This will be a first. I’ve never blogged before for the Free Press, let-alone updated live, but since I’m in Vestal, N.Y. and will be all day, I figured I’d give it a try.

Ideally, I’ll provide you with an acceptable balance of game description and analysis to help along the very rare experience that is a conference tournament. You don’t often see the passion, excitement and heartbreak that is felt in a one-bid conference’s tourney. That’s part of what makes today so intriguing, and a large reason why I wanted to do this. So I apologize in advance if it’s rough around the edges, but hopefully this will serve as a solid supplement to watching, listening. Or, if this is your only outlet for today’s contests, welcome along for the journey.

The first game of the day is set to begin in 15 minutes. Stay tuned.

GAME ONE: No. 8 Stony Brook University (7-22, 3-13 America East) v. No. 1 The University of Maryland-Baltimore County (21-8, 13-3)

Stony Brook beat the No. 9 University of Maine last night in the play-in game, 73-65, in overtime. I don’t see them having much of a chance against UMBC — the only team in the conference to have all of its starters named to an All-Conference Team. The Retrievers have been the only untouchable team in the regular season, while SBU has struggled immensely under coach Steve Pikiell. Expect the Seawolves to be pumped-up early, but give in quickly to UMBC’s relentless offensive attack.

12:06 — We’re underway from the Events Center. UMBC traveled surprisingly well, fielding a student section of roughly 75 kids, and a large contingent of parents and older fans (100 or so) behind coach Randy Monroe’s bench. You can tell the energy and excitement is high as almost every student is wearing a “Retriever Believers” shirt, and the place went absolutely nuts when UMBC took the floor.

Stony Brook, much like on its home court – which averages 940 spectators at its home games – doesn’t have much support. The Seawolves’ pep band is here, wearing red and white striped shirts at the near end of the arena, while UMBC’s pep band (wearing all black) faces SBU across the court. A significant amount of Binghamton fans came early, and those in the “BU Zoo” – Binghamton’s student section – are cheering for the Seawolves. Other than that, I see four parents. I guess that’s what the eighth seed will do to you.

Media Timeout (15:52) – Stony Brook is up 8-7 thanks to two 3-pointers by Ricky Lucas (14.0 points per game) and Chris Martin. The real surprising thing has been Stony Brook’s ability to rebound. UMBC is currently getting out-rebounded 7-2, and Monroe’s jacket is already off. I suspect the tie will follow shortly if this keeps up. The reason it’s surprising is because the Retrievers are one of the most athletic teams in the conference, and front Darryl Proctor, an all-everything big man who’s second in the conference, averaging 8.6 boards per game. SBU has attempted six treys already, and they’re probably going to have to keep that up if they have any chance.

Media Timeout (10:30) – Well, that was quick. The scoring picked up significantly since the last update, mostly on UMBC’s side. Three Retrievers have six points, as it’s been a balanced attack inside and out pushing UMBC to a 23-16 advantage. Matt Spadafora and Jay Greene both have two 3-pointers apiece as UMBC is 5-of-8 from downtown so far. This could get ugly in a hurry. Stony Brook has athletic bigs, but is unable to feed the ball inside. That could become a non-option if UMBC’s lead gets too large.

Media Timeout (7:56) – 6-foot-8 senior Cavell Johnson – UMBC’s sixth man and one of the most versatile, athletic forwards in the league – just came out of the game and is sitting on the end of the bench favoring his left leg. It shouldn’t be a factor in this game, but if that injury is anything more than a stinger, it could greatly impact the rest of the Retrievers’ tournament. 27-18 UMBC.

Media Timeout (3:57) – Johnson’s still out and Stony Brook’s still out-rebounding the Retrievers (18-14). Lucas is leading the team with five, but once the 3-point shot went cold, so did the Seawolves. Eight of UMBC’s 14 field goals have come from beyond the arc as Spadafora and Greene each drained one more and have three apiece. Spadafora has quietly been one of the most consistent shooters in the conference this season. Whenever UMBC needs a shot, he’s got it. Certainly a far cry from what he looked like for the majority of last year.

