SPRINGFIELD, Mass  - The Hartford men's basketball team kicked off the Conference of New England (CNE) play on a high note, holding off Western England University 76-74 to claim its first conference win of the season. The victory pushes the Hawks' win streak to four and reinforces their early-season momentum.

Rapid Recap:

• Hartford set the tone early adding the first points to the board with good ball movement around the Golden Bears as junior Joshua Petion (Brooklyn, N.Y.) used a no look pass to find senior Jaron Broomfield  (Bronx, N.Y.) to drain it beyond the arc for a three-point opener.  WNE answered with a three-point of their own within the next 15 seconds setting up for a tense first-half. The Hawks pushed ahead as junior Kyle Winters (Corte Madera, Calif.) and freshman Ben Miller (Milford, Conn.) steadied the offense, Miller contributed both at the rim and at the free-throw line to give the Hawks some distance, 23-14 with 10:54 remaining. The Golden Bears were able to put together solid sequences to hit threes from the top of the key closing down Hartford bringing their lead now to just four, 28-24. Hartford responded with composed possession, highlighted by Broomfield's corner three and Winters' turnaround jumper. Sophomore River Eberhardt (Berlin, Conn.) used active hands to swing the energy back into their direction adding interior touches and a late layup to bring the Hawks over the Golden Bears to close out this first half up 39-37.
• WNE opened with strong defensive pressure, forcing Hartford late into the shot clock and drawing an early offensive foul. WNE's Eddie McCoy set the tone with a big block on Winters in the paint, flipping possession back their way. Miller and senior Kent Olewiler (York, Pa.) each connected on a pair of jumpers to give Hartford some cushion but WNE answered with back-to-back threes to pull even, 54-54 with 11:23 to go. Hartford broke free from the tie as Olewiler and Miller continued their steady rhythm, sinking clean mid-range looks to keep the offense balanced, extending their lead to now five. WNE tried to answer at the line but Hartford's defense maintained their composure, with Eberhardt pulling down rebounds, jumping passing lanes, and even turning away a layup at the rim to stall the Golden Bears' late push. The pace stayed scrappy, both teams battling on the boards, and after a flurry of missed finishes on each end, Hartford regrouped. Senior Drew Stack (Madison, N.J) added another deep three after a steal to stretch the advantage into the double digits, 73-62 just under 4:10 on the clock. In the closing minutes, Hartford faced a late push from WNE as the Golden Bears scraped together extra possessions off offensive rebounds and capitalized with trips to the line and a three to trim the deficit, to just two with 17 seconds left. WNE got the ball in, only to be swallowed up by the Hawks' trap under the basket and whistled for a travel. The Hawks ran away with their first CNE win of the season, 76-74.

Post Game Press:
"We knew it was going to be a huge challenge coming in but we were ready," said senior Drew Stack (Madison, N.J.). "The guys played with a ton of energy and never showed any signs of defeat. We look forward to keeping that momentum going on Saturday."

Inside The Numbers:

• Stack had an incredible night for Hartford tonight tallying 30 points (10-12 FG, 7-9 3PT, 3-4 FT) along with four rebounds and three assists. 
• Olewiler also was strong all over the court nabbing 12 points (5-8 FG, 2-3 3PT) adding four rebounds and one assist. 
• Eberhardt was a key asset under the hoop taking home seven rebounds along with six points.
• For the Golden Bears it was Luka Vlajkovic to lead with 20 points (8-14 FG, 1-3 3PT, 3-5 FT) along with 10 rebounds and five assists.
• The Hawks capitalized on turnovers tonight leading over the Golden Bears 14-12 in points off turnovers, the Golden Bears had strength in numbers outscoring in bench points 29-20, along with points in the paint 34-20 over Hartford. 

Up Next:
The Hawks will return home this weekend to continue CNE play as they take on Gordon College, Saturday December 6th at 3:00 P.M.

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