks, but two huge buckets tied the game. Winters had a three to win it, but the shot drifted wide and Naser Motley tried the winner for Dean, but air balled to secure the overtime period.
- In overtime Winters kicked things off with a pull-up jumper to give Hartford the early edge. Dean would get a free throw on the other half of the floor, but Petion dished a back-door pass to Stack for a layup to get the Hawks a 72-69 lead. Broomfield would make two shots from the charity stripe to give Hartford the 74-72 lead and Dean could not complete a winner falling 74-72.
Post Game Press:
"This was a gritty win", said senior
Kent Olewiler (York, Pa.). "We trusted each other, stayed united, and kept fighting through every possession. On the road, in overtime, it came down to our belief in one another and that's what pushed us over the top."
Inside The Numbers:
- Olewiler was huge in the win for Hartford scoring 14 points (5-10 FG, 1-2 3PT, 3-3 FT) to go with six rebounds, four steals and two assists. Petion tallied eight points (4-4 FG, 0-1 FT), nine rebounds, four assists and a block in great minutes. Broomfield registered a career-high 15 points (5-11 FG, 3-6 3PT, 2-4 FT) to go with six boards and a block. Winters would add 14 points (6-21 FG, 0-7 3PT, 2-3 FT) eight rebounds and three steals in the win.
- Shosa led the Bulldogs scoring 21 points (7-13 FG, 5-9 3PT, 2-2 FT) to go with six rebounds, three assists and two blocks. Motley added 15 points (7-16 FG, 0-3 3PT, 1-4 FT), five rebounds and four assists.
- The Bulldogs had the advantage on the glass all night with 20 offensive rebounds in the loss generating 17 second chance points. Hartford would sneak away with the victory with a slight edge in points in the paint scoring 32 compared to just 22 from Dean.
Up Next:
The Hawks will host Rivier University on Saturday with a 2:00 PM tip.
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