Halftime – UMBC 44, Stony Brook 29

14-4. That’s the assist-to-turnover ratio for UMBC. Greene, who’s 7.21 assists per game is best in the conference and tied for third-best in the nation. Stony Brook hasn’t turned the ball over much (6 giveaways), but it’s been the efficiency of the Retrievers on offense and Stony Brook’s inept scoring attack (more than UMBC’s defense, I think) that has led to the 15-point halftime lead. There’s really no way I see Stony Brook winning this game, barring an exceptional second-half performance by Lucas, or if UMBC gets lost on the way out of the locker room.

Media Timeout (15:30 second half) – Not much to report, other than senior captain Brian Hodges has only one shot (a 3-pointer during UMBC’s first-half run) and UMBC is still up 13. Just a testament to the multitude of weapons on the conference’s No. 1 team.

Media Timeout (11:44 second half) – UMBC has this extremely talent baton-twirler who performed at half time (along with both bands and both dance teams). Apparently she was scheduled to perform during this timeout, but nobody told her this. The public address announcer called her name, at which point she sprinted from in back of the UMBC band (about 15 rows deep), grabbed her baton and nailed her act at center court. Oh yeah, 53-27 UMBC. Proctor is one rebound and two points away from a double-double, while Greene is a point and two dimes shy. The Retrievers have an assist-turnover ratio of 17-5. Impressive.

Media Timeout (7:34 second half) – Proctor’s got his double-double (11 points, 10 rebounds). Stony Brook’s shooting 30 percent from the field. 61-42 UMBC.

Media Timeout (2:27 second half) – Monroe’s tie came off with 6:00 minutes remaining in the game. No matter how much of a lead he’s got, I’m convinced it’ll come off. The contrast between his on-court personality and his demeanor off the court is hilarious. He’s one of the most polite coaches in the conference, yet jumps around, stops his feet, bangs chairs and yells at the top of his lungs for 40 minutes. No better evidence of this can be given than when he was assessed a technical foul with 4:20 left because he thought an attempt by Ray Barbosa – that got swatted – should have been goaltending.

A lot of people may think that’s foolish. You’re up 22 points (70-52), why complain to the officials? Just relax. But it shows me that he (and his team) have an extreme desire to win. Even the fans were letting the refs hear it after the non-call. There’s no doubt it’ll take a complete effort to beat the Retrievers, they’re really on top of their game right now.

Greene’s still a point shy of his double-double, but he’s got 11 assists. No question, he’s the best point guard in the conference.

With 1:38 remaining, the Retriever fans started an “It’s-All-O-Ver” chant. I’m pretty sure it has been for 30 minutes…

FINAL SCORE — No. 1 UMBC 76, No. 8 Stony Brook 60

UMBC advances to the quarterfinal and will play the winner of our next game (the No. 4 University of Vermont v. No. 5 Binghamton University) tomorrow at 12:00 p.m.

Randy Monroe was generally pleased with his team’s effort this afternoon at the post-game press conference. Proctor finished with 17 point and 11 rebounds and while Greene didn’t get his double-double, he finished with 12 assists and ONE turnover. No further explanation needed as to why he’s the nation’s leader in assist-to-turnover ratio.

The Retrievers had six players score eight or more points and continue to boast the league’s best offense. After the game SBU coach Steve Pikiell said it was a goal of his team’s to hold UMBC under their 76-point average because he felt his Seawolves wouldn’t be able to score more than 60. SBU’s offense held up its end of the bargain, but the defense didn’t. Ricky Lucas, Emmanuel Neto and Mitchell Beauford are SBU’s three seniors and all will be graduating on time.

Six-foot-9 sophomore Justin Fry drew praise from Monroe post-game.

“Fry showed the aggressiveness and tenacity I like to see. He had a big dunk that I was impressed with. I was happy to see that burst of enthusiasm from him.”

It’s players like Fry who help UMBC’s studs to accomplish what they’re able to at such an efficient level.

GAME TWO: No. 5 Binghamton University (14-15, 9-7 America East) v. the No. 4 University of Vermont (15-14, 9-7)

Tip-off is in about 25 minutes and already there’s an energy surrounding this game. Binghamton is wearing their road black uniforms while Vermont will be in their home whites with green trim. Conference Player of the Year Marqus Blakley is who I’m most excited to watch.

