Nwakamma was right behind Moore with 21 points in his 32 minutes of playing time. Courtesy of ESPN.com

The University of Hartford men’s basketball team played their season opener on Saturday at the Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, Conn. against the Quinnipiac University Bobcats in the Connecticut 6 Classic.

The Hawks ended up losing the game, which ended with a score of 82-77 in favor of the Bobcats.

The Hawks took an 11-point advantage in the first half.

Hartford junior guard Yolonzo Moore II scored 15 points in a twenty-minute stretch in which the Hawks went 17 for 31 in shots for a 54.8 percent shot rate.

Moore would finish the game with 22 points.

Moore had two three-point shots, which contributed to a scoring run of 10-0 in the first leading to a score of 20-9 in favor of Hartford with about 12 minutes remaining in the first.

Hawks sophomore guard Taylor Dyson got a three pointer with just over eight minutes remaining in the first half which stretched the Hawk’s lead to 13 points.

The Bobcats tried to cut into the Hawks lead with some shots of their own but the Hawks managed to hold onto a double digit lead going into halftime with a score of 42-31.

The game shifted in the second half however, as the Bobcats managed to gain a 15-point lead in the first 14 minutes.

The Hawks only managed to convert two field goals in that span.

In the final minutes of the game, the Hawks attempted a comeback as they scored 10 points out of the 12 scored in that span.

Following that run, their point deficit was decreased to seven.

With just over a minute left on the clock, Hartford was still down by six points.

Moore managed to convert two shots bringing Hartford within four points of tying the game.

Freshman guard Justin Graham managed to bring Hartford within one point after he stole the ball from Bobcats senior guard Shaq Shannon and made a three point shot.

The shot marked Graham’s first career points.

The Bobcats converted their final two free throws, which ended the comeback by Hartford.

Hartford junior forward Mark Nwakamma finished the game with 21 points.

Hartford and Quinnipiac combined for 64 fouls on the night.

Quinnipiac was awarded 48 free throws, 35 of which came in the second half.

Ike Azotam finished the game with 20 points and 13 rebounds.

Hartford has not had much success recently against the Bobcats as they have lost seven games in a row and 12 out of their last 13 games against Quinnipiac.

Hartford’s all time record against the Bobcat’s stands at 5-17.

In last year’s season opener, Hartford lost to Quinnipiac in the Connecticut 6 Classic with a score of 65-61.

Bobcats senior power forward Ike Azotam scored 17 points and nine rebounds in that game.