Men's Basketball Edged By Hartford, 64-62, in America East Conference Play at SEFCU Arena

Albany, N.Y. - Joe Zeglinski scored 21 points and Morgan Sabia added 12 in leading Hartford to a 64-62 victory over UAlbany in America East Conference play on Wednesday, Jan. 27 at SEFCU Arena.

Hartford (6-15, AE 4-4) snapped a 55-55 deadlock when freshman guard Charles White drilled a three-point field goal from the top of the arc off a return pass from Joel Barkers in the post. After UAlbany's Billy Allen connected on a fastbreak layup after a steal, Zeglinski would later answer with a 3-pointer from the left corner off a screen.

UAlbany (6-17, AE 1-7) closed within 63-62 with 41.4 seconds remaining when Logan Aronhalt made a three-pointer from the left corner that danced on the rim and fell in. Barkers would split a pair of throws to set up the final possession. The Great Danes had two chances at the end, as Jake Lindfors' 10-footer in the lane rimmed out and Mike Black missed on a long-range shot.

The Hawks, who have won four of their last six games, trailed 43-42, but seized the lead with six straight points. White's offensive rebound basket put his team in front. Sabia followed with two foul shots and Barkers scored on put back following a missed baseline jumper. The Great Danes regrouped to tie the contest at 55 apiece when Scotty McRae converted in the lane off a Tim Ambrose feed. McRae, a senior forward who finished with nine points and five rebounds, did all of his scoring in the final period.

"We were looking to run one of our sets (on the last possession), but they did a good job of denying Mike Black," UAlbany coach Will Brown said. "(Jake) Lindfors made an aggressive play and the shot rolled out. We dug ourselves a hole in the first half and that takes a lot out of you to come back."

In the opening period, Hartford used a run of nine unanswered to build a 16-5 lead. Zeglinski hit a fastbreak layup after a turnover, before Milton Burton made a three-point while trailing in transition. Zeglinski's 3-pointer from the right corner later gave his club its biggest lead, a 12-point margin. UAlbany closed the gap to 33-30 at halftime with a run over the final three minutes of the period. Lindfors, a redshirt freshman who had eight points, buried a 3-pointer from the right corner to end that spurt.

"Turnovers were the story of that game and too many times we didn't get a shot," offered Aronhalt, whose team had 18 miscues. "We were sluggish in the beginning of the game. We got more comfortable and played better defense as things progressed."

UAlbany's Aronhalt had a career-high 14 points, on 5-of-9 shooting, while Tim Ambrose added 10. The Great Danes have dropped seven of their eight.

Paw Prints: The Great Danes have lost four in a row ... Hartford is the top three-point shooting team in the conference and was right around its percentage, making 9-of-24 from beyond the arc ... Logan Aronhalt scored in double figures for the fourth time this season ... Tim Ambrose is 22 points from reaching the 1,000-career mark ... Will Harris missed his third consecutive game with a knee contusion.

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information