|
Long-Range Shooting Leads Hartford Past Maine, 69-62
ORONO, Maine-- Hartford's Aaron Cook scored a career high 40 points to lead the University of Hartford past the University of Maine 69-62 in men's basketball action on Thursday night in Orono, Maine. He tied a school record with eight three-point field goals in the game. Maine falls to 9-12 on the season and 4-6 in America East play, while Hartford improves to 8-12, 4-5 in conference play.
With Hartford leading 8-7, the Black Bears used a 21-7 run to build a 28-15 lead. Maine used three three-point field goals by Rashard Turner (Peekskill, N.Y.) and one each by Ernest Turner (Camden, N.J.) and Jon Sheets (Grass Valley, Calif.) during the run. Cook kept Hartford in the game with 22 points in the first half, as he was 5-of-8 from behind the arc. The Hawks, however, could get no closer than six points in the first half. Maine took a 40-33 lead into halftime. Maine pushed its lead back to 10 points with 18:21 remaining in the game when Philippe Tchekane Bofia (Yaounde, Cameroon) converted a conventional three-point play. Hartford used a 17-7 run midway through the second half to tie the game at 53-53. Hartford got points from five different players during the run, with Cook chipping in with seven points. Maine answered with back-to-back baskets by Rashard Turner to regain a four-point lead, but Cook answered with back-to-back three-point field goals for the Hawks. Maine cut the Hartford lead to two points on a hoop by Tchekane Bofia, but the Hawks used a layup by Kenny Adeleke with just over a minute to play to push the lead back to four points, 63-59. The Hawks went 6-of-6 from the free throw line in the final minute to ensure the victory. Rashard Turner hit his sixth three-point field goal of the game with 18 seconds remaining, but it was not enough for Maine. Maine was led by Rashard Turner who finished with a career-high 24 points. He tied his season-high with six three-point field goals in the game. Tchekane Bofia added 14 points for Maine, while Olli Ahvenniemi (Vaasa, Finland) had seven rebounds and three blocks. The Black Bears, who shot 56 percent in the first half, finished the game shooting 39.7 percent. They connected on 23-of-56 shots. Maine hit 10 three-point field goals, marking the fifth time this season that they have drained 10 or more treys. Cook led Hartford with 40 points. It is the first time that a Hartford player has scored 40 points since Vin Baker accomplished the feat during the 1993 season. He finished the game 8-of-11 from behind the three-point arc. Kenny Adeleke chipped in with eight points and 11 rebounds. Both teams shot over 80 percent from the free throw line. The Black Bears return to action on Sunday, February 5 when they travel to Binghamton for a 1:00 p.m. game. -U-M-
|
