WEST HARTFORD, Conn. - The University of Hartford men's basketball team fell short against Endicott College Gulls in a final score of 78-63

Rapid Recap:

• The Gulls opened the first swishing an open three off the hands of Drew Brown to get up early against the Hawks. Freshman Troy Santos (Taunton, Mass.) used some quick footwork to drop a step-back three to claim the first points for the Hawks. The two teams were matching points, each Hawk three was paired with a Gull three, to tie-up the score at 14 even with 12:42 to go in the first. The Gull's Matt Boen beat a few Hawks with a quick step-back jumper to add to their six-point run. The two teams battled up and down the court but remained quiet on the scoreboard for three minutes. The Gull's broke their silence with a dominating 12-point run. Sophomore Kaosi Chijioke (Atlanta, Ga.) caught a quick pass from freshman Reggie Selden (Franklinville, N.J.) cross court and netted a big three beyond the arc. The Gull's closed out the first picking up points at the free-throw line and stayed up 36-22.

• Santos drove up the lane through two Gulls and sunk a quick lay-up to kick off this second half battle. Sophomore Zach Skinner finds the hands of Chijioke as he drops a key three for the Hawks. The Gulls continued to drop jump-shots matching each Hawk point. With 15:02 on the clock Santos drained a three while taking some damage from a Gull to pull off a major four point play, closing down the lead to 14. Chijioke was lights out at the arc today, dropping another three-pointer to bring the lead under ten with 12:49 remaining. Sophomore Joshua Petion (Brooklyn, N.Y.) uses his strength to battle off defenders under the net to pick up some quick lay-ups. The Gulls were clean all over the court as the clock ticked down and the Hawks efforts were not enough to close the gap. The Gulls ran away with this win finishing 78-63 overall.

Inside the Numbers:

• Chijioke led the Hawks putting up 18 points this afternoon (6-20 FG, 4-8 3PT, 2-4 FT) and snagged ten rebounds off the board. Santos was the next to lead the Hawks with 17 points for the team (6-14 FG, 3-7 3PT, 2-3FT) and three rebounds. Petion put away an impressive 13 points (5-9 FG, 3-3 FT) and grabbed seven rebounds off the glass.
• The Gulls leader was Drew Brown with a total of 19 points (7-12 FG, 5-8 3PT) and five rebounds
• The Gulls lead in overall points in the paint 24-18 and rebounds 42-34.

Up Next: 
The Hawks will face-off against Suffolk University Wednesday February 19th in the Play4Kay Game at 7:30 p.m.