Hawks fall to Huskies in basketball season Opener

By: Ryan Kelsey

The University of Hartford men’s basketball team tipped-off their 2020 – 2021 season on the road against the University of Connecticut on Friday night, but fell just short to the Huskies with a final score of 69 to 57.

The Hawks started the game in a shooting slump scoring just 26 points in the first half, while the Huskies scored 38 points, and had a 19 point lead with just over 3 minutes until halftime. However, the Hawks clawed their way back in the second half and managed to pull within just three points in large part due to guard, Moses Flowers, and forward, Hunter Marks. 

Flowers, a sophomore from Massachusetts, had the most points out of both teams as he scored 24 points in the 30 minutes that he played, and Marks used his 6’9 body frame to snag 9 rebounds and add 14 points. In the end though, it was the Huskies led by guard, James Bouknight, who were able to build a commanding lead that would put them up for good. 

Both teams as a whole struggled offensively, as the Hawks shot a mere 32% from the field goal, and the Huskies did not perform much better shooting 44.4% from the field goal. Despite the fact that both teams struggled to score points, it was the Huskies defense that stepped up big by forcing the Hawks to commit 15 turnovers.

Even though the Hawks did not come away victorious, head coach John Gallagher and the rest of the team must feel good competing on the hardwood floor again, after the COVID-19 pandemic put an abrupt end to last season, and ultimately robbed the team of competing against Vermont in the America East Conference Championship game.

The Hawks will be on the road competing against Villanova, and then Fairfield before they play their home opener against Central Connecticut on December 4th.