ALBANY, N.Y. – In a No. 7-No. 2 upset, University at Albany men's basketball (24-8) succumbed to a 17-point halftime deficit to fall 68-59 to Hartford (10-22) on Wednesday night. The Great Danes shot just 33.9% (20-59) from the floor in the loss.

“They played us the exact way I would play us,” said head coach Will Brown. “The tempo, pressure, soft zone, daring us to shoot the ball and see what happens; we're one of the most efficient teams in the country against a man-to-man defense, we get to the free throw line. They dared us to shoot, and we shot poorly. We lost this game in the first half, and it was too much to come back from.”

Peter Hooley kicked off the game on a high note for the Purple & Gold, knocking down back-to-back threes. The Great Danes temporarily held the lead after two missed Hartford threes, but the Hawks quickly heated up from long range.

Pancake Thomas racked up his point total to 12 early on, and Will Brown's squad fell into a shooting slump. The Great Danes went 1-for-12 from the field over a six-minute span to go down 16-9. Meanwhile, the Hawks went 4-for-7 from three-point range. John Gallagher's team strung together a 16-2 run after a four-point play courtesy of Thomas for a 32-15 advantage. Thomas also threw up a prayer at the end of the shot clock in the midst of Hartford's initial spurt to keep the three-point mojo alive.

The Purple & Gold shot 28.6% from the field in the first half, and just 2-for-10 (.200) from three-point land with eight turnovers. The Hawks meanwhile went 14-for-29 (.483) from the floor and 9-for-17 (.529) from three. Hartford coughed the ball up just one time in 20 minutes to take a 38-21 lead at the half.

At the break, Greig Stire led the Danes with seven points and six rebounds. The starting five went a combined 6-for-22 (.272) from the field.

Evan Singletary drained back-to-back threes to open the second stanza, as UAlbany climbed within 10, 42-32. The Great Danes kicked off the half going 4-for-5 from the field; but the Danes fell back and shot 1-for-6 after the hot start.

Defense kept the Purple & Gold in the game, as Singletary and Ray Sanders grabbed crucial steals. The Hawks went six minutes without scoring, and two free throws from Mike Rowley brought the margin down to single digits, 52-44 with eight minutes to go.

On the offensive end, Brown & co., recorded just one turnover in the second half to give themselves a chance. Joe Cremo stepped up to score four points in three possessions, and one free throw from Stire at the 2:40 mark gave Hartford just a 58-52 edge.

Sanders completed a three-point play with 1:27 left, as UAlbany came within five for the first time since mid-way through the first half. The game within reach, Hartford knocked down another three to put the game away down the stretch, followed by solid free throw shooting.

UAlbany men's basketball concluded the regular season with a single-season record 24 wins. The Great Danes will await their fate in a postseason tournament following selection Sunday on March 13.