WEST HARTFORD, Conn. - The Hartford men's basketball team battled Roger Williams University on Tuesday night in a tightly contested match-up, the Hawks fought hard claiming victory with a 73-71 win over RWU at home.

Rapid Recap:

• Hartford and RWU battled back-and-forth throughout this first half, with the Hawks staying within striking distance thanks to timely baskets from junior Kaosi Chijioke (Suwanee, Ga.) and junior Kyle Winters (Corte Madera, Calif.) It seemed as though each sequence put together was matched by points from the other end of the court. Seven minutes into the first half the teams stood even 13-13 when RWU's Ryan Hammarlund brought in a quick lay-up as teammate Ashton Leclerc forced the ball out of senior Drew Stack's (Madison, N.J.) hands. The Hawks were able to generate some distance from Roger Williams with trips to the line and sneaking in layups to go for an eight-point run. Just as the Hawks gained confidence Roger Williams' scored nine-points to collect back the lead, 22-21. The remaining minutes of the first progressed in similar fashion with both teams unable to create comfortable leads. Chijioke capped the first half with a clutch three-pointer off a crisp feed from freshman Dayn Campbell (New York, N.Y.) as the clock ticked down to zero. Hartford pulled out of this half ahead 34-32.
• The Hartford Hawks came off the break determined, with Winters immediately making an impact, with a strong drive to the basket putting points on the board early. Sophomore River Eberhardt (Berlin, Conn.) followed with a smooth jumper three minutes in giving Hartford their early lead and setting the tone for this back-and-forth contest. The two teams continued to trade baskets as we moved through this second half. Chijioke, and junior Joshua Petion (Brooklyn, N.Y.) made key plays in the paint while sophomore Jaron Broomfield (Bronx, N.Y.) controlled the boards with multiple defensive rebounds. Winters stayed aggressive, hitting pull up jumpers and triples to keep Hartford ahead. In the final two minutes, Winters took over, draining a massive three to swing momentum Hartford's way, then following with a crucial pull-up jumper to make it 71-68 Hartford. RWU answered with a tying three of their own, but Winters wouldn't be denied, he used his footwork to drain a step-back jumper with 1.9 seconds left, sealing a thrilling win for the Hartford Hawks this Tuesday night.

Post Game Press: 
"I work on that shot every day," said junior Kyle Winters (Corte Madera, Calif.) looking back on his game-winning basket, "I love that mid-range area and it felt good as soon as it left my hands. This is a huge conference win for us, this is a good team, Coach said it was our biggest game of the year so far. We came out a little slow but we found a way to get it done in the end."

"Winters is the guy we like to have the ball in his hands in late moments like this in a game," said Head Coach Aaron Toomey," we tried to give him as much space as possible and he made a tough shot, but we expected that shot to go in when it left his hands. This win means a lot for us, this team is above us right now in the standings, and one that we only play one time, so come late in the season if there is a tie-breaker for playoffs this will be huge. The glass was a huge part of the game tonight, we cleaned the glass up really well  and I was very proud of our effort there. Everybody that played or didn't play tonight had a role to help the team get this win today."

Inside The Numbers:

• Winters was the standout leader for the Hawks tonight putting up 23 points (9-17 FG, 3-7 3PT, 2-2 FT) along with collecting six boards. Chijioke put up nine points for Hartford (3-11 FG, 1-3 3PT, 2-2 FT) pulling down a season-high 11 rebounds and two assists.
• Broomfield posted a career-high 13 rebounds to go along with his five points (2-5 FG, 0-3 3PT, 1-2 FT).
• Roger Williams was led by Ryan Higgins as he tallied 20 points (7-15 FG, 5-12 3PT, 1-1 FT) in his 26 minutes of play.
• The two teams traded 16 lead changes tonight, Hartford lead in the paint collecting 52 to RWU's 30 rebounds.

Up Next:
The Hawks will travel to Boston to face off against Wentworth Institute of Technology this Saturday, January 24th at 2:00 P.M.

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