The crowd is phenomenal. It’s by far the loudest I’ve heard at an America East game this year. Vermont fans, who always travel well, filled over two sections of seats (roughly 25 rows deep) on the far end of the arena. Vermont’s student fans are less in number than UMBC’s, which is a little disappointing, but their non-students should make up for it. Binghamton’s student and non-student sections are awesome. The noise level just before tip-off can’t compare to anything I’ve heard at Agganis Arena in last year’s conference tournament or during the regular season. The back-and-forth explosions of the left and right sides of the arena are going to make this contest much more enjoyable. They also gave out green and white balloon-animal balloons to the “BU Zoo,” which fills two sections behind the basket – pretty impressive considering it’s Spring Break.

Media Timeout (15:16) – The score’s tied at five, and as expected, the atmosphere has been powerful. Players are diving all over the court, fighting for loose balls and exerting a lot of energy. Nick Vier got UVM on the board with a 3-pointer and Mike Gordon converted an extremely athletic and1 to pull Binghamton even. Blakely hasn’t scored yet, but had an absolutely nasty block on BU’s Lazar Trifunovic.

Media Timeout (11:49) – If there’s a downfall to Blakely’s game, it’s free-throw shooting. He’s under 60 percent for the season, but his only two points so far have come from the charity stripe. Binghamton’s doing an excellent job of doubling him immediately in the low post. Even so, I’m pretty sure he’ll still find ways to score. Tim McCrory had another emphatic block for Vermont, swatting the ball into the first row. Binghamton senior Mike Gordon hit a 3-pointer to put the Bearcats up 10-9, but other than that, both teams aren’t shooting very well from the field. (3-of-10 for UVM, 4-of-10 for Binghamton).

Some of the UMBC fans stuck around, along with the UMBC pep-band to help out Vermont. Pretty nice considering Vermont is probably a tougher matchup for them.

Media Timeout (7:57) – What was that about Blakely’s free throws? Because he air-balled one with 11:15 remaining (and missed the second). Chretien Lukusa hit Binghamton’s second 3 of the afternoon with a hand in his face. Blakely still hasn’t scored from the floor and picked up his second foul (offensive) with 8:05 remaining. It’ll be interesting to see how long Vermont coach Mike Lonergan keeps him on the bench. UVM’s Colin McIntosh is playing a solid game so far and had one crucial offensive rebound that he ripped away from Trifunovic.

A combination of above-average defense from Binghamton and terrible free-throw shooting by Vermont (3-of-7) is why the Bearcats are up 19-12 right now. There’s not an open seat in the house, all the late-comers have finally made it.

Vermont Timeout (4:19) – Vermont’s ice-cold shooting and down 23-14 because of it. Their only field goal since the last media timeout was from diminutive shooting guard Joey Accaoui, who had a rebound bounce to him and he pulled-up in the lane. Even fifth-year senior and three-year captain Kyle Cieplicki has missed two wide-open 3-pointers, which are usually automatic for him.

Media Timeout (2:41) – Binghamton is getting a ridiculous amount of second-chances on offense. Vermont is boxing out most of the time, but is simply getting out-worked by the Bearcats’ forwards. Binghamton has eight offensive boards to Vermont’s five, and as a team is out-rebounding UVM 20-13.

Lonergan looks confused. For the past three years, his team has never been in this position in the early rounds of the tournament. And – not for the first time in three years, but certainly a while – his team is shooting 25 percent from the floor. 23-16, Binghamton.

Binghamton Timeout (1:48) – If you would have bet me Blakely wouldn’t convert his first field goal until 1:52 remained in the half, I would have taken it and probably wagered my unhealthy love for the Philadelphia Phillies, so you know the chances were slim. But that’s where we stand. The Bearcats have done a good job of making sure the guards don’t have good passing lanes to feed the post, and once it does happen, doubling Blakely.

I love this timeout by Binghamton coach Kevin Broadus. Blakely just scored and you don’t want him heating up before the end of the half. Also, with Vermont starting to find a little bit of a rhythm, it’d be the perfect time to draw-up some plays and emphasize how crucial a run at the end of the half could be.

One minute left – And now I like the timeout even more. Reggie Fuller layed it in right-handed directly out of the stoppage and Gordon hit his second 3-pointer of the game to extend Binghamton’s lead to 11.

