WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – The University of Hartford men's basketball team put together 40 solid minutes on both ends of the floor at the Chase Family Arena on Friday night and came away with its first victory of the season in a 62-47 defeat of instate rival Sacred Heart. The Hawks improve to 1-2 on the season while the Pioneers dip to 1-2 in 2012-13.

Two players came off the bench to provide a spark for the Hawks as sophomore Wes Cole and rookie Evan Cooper each put up double figure scoring numbers. Cole lit it up from downtown, going 4-of-6 from beyond the arc to finish with a game-best 14 points. Cooper, who missed just two shots from the field including a 3-of-4 effort from three point land, closed out the contest with 11 points. The Hawks' bench outscored that of the Pioneers' by a 29-11 margin and accounted for nearly half (46.7 percent) of their offense.

Hartford, which combined to hit 10-of-22 from behind the arc, scored 25 points off of 16 Sacred Heart turnovers. The 10 three pointers are a season-high for the Hawks, who had combined for just nine in their first two games of the year.

The Hawks trailed once, a 5-4 disadvantage at the 15:54 mark. After allowing the Pioneers just one field goal during those opening minutes, Hartford held its opponents without a made bucket for the next nine minutes. During Sacred Heart's 0-of-11 drought from the floor, the Hawks used an 11-1 run to gain a 15-6 advantage with 9:23 remaining before Femi Akinpetide scored on a put back with 8:09 remaining.

That run was extended to 19-3, allowing the Hawks to take control of the game midway through the first half. Cole buried his first three of the night at 11:19 and sophomore Yolonzo Moore II, who finished with a career-high six assists, followed suit at 10:37 to put Hartford ahead, 12-6. Teammates Cooper and Mark Nwakamma continued the rally as they each connected from downtown to provide their team with its first double digit lead of the contest at 18-8.

Sophomore center Jamie Schneck capped off the Hawks' rally after knocking down a layup and converting on a three-point play to give his team a 23-8 advantage. The Pioneers were never able to bring their deficit back to single digits before halftime, but a layup by Evan Kelley in the closing seconds cut the gap to 13 at the break with a score of 29-16.

Out of the intermission, Sacred Heart opened the second half by scoring seven of the first nine points to cut its deficit to single digits (6), but Hartford quickly ended the threat, using two-straight treys by Cole and Cooper push its lead back to 12.

The Pioneers managed to come within six points one more time at 37-31 with 12:38 to go before Hartford went off on a 14-2 run and put the game away with 9:13 remaining. During that stretch, which was sparked by a three-point play by junior Oren Faulk, Cole and Cooper each hit one from behind the arc while Nwakamma combined for four points.

The Hawks shot 41.2 percent for the night (21-of-51) and finished 83.8 percent from the line (10-of-12). Hartford held Sacred Heart to 32.7 shooting from the field, including an ice cold 9.1 percent clip (1-of-11) from three-point land. On the boards, the Hawks were outrebounded, 38-31.

Pacing the Pioneers' offense was Louis Montes (13), Femi Akinpetide (10) and Shane Gibson (10) who combined for 33 points - over 70 percent of their team's scoring output on the evening.

The Hawks continue their three-game homestand on Tuesday, November 20 with a 7:00 p.m. matchup against the La Salle Explorers.