Hartford overcomes 26-point deficit for the win

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On most nights having a 26-point lead is a good thing, but on Saturday night at Tsongas Center, it turned out to be a bad plan. The UMass Lowell River Hawks let one slip away from them, as not only did they lose the big advantage but also the game 77-70 to the Hartford Hawks.

After the game, River Hawks head coach Pat Duquette said: ” its the toughest loss since I’ve been here”. And who could argue with him?

For the first fifteen minutes in the first half, the River Hawks looked like the best team in America East. They were knocking down shots, sharing the ball, doing everything right. Their opponent, on the other hand, was doing exactly the opposite.

Then, Hartford head coach John Gallagher made a defensive switch, going from man to man to a 1-3-1 zone and it made all the difference. How bad was the Hawks start you ask? Try these numbers on for size. At the 15:33 mark they were shooting 1-for7 from field and 0-for-3 from three-point land. With 11:31 left in first half those numbers became 1-for-10 and 0-for 4. With 7:29 to play they were 2-for-18 and 0-for-8. Hartford did not record their first assist until 6:56 was left in the first half when J.R. Lynch, 17 points, set up Jason Dunne for a three-point basket. At the time the River Hawks were comfortably ahead 32-9, or so it seemed.

Playing with a big lead is not something you do every day. And for UMass Lowell this was a first, being able to continue to play and grow the lead. Once the defensive switch was made, the River Hawks had trouble making the correct passes and getting good looks at the basket. It would help fuel Hartford’s comeback.

Over the final 7:11 of the first half, the Hawks would outscore Lowell by a 25-12 margin. They trimmed what was a 26-point deficit at the break to ten at 42-32.

HALFTIME: #RiverHawks lead 42-32 over Hartford, at the break. Thomas with 12 points, Harris with 9 points, Perry/Jones with 5 each. #AEHoops #RiseUp pic.twitter.com/1F6SWkj0cq

— UMass Lowell MBB (@RiverHawkMBB) January 27, 2018

The offense came from Dunne who had eight points during the run, on his way to a team-high 20 for the game. Lynch had five of his points during this time. There was an uneasy feeling in Tsongas Center and for good reason.

The second half got underway with Hartford scoring the first five points with a three by Lynch, followed by a layup from Dunne. It was now a five-point game at 42-37 and the first full minute was not over.

The River Hawks got the offense back in synch with a 7-2 that run gave the home team a double-digit lead again at 49-39 with 17:26 to play. Jahad Thomas, with an and one, helped built the lead back up. He finished with 20 points on the night.

Hartford then went on a 13-2 run that would give them there first lead of the game at 52-51 with 13:21 left. Then there was a three-point goal by Dunne, followed by two long-range bombs from Jack Hobbs (18 on the night including 4-for-9 from deep). The comeback was completed on layups from John Carroll, the second one giving his team the lead.

The game now became a see-saw affair with each team holding a one-possession advantage. Lowell scratched together a 5-0 spurt on another three-point play from Thomas and layup from Ryan Jones (13 on the night) with Thomas getting an assist with some nice interior passing. The River Hawks were back in front 67-65 with 5:04 left.

It would not be for long as three-point makes from Lynch and Carroll (10 for him) put Hartford back in front at 70-67 with 3:25 to play. River Hawks Senior, Matt Harris drove to the bucket and got fouled by Carroll. The three-point play tied the game at 70 all with 2:40 left in the game.

The Hawks then finished the improbable road win by ending the game on a 7-0 run. They earned there fifth win away from home this season, 77-70 over Lowell. With the win, they improved to 12-10 and 5-3 in league play. With the loss, Lowell drops to 8-13, and 2-6 in America East.

The River Hawks head out on the road for there next three games with the first one next Wednesday night at Maine.