Halftime, Binghamton 30, Vermont 23 – The last play of the half had Broadus fuming. UVM’s Evan Fjeld’s layed the ball in after having a missed shot bounce right to him to cut the Bearcats’ lead to seven. Brodaous’ screamed at his players, Gordon especially, to get off the court and into the locker room. They appeared frustrated with Fjeld’s “cheap” score, but perhaps they’ll be more frustrated with what their coach has to tell them. After all, Vermont did end the half on a 4-0 run. Not flashy, but it could be crucial to their comeback given the 32-percent field goal percentage (1-of-9 from downtown). Gordon leads all scorers with 11.

Blakely finished the half with seven points, but only attempted four shots from the field. If Binghamton continues to neutralize him this well, the rabid home fans will be back again tomorrow afternoon.

Media Timeout (15:48 second half) – Gordon’s heating up. After hitting a 23-foot trey just over a minute into the half to end UVM’s 6-0 run that span the halves, he converted a flashy and-1 with a running finger roll in the lane to extend Binghamton’s lead to 11 (36-25). Jan Montgomery, the largest and, for lack of a better term, oafiest player on the court, assisted Gordon on the basket – that has to be one of his first assists this year. Vermont’s still shooting under 30 percent (28.1). 38-28, Binghamton. [EDIT – Close enough. It was Montgomery’s second].

Binghamton Timeout (15:03 second half) – Broadus isn’t happy again. Cieplicki connected on a mid-range jumper and Trimboli hit from 13 feet out to trim Binghamton’s lead to six. So far, Broadus has calmed his guys down after having a talk with them, so we’ll see what happens here.

Binghamton does this interesting thing during timeouts where the assistant coaches bring five chairs out onto the court for the starters and the rest of the bench stands around them. The coaches stand under the basket and chat for about 10-15 seconds before addressing the players. Whole thing seems a bit odd. Why both with the chairs? Just use the whole amount of time to coach the team on what they’re doing wrong.

Media Timeout (11:43 second half) – Things are heating up. Blakely scored on a jump-step power move to the hoop after Vermont’s Nick Vier hit from mid-range. Binghamton’s Trifunovic followed with an and-1 reverse layup, assisted by Gordon. Gordon then hit a tear-drop in the lane before Trimboli does what he does best and drained a 22-foot 3-pointer. Binghamton up 42-39.

Media Timeout (7:59 second half) – Trimboli picked up his fourth foul with 10:45 remaining and Lonergan LEFT HIM IN. Perhaps it was for the best, as Vermont has a lot of momentum right now. Vier hit his second 3-pointer to answer a layup by Binghamton’s Lukusa. McIntosh followed that with a wild, right-handed hook shot off glass while facing away from the basket that brought UVM within one. Binghamton forward Reggie Fuller also picked up his fourth foul before the media break, and he did come out.

Blakely actually hit a freebie (his fifth of the game) to pull Vermont even at 45. Binghamton’s defense hasn’t been nearly as tight this half, and I don’t credit a more efficient Vermont offense. They’re simply getting better looks.

Five minutes remaining, second half – Dwayne Jackson is in Broadus’s dog house, and for good reason, he committed a foul that put Blakely to the line with the game tied at 47. On the next three possessions, Jackson took four shots (one 3) and missed them all. After he hacked Blakely, Broadus looked like a manager arguing a call at home plate with an umpire. I’m sure that couldn’t have been too pleasing for the junior forward.

Blakely, however, missed another free throw. Even though he was already the conference’s POY, he’d be another-level talent if he could shoot the free ones. All teams need to do is “Hack-a-Blakely” and almost guarantee themselves a quarter-less points out of the scoring machine. Lonergan must stay up at nights thinking about his inefficiency from the line, though. His front-end miss would have given Vermont its first lead of the afternoon.

Binghamton Timeout (4:17 second half) – Vermont took its first lead when Blakely hit 2-of-2 from the charity stripe. I don’t take what I said about his foul shooting back, but those were two huge makes. On UVM’s next possession, Cieplicki drained a 23-footer and gave an emphatic fist pump at center court, prompting this timeout. Vermont up five, 54-49.

Media Timeout (3:57 second half) – Blakely had another block in the short period between timeouts – he’s got six to go along with eight rebounds and 13 points. Cieplicki is the team’s second leading scorer with nine. Also, Trimboli’s back in the game.

