Score: #4 Hartford 83, #5 UAlbany 77
 
Location: Chase Arena in West Hartford, Conn.
 
Records: UAlbany (7-9, 6-6) | Hartford (13-8, 8-6)
 
Short Story: UAlbany falls just shy in the America East quarterfinal round at #4 Hartford, 83-77, despite five players in double-figures.
 
Key Stats
 

• Five Great Danes and five Hawks scored in double-figures
• CJ Kelly ked UAlbany with 18 points
• Jamel Horton scored 12 points and grabbed eight rebounds
• UAlbany shot 55.6% from the floor
• UAlbany outscored Hartford 38-26 in the paint
• Hartford outscored UAlbany 16-9 off turnovers

 
Coach Brown: "I'm proud of our guys.  This is a year like no other with the adversity and the challenges.  This group really handled everything well.  As far as the game is concerned, I knew there would be a feeling-out process.  Hartford plays a bit differently offensively than some other teams in our league, and we hadn't played them in the regular season.  We got off to a slow start, missed a bunch of free throws, and really weren't in sync.  Since we were down four at the half I thought we were in a good spot.  We just couldn't get over the hump in the second half.  Every time we got close we had, in my opinion, another self-inflicted mistake, which you can't have in a conference tournament scenario.  But our guys battled, they never quit, and I'm proud of them."
 
How it Happened
 

• Hartford opened the game on a 7-3 run over the first two-and-a-half minutes of the game.  UAlbany pulled within one with 16:20 remaining in the first following a three-pointer from CJ Kelly, who had scored six of UAlbany's first eight points.
• A pair of free throws with 11:29 remaining put Hartford up seven, 19-12, before Kellon Taylor closed the gap with a layup on UAlbany's ensuing possession.  One minute later, Kelly hit a pair of free throws to close UAlbany within three.
• Jarvis Doles cut the Hawks' lead to two with 9:01 remaining in the first half.  Two minutes later, Hartford had rebuilt their lead to five.  With 5:50 to go, Hartford guard Traci Carter scored five-straight to put the Hawks up 32-26.
• Hartford took a four-point, 38-34 lead into halftime.  UAlbany had shot 52.6% from the floor in the first half, but the Hawks had shot 55.2%.  UAlbany held a significant advantage in free throws, shooting 12-17 compared to 3-5 for Hartford.
• The Hawks opened the second half on a 5-0 run, leading 43-34 with 18:42 remaining.  With 17:32 to go, Hartford built its largest lead of the game, nine points, 45-36.  From there, UAlbany chipped away, closing within three with 16:55remaining after a quick 7-2 run.
• With 15:01 to go, Hartford hit a three to go back up eight.  UAlbany cut the lead in half after a jumper from Jarvis Doles with 11:39 to go, and further to one, 56-55, with 11:01 remaining after a layup from Jamel Horton.
• Doles hit two free throws with 10:21 to go to tie the game at 57.  Hartford quickly three-point lead before Chuck Champion drained a three to tie the game at 60.  With 8:57 remaining, Carter capped off a 5-0 Hawks' run with a three.
• On two occasions over the final eight minutes, UAlbany cut Hartford's lead to one, first with 6:36 remaining and second with 5:46 remaining.  After the second time, Hartford pulled away for good, leading by as many six, to ultimately claim a six-point victory.  The Great Danes matched Hartford score-for-score over the final stretch but could not get over the hump.
• Five Great Danes and five Hawks scored in double-figures, with Kelly's 18 leading the way for UAlbany.  Both teams also shot over 50% from the floor, with UAlbany holding a slight advantage of 55.6% to 52.9%.

 
Next: UAlbany's 2020-21 season has come to an end.  Hartford advances to play at top-seed UMBC next weekend.