THE BASICS:
 
RESULT: Hartford 86, Sacred Heart 72
RECORDS: Hartford (5-6); Sacred Heart (5-6)
LOCATION: Chase Arena at Reich Family Pavilion (West Hartford, Conn.)
PHOTO GALLERY
 
THE LEAD:
 
A well-balanced scoring effort led the University of Hartford men's basketball team past visiting Sacred Heart, 86-72, on Monday night at Reich Family Pavilion. Junior J.R. Lynch led four players in double figures with 21 points as the Hawks shot 69 percent in the second half to blow open a one-point lead at the break.

Junior transfer Travis Weatherington extended his double-figure scoring streak to three games, netting 18 points, while Jason Dunne and John P. Carroll added 17 and 12 points, respectively. Joseph Lopez compiled a double-double for the Pioneers in the losing effort, recording game bests in scoring (22) and rebounding (11).


 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 

• After jumping out to an early 7-2 lead, Dunne knocked down back-to-back three-pointers to give the Hawks their first 10-point lead (23-13) with 7:08 left in the first half.
• Sacred Heart used a 7-0 run fueled by five points from Lopez to pull within three with 4:26 remaining. Both sides exchanged a flurry of baskets, and with 40 seconds left, Mario Matasovic gave the Pioneers their first lead of the game – a one-point edge – with 40 seconds remaining in the half.
• That edge was short-lived, though, as Dunne knocked down a pair of free throws in the closing seconds to send Hartford into the halftime break with a 34-33 advantage.
• The Hawks came out gates hot in the second half, outscoring the Pioneers by a 9-2 margin to go up by a 43-35 count with 16:11 remaining. That lead grew to 11 with 13:05 left thanks to back-to-back Jack Hobbs three-pointers.
• Down the stretch, Sacred Heart pulled within five (59-54) on a Charles Tucker layup with 8:50 to go, but wouldn't come any closer. With 4:21 left on the clock, Hartford blew open a 69-63 lead with a commanding 15-5 run. Weatherington put the icing on the cake, delivering a pair of three-pointers 32 seconds apart to put the Hawks in front by 16 points with 52 seconds left to play. 

 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

• Hartford shot a season high 56.9 percent (33-of-58) from the field, including 45.8 percent (11-of-24) from long range. Those high-scoring percentages led to the Hawks putting up a season-best 86 points on the night.
• Weatherington continued his string of hot shooting against the Pioneers, turning in a sizzling 7-of-8 effort from the floor (4-of-5 from long range). In his past four games, he has combined for 15 three-pointers.
• Despite a foul-riddled night that saw him foul out with 5:13 to go, Hassan Attia recorded a career-best seven rejections. He added six points and four rebounds in just 12 minutes of action.
• Carroll extended his team-best double-figure scoring streak to five games with Monday's 12-point outing.
• The Hawks scored 17 points off of Sacred Heart's nine miscues, but the Pioneers held a 13-0 advantage on fast-break points.
• The Pioneers also shot the ball well, going 44.3 percent from the field.

 
NEXT ON TAP:
Hartford breaks for final exams and will be out of action until Tuesday, Dec. 19. The Hawks switch coasts for that contest, as they head to Oregon to take on Portland at 10 p.m.