Men's Basketball Wins Conference Opener

Sophomore forward Mark Nwakamma scored 23 points as the University of Hartford men's basketball team held off the Binghamton Bearcats, 71-68, on Wednesday night at Chase Family Arena in the America East opener for both teams.

The Hawks improve to 8-6 on the year while Binghamton, which was paced by the hot right hands of Jimmy Gray, falls to 2-12 overall and 0-1 in the conference.

Nwakamma's third 20-plus point game of the season came on an impressive shooting effort from the field. He was on target on 7 of 8 shots, made 2 of 2 from three-point land, and was 7 of 8 from the charity stripe.

The first few minutes of the second half was the game's turning point as the Hawks scored 10 unanswered points to go ahead for the first time, 33-26. Nwakamma sparked the run and kept it going with six more points, all on fast break buckets off Binghamton turnovers.

Freshman Evan Cooper finished with 15 points and Nate Sikma, a sophomore, recorded a career high in steals with five. Sophomore Corban Wroe handed out a personal-best four assists.

The Hawks next visit Boston University on Saturday (Jan. 5) for a 1 p.m. game.

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