The score is still the same, but Binghamton’s offense hasn’t. Gordon’s been stuck at 19 points for roughly 10 minutes. When he was heating up, it looked as though he could take over the second half. He’s done just the opposite.

Vermont Timeout (1:49 second half) – Gordon ended that scoring drought with two from the charity stripe to pull Binghamton within one before Blakely scored over Montgomery in the post. Hang on tight, this one’s going down to the wire. 56-53, UVM.

Binghamton Timeout (0:44.9 second half) – Fjeld nailed a mid-range jumper and Trimboli followed suit. 60-55 Vermont. Look for Gordon to step up if Binghamton has a chance of closing the gap.

On Binghamton’s possession out of the timeout, Gordon did get the ball, but was called for an offensive foul on Blakely. An emphatic No. 23 clenched his fists close together in celebration of the charge. Binghamton just fouled, and Trimboli made both from the line. 62-57 Vermont, 25.6 seconds left.

Blakely threw down a dunk to put the exclamation point on the come-from-behind win.

FINAL SCORE – No. 4 Vermont 65, No. 5 Binghamton 57.

Immediately after the game, UMBC’s band crossed the court while playing “Hey Baby” to join Binghamton. Granted, I may be biased because I’m a band guy, but that was great to see. Especially how welcoming Binghamton’s band-o’s were after such a hotly contested game that resulted in a loss. It was nice of UMBC to stick around and support Vermont, let alone play with the Bearcats’ band.

Some post-game thoughts.

Broadus really knows what he’s doing. I think a large part of it has to do with coming for a program like Georgetown, but he’s got a mission for Binghamton and won’t quit until he accomplishes it.

Multiple times during the post-game press conference, he referred to Vermont as “champions.” Talking about how, for 35 minutes his Bearcats were the superior team, but in the final five minutes, the champions from Vermont took over. And while UVM didn’t win the league title last year, they’ve appeared in the five consecutive America East championship games, so they know what it takes to advance in this tournament.

While Vermont’s experience surely helped, it was their defense that won the game. Binghamton shot a paltry 25.8 percent in the second half, compared to 56.0 from Vermont. It was a complete reversal of halves for both teams, as UVM out-scored Binghamton 42-27, was more physical in the post, and was able to run effective sets – especially in the closing minutes. Lonergan commented on how Trimboli was forced to guard Gordon for most of the game, and when UVM doesn’t win, it’s usually because Trimboli isn’t playing defense.

Mike Gordon drew praise from Broadus after the game.

“He was a treat to coach,” Broadus said of the graduating senior. “If we had 13 Mike Gordon’s on our team, we’d be right there competing for the championship.

The attendance for the first session was 5,016. Not a sellout, but pretty darn close.

GAME THREE : No. 2 University of Hartford (16-15, 10-6) v. No. 7 University of New Hampshire (9-19, 6-10)

We’re about 15 minutes away from tip-off of the second session, with games at 6:00 and 8:30. Expect significantly less spectators, but just as much basketball.

We’re about 15 minutes away from tip-off of the second session, with games at 6:00 and 8:30. Expect significantly less spectators, but just as much basketball.

The Hawks are an interesting team, especially entering the tournament. Coach Dan Leibovitz has done a remarkable job with a limited crop of talent. The Hawks got blown-out by Boston University with a chance to lock up the second seed, but responded by beating the conference’s top team (UMBC) on the final day of the regular season to ensure the No. 2 slot.

UNH has shown the ability to win games on a more consistent level than Stony Brook or Maine, but still isn’t quite on the tier that the top six teams rest upon. That being said, if UNH can neutralize Joe Zeglinski (a first team all-conference selection), and Hartford big man Warren McClendon gets into foul trouble, they may have a shot.

The crowd is a shell of what it was at 2:30. They clear out the arena in-between sessions, so all the Binghamton, Vermont, UMBC, Stony Brook (?) fans who want to stay have to leave and come back. That’s going to discourage people from coming back.

Hartford had around 50 older fans and a student section next to the band, totaling 30-40 kids, the most animated of which are shirtless in the front row, with “H-A-W-K-S” painted across their chest. UNH has virtually no one. I don’t think there’s a student here. And the UMBC band didn’t stick around to play for UNH, so there’s no band on the far end either. It’s amazing how much of a difference the crowd can make to the feel of a game.

