Hartford Hawks make history with 64-50 win over UMass Lowell

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One year ago, the Hartford Hawks found themselves in position to play for the conference championship. As we all know things were out of their control and for everyone else too. A year later, the Hawks (15-8) got another chance to make history. This time they did not let anything stand in their way. For the first time in the program’s history, Hartford is going dancing as they defeated the UMass Lowell Riverhawks (11-12) 64-50. Starters are usually the ones that decide games like this. Hartford’s go-to guys did, Lowell’s did not. Even with that said, this was a one-possession game at 39-37 with ten minutes left. Hartford’s defense came up big when it needed to and held Lowell’s offense to just three field goals the rest of the way. After the game, Lowell’s head coach Pat Duquette said, “We played like we were on unfamiliar ground.” We did not play loose and free.” It may explain why the Riverhawks could only score 18 first-half points. They just never got comfortable.

After Lowell scored the first basket of the game, the Hawks went on a 10-0 run to give themselves a 10-2 advantage. Three points baskets from Traci Carter (19 points) and Hunter Marks (14 points) got things rolling for the home team. The Riverhawks responded with a 9-0 run to take the lead at 11-10 with eight minutes left in the first half. Kail Thomas had five of those nine points. Another Hartford run, this time a 7-0 spurt, regained the lead for them in the closing stages of the opening half. Hartford would take a five-point lead with them to the locker room thanks in part to four free throws by Austin Williams (17 points). At the break, the Hawks were up 23-18.

If there was a concern for the Riverhawks, it was the goose egg in points next to the name of Connor Withers in the first half. Coming off the great game he had in the semi-finals against UMBC, in which he went for 28 points on nine made three’s, Withers and his mates were going to have to step up if Lowell’s season was to continue. Early on in half number two, it seemed like that was taking place for Lowell. A three-point play from Obadiah Noel (15 points) cut the Hawks lead down to two at 25-23 less than three minutes in. Withers finally made a shot, a three to give his team a lead at 26-25. That lead was short-lived. Carter and Williams made back-to-back buckets to give Hartford the lead back at 29-26. Noel again trimmed it to one on a jumper to make it 29-28 with fifteen minutes to go. Anthony Blunt knocked down a three-ball and the game was tied at 31-31 with fourteen minutes left. Lowell was knocking on the door but the problem was they could not get on the other side of it. With 10:26 to play, Lowell was still right there down two at 39-37. However, from here on in the game would get away from the Riverhawks. Hartford Senior guard Traci Carter said in the post-game, “We withstood their runs.” Because they did, the Hawks were able to expand from there.

Over the final ten and a half minutes of the game, Hartford was able to outscore Lowell by a 21-13 margin. With the win, they claimed their first America East Tournament championship. They will now head to Indianapolis later today, and on Sunday will find out who will be their opponent in the NCAA Tournament when it gets started next week. Hartford Coach John Gallagher praised Lowell for the way they battled during their run in the playoffs. He had high praise for Carter saying “he managed the game.” This has been the best four year run by this program in the school history. Gallagher was quick to point out that “we are not going anywhere.”

For Lowell this may turn out to be the building blocks toward their own run of success. But as coach Duquette mentioned afterward “he has some guys to cheer up first.”