National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Hartford 60, Rutgers 58
When: 7:00 PM ET, Thursday, December 28, 2017
Where: Rutgers Athletic Center (RAC), Piscataway, New Jersey
Officials: # Kelly Pfeifer, # Mike Eades, # Lewis Garrison
Attendance: 4632

J.R. Lynch and John Carroll had big baskets in the final two minutes, helping Hartford upend Rutgers 60-58 Thursday at Louis Brown Athletic Center in Piscataway, N.J.

With the game tied 55-55 and two minutes to play, Lynch hit a jumper, and Carroll followed with a layup on the Hawks' next possession to give Hartford a four-point lead.

Rutgers' Corey Sanders was fouled while attempting a 3-pointer and made all three free throws to cut the Hartford lead to 59-58 with 47 seconds left.

Sanders missed a potential go-ahead jumper with 14 seconds left, and the Scarlet Knights dropped their second consecutive game to an American East Conference foe.

Rutgers (10-5) had a four-game winning streak snapped by a last-second shot in a loss to Stony Brook on Friday.

Carroll finished with 17 points, and Jason Dunne and Lynch each added 14 points for the Hawks, who defeated Rutgers for the first time in three meetings.

Sanders led the Scarlet Knights with 17 points off the bench. Mike Williams added 13 points and ignited Rutgers' late comeback.

Hartford (7-7) led 45-39 midway through the second half and maintained the advantage into the final five minutes. Williams hit a pair of 3-pointers and a layup to bring Rutgers back. The senior guard's third 3-pointer of the game gave Rutgers the lead with 2:34 to play.

Hartford senior center Hassan Attia finished with 11 points, and he had a dunk that tied the score 55-55 with two minutes to play.

Rutgers resumes Big Ten play on Wednesday at No. 14 Purdue.

Hartford begins play in the American East Conference at Albany on Wednesday. The Hawks were picked to finish eighth in the nine-team league in the preseason by conference coaches.
Top Game Performances
 
Hartford   Rutgers
John Carroll 17 Scoring Corey Sanders 17
John Carroll 3 Assists Geo Baker 3
Hassan Attia 9 Rebounds DeShawn Freeman 7
Hassan Attia 7 Free Throws Made Corey Sanders 7
John Carroll 1 Steals DeShawn Freeman 4
Hassan Attia 6 Blocks Mamadou Doucoure 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Hartford 60 45.7 6-17 12-17 9 37 7 1 17
Rutgers 58 34.5 6-18 12-22 7 31 5 10 6