Media Timeout (14:49) – Hartford looks flat. McClendon got the start, but doesn’t appear to have a lot of energy. I wouldn’t be surprised if Leibovitz has a chat with him, as the two have been going at it for most of the year (he didn’t play at all in the loss to Boston). UNH’s Tyrone Conley hit a contested 3-pointer from the top of the arc to create the difference. 9-6, Wildcats.

Media Timeout (11:07) – Rookie Alvin Abreu, who was in contention for the Rookie of the Year award with Boston University’s John Holland (the winner) and Hartford’s Morgan Sabia put UNH up 14-8 with a 3 from the left side. The Wildcats are impressive early. I didn’t think they’d be able to get anything inside, but it’s been fairly easy for UNH to move the ball through every aspect of the offense. It helps that Hartford is shooting 22.2 percent from the floor.

Media Timeout (7:30) – McClendon banged his knee pretty hard and came out of the game with 9:35 left. He managed to limp to the bench, and is back into the game at 7:30 to the tune of a “Let’s go Warren” cheer from the student section. Zeglinski looks good, and just had a very nice baseline drive and reverse layup. 18-15 UNH.

Media Timeout (3:21) – Things are starting to pick up for Hartford. Zeglinski gave the Hawks the lead with a left-side 3-pointer from Michael Turner, 20-18. Since then, both teams have been scoring pretty regularly, with Mike Christensen looking very impressive on a put-back and difficult lay-in. Hartford went over the foul limit with 5:46 remaining in the half, so it’ll be interesting to see if they change their physical defensive play because of it. UNH is out-rebounding Hartford, 19-11, but the Hawks are up, 30-25.

Hartford Timeout (0:46.1) – McClendon has heated up since coming back from the stinger. He began the game 1-of-4, but is now 4-of-7. The Wildcats, unlike Stony Brook, are still hanging around with under a minute left in the half. UNH’s Eric Gilchrese pulled up for a right-handed tear-drop to get UNH within one, 32-31.

Certainly a surprising score at the half considering how favored Hartford was. But considering Hartford hasn’t gotten scoring from anyone other than Zeglinski and McClendon and has had trouble on the boards, not unbelievable. It’ll be interesting to see if Christensen can keep it up and Tyrece Gibbs (arguably UNH’s best player) can get into the game – only 1-of-3 in the first half.

Halftime – Hartford 32, New Hampshire 31

I don’t mean to harp on it, but the atmosphere is depressing. Compared to how fantastic the fans were for the morning session, that’s how depressing they are now. A lot of people around the conference don’t like the fact that Binghamton hosts because it’s not a central location, but they’ve got a very nice facility. The problem is fans from other teams don’t want to make the long journey, so you’ve got a good crowd for whatever session Binghamton’s in, but not the other.

Media Timeout (15:41 second half) – New Hampshire won’t go away, much to the dismay of the fan who keeps yelling, “Somebody tell them they’re a seven seed.” Conley knocked down a trey to open the scoring for UNH, tying the game at 34, after two-handed dunk by Hartford’s Anthony Minor – only the third dunk of the day (Fry and Blakely had the other two). Christensen’s still hot, as he caught a nice outlet pass and laid it in to put UNH up 36-34.

Like I said, Gibbs would be an important part of the second half in UNH wanted to stay in it. He’s off to a good start, draining a triple to put the Wildcats up 39-34.

Media Timeout (11:23 second half) – I think UNH coach Bill Herrion should have called a timeout before this media break. You could see the Hawks were pulling away, and after a brilliant reverse lay-up and-1 for Sabia, Hartford’s lead has swelled to nine. Jaret Von Rosenberg got the run started with a fastbreak lay-up and Sabia’s bucket pushed the Hawks’ run to 6-0.

UNH needs to settle down. This is usually the point when a team like Hartford builds on the lead and runs away down the stretch. It’ll be solid defense that will trigger UNH’s comeback, along with a reliance on the 3-point shot.

