UMBC

The UMBC men’s basketball team (6-7, 1-3 America East) suffered its worst league loss in its brief America East history, as they fell at Hartford (5-8, 1-3), 80-54, at the Reich Family Pavilion.

The 26-point defeat eclipsed a 25-point setback at Vermont last season.

The host Hawks, which scored a program-low 22 points, in Thursday’s 73-22 loss at Boston University, hit 19 of 32 first half field goals (59.4%) and sprinted out to a 46-32 halftime lead. The 46 points allowed by UMBC was a season high. To make matters worse, junior forward Cory McJimson, who scored 14 first half points, suffered an ankle injury late in the stanza, and only played briefly in the second half before retiring for the day.

UMBC cut the deficit to 48-37 in the second half, but managed just 11 points over the next twelve minutes and never threatened the Hawks thereafter.

McJimson led UMBC with 14 points, and freshman wing Rashad Bilal tallied 13 points. Aaron Cook led four Hartford players in double figures with 18 points.

UMBC continues its three-game league road swing at Boston University and Northeastern next week.