Statistics
WEST HARTFORD, Conn. –
Adam Lux put up a season-high 27 points to help the University of New England men's basketball team leave the University of Hartford's Chase Arena with a 94-87 Conference of New England win on Saturday afternoon.
Lux, narrowly outdoing Hartford's Ben Miller (26) for the game-high, was 9-for-20 from the field and a perfect 7-for-7 at the free throw line. Three other UNE players scored in double figures, including
Adrian Torres, who made an impact on both ends of the floor with 19 points and seven steals. Completing that quartet was
Jayden Thornton (15) and
Gabe Galarraga (10).
UNE (11-10, 7-5) shot nearly 50 percent from the floor (19-for-50) on its way to a 50-35 halftime lead. A 14-2 run midway through the half allowed the Nor'easters to race to a 25-12 advantage, and the margin grew as large as 17 in the waning minutes before the break. It was not until the 5:40 mark of the second half that the Hawks (12-10, 6-7) were able to climb within single digits, and although UNE's lead was trimmed to as little as five in the final seconds, the Nor'easters remained in control down the stretch.
Even with a 50-40 rebounding advantage and 44 points off the bench, Hartford's chances were hurt by its 19 turnovers, while UNE limited its giveaways to 11.
Miller and Joshua Petion both went off for the Hawks in the second half, scoring 18 and 19, respectively. That duo combined to go 13-for-18 from the floor over the final 20 minutes, but their hot shooting was not enough to compensate for the Nor'easters' strong first-half performance.
With a 7-5 conference mark, UNE already has its most conference wins since the 2019-20 season, and four games still remain in the CNE slate. The Nor'easters have also won four straight over Hartford, dating back to the second meeting of the 2023-24 campaign, and are 3-0 on the road all-time against the Hawks.
UNE returns home on Wednesday, Feb. 11 to face conference-unbeaten Endicott, currently No. 14 in the D3hoops.com Top 25. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.