UNH Timeout (9:10 second half) – So much for settling. McClendon just threw down a monster two-handed dunk on the fastbreak, forcing Herrion to take a timeout. Hartford’s up 11 (55-44), and I think this one’s pretty much over. Abreu and Gibbs would really need to stroke it from deep to get the Wildcats back. But, there’s still plenty of time left, so we’ll see.

Media Timeout (7:32 second half) – Abreu has UNH’s last five points on a jumper in the lane and a 3. I guess I spoke too soon. But did say the Abreu would need to be one of the ones to lead UNH to a comeback. Gibbs and Turner both went down hard on Turner’s drive to the basket, but got up after about a half minute. Zeglinski reached his double-double with a rebound. He has 10 boards to go along with his 16 points. 55-51 Hawks.

UNH has 10 fouls with over six minutes remaining in the game. It’s going to be very hard to come back with the Hawks shooting twice on every infraction.

Media Timeout (3:58 second half) – The Wildcats won’t quit. I think Hartford is just lacking a lot of energy. This doesn’t look like a team that defeated UMBC by a point one week ago. There haven’t been many spectacular buckets or plays, but a costly turnover came just before this stoppage. Abreu stepped on the end line after Christensen tipped a miss to him. It would have given UNH a chance to cut into Hartford’s six-point lead. Both teams are in the double-bonus. 59-53, Hawks.

UNH Timeout (1:59 second half) – Gibbs hit a HUGE 3 after an offensive foul on Von Rosenberg that got the Hartford coaches quite steamed. Don’t look now, but the Wildcats are within three: 62-59. Christensen pulled the Wildcats within four on a runner in the lane that went high off-glass and he got hacked on, and Hartford’s offense can only score from the line right now.

Hartford Timeout (1:07 second half) – A full timeout from Leibovitz. Why? Only because Abreu just drained his fourth 3-pointer of the game, knotting the score at 62. I knew I shouldn’t have called UNH out of it. They’ve been hanging around all night. 1:07 left for Hartford to prove why they’re the number two seed.

UNH Timeout (0:30.8) – Herrion had two hands in his pocket and his head down immeadtly after calling this timeout. His best player and senior leader, Gibbs, missed two free-throws that would have tied the game at 64 after Zeglinski hit a high level of difficulty fade-away jumper with 40 seconds left. After all the work UNH has done to climb back into it, you’ve got to feel for Gibbs.

Hartford Timeout (0:18.2) – Well Gibbs made up for that quick. He pulled up from about 26 feet away and absolutely buried his shot to bring UNH within one. 66-65, Hartford with 18.2 seconds left. UNH has to foul. It’ll be interesting to see who the put on the line.

Hartford Timeout (0:18.2) – Hartford couldn’t inbound the ball and McClendon (the team’s worst free-throw shooter) was on the court. Leibovitz takes a smart timeout.

FINAL SCORE – Hartford 68, New Hampshire 65.

Von Rosenberg hit both free-throws after the timeout but UNH had three chances to tie it from beyond the arc. Christensen took the first, which was way off and kicked to Gibbs at the top of the arc, who also couldn’t connect before Gilchrese had a chance as time expired, but it fell short. Herrion felt Gilchrese was fouled on his attempt and walked out close to midcourt to track down an official, but to no avail.

What an effort from the Wildcats and what an exciting finish. They really surprised me against a much better Hawks team and played extremely tough defense against the league’s second-most potent offense.

McClendon finished with a double-double as well for the Hawks (18 points, 10 boards), and Zeglinski finished with 22 and 11. Despite the difference in seeding, that was by far the most entertaining game of the day.

GAME FOUR: Boston University (13-16, 9-7) v. the University at Albany (15-14, 10-6)

I’m not sure how much I’ll be able to blog during this game because I’m writing the game story as well, which means I’ll have to take much more diligent notes than I have in the other games, but I’ll do the best I can to get you the score, key plays and some insight.

The crowd for this one is going to be strongly pro-Albany. So as if to add insult to injury, they pumped in the “Ole, Ole” song, to which all the Albany fans promptly started a “UA UA” cheer to the same melody.

Game-wise, Brent Gifford, Al Turley and Josh Martin all got Mohawks as a motivational tool for themselves and the team. For Boston University, Tyler Morris returns to action after missing two games with post-concussion-like symptoms.

Tip-off is less than a minute away. Sta