THE BASICS:
 
RESULT: Hartford 85, Central Connecticut 84
RECORDS: Hartford (1-0); CCSU (0-1)
LOCATION: Chase Arena at Reich Family Pavilion (West Hartford, Conn.)
PHOTO GALLERY
 
THE LEAD:
 
Redshirt-junior John P. Carroll poured-in a career-high 26 points on Friday night, as the University of Hartford men's basketball team opened its 2017-18 season with a thrilling, 85-84 overtime victory against neighboring Central Connecticut. Tyler Kohl led the Blue Devils in the losing effort with 21 points and eight rebounds.

FIRST HALF:
 
Hartford came out of the gates hot, making each of its first four shots, including a pair of three-pointers by junior J.R. Lynch, to take a 10-2 lead less than three minutes in. CCSU responded with a run of its own, though, scoring 12 of the next 15 points to gain its first lead at 14-13.
 
With the score tied at 24-all with 7:11 left in the half, Hartford used a 9-3 run to push ahead by six points, but a dominant stretch from the Blue Devils that included two more makes from long range led to the visiting squad taking a 37-35 advantage into the halftime break. Each side drained six three-pointers apiece in the first half, with Lynch going 3-for-4 from long range during that stretch.
 
SECOND HALF:
 
The Blue Devils kept the offense going in the early part of the second half, opening up 62-51 lead - their largest of the night - on two more three-pointers with 10:22 left. The Hawks came roaring back, using a 15-1 run fueled by eight points from Carroll to erase CCSU's 11-point lead. Jack Hobbs' three-pointer with 5:57 left to play would give Hartford its first lead of the second half at 65-63.
 
The game would go back and forth in the final four minutes before another three-pointer by Hobbs put the Hawks up 75-73 with 41 seconds remaining. The Blue Devils provided a quick answer, as Tyler Kohl sunk a layup with 25 seconds remaining to tie the game at 75, where it would stay for the duration of regulation. 
 
OVERTIME:
 
A pair of layups from Jason Dunne and senior Hassan Attia 45 seconds into overtime put the Hawks ahead by four. The Blue Devils would quickly fight back and tie the game up at 79 with 1:54 left. Moments later, Carroll knocked down a jumper with 87 seconds remaining to give Hartford a lead it would not relinquish. A three-pointer by Kohl gave the Blue Devils hope with 0.5 seconds left, but the Hawks easily ran out the clock to earn the win.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

• Carroll shot 9-of-14 from the floor and 7-of-11 en route to a career high in scoring. He came one rebound shy of his second career double-double, leading all players with nine.
• Hartford forced CCSU into 15 turnovers, scoring 13 points off those miscues.
• Travis Weatherington came off the bench to net 14 points in his first game in a Hartford uniform, marking the most points scored by a Hawk in a debut since Jalen Ross had 14 against CCSU two years ago.
• Both teams shot the ball well. Making 31-of-63 field goals, the Hawks shot just below 50 percent on the night (49.2%), while CCSU finished the night shooting 51.8 percent (29-of-56).
• Joining Carroll and Weatherington in double figures were Lynch and Dunne, who finished with 16 and 13 points, respectively.

 
NEWS & NOTES:

• The Hawks closed the gap in the all-time series with CCSU to 8-10 with the win.
• Dunne extended his double-figure scoring streak to seven games in Friday's win.

 
NEXT ON TAP:
The Hawks remain home for their next game, as they host Gordon College for a Sunday matinee on ESPN3. Tipoff from Chase Arena at Reich Family Pavilion is set for 4 p.m. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Malcolm and Brenda Athletics Ticket Office (860-768-HAWK) or by clicking here.