Friday Recap: Hartford pulls the upset, UNC Greensboro comes up short and more

A three-point shot in the final seconds can lead to either joy or heartbreak depending on perspective.

Two mid-major teams got to experience a late game three in their bids to upset ACC opponents on Friday night. But, their perspectives were very different. First, we will start with the joy:

Hartford hangs on to beat Boston College

Jason Dunne knocked down a three pointer with just over two seconds to play to lift Hartford to a 65-63 road win over Boston College.

It was a back-and-forth contest throughout, with each team enjoying large leads only to have the other pull itself back. Boston College stormed out to a double digit lead in the first six minutes of the game. But Hartford closed out the half on a run and went into the locker room up by four. The Hawks kept rolling in the second half to take an 11-point lead with just under 12 minutes to play. The Eagles responded and held a lead with just 14 seconds to play, which necessitated Dunne’s late game heroics.

Dunne carried the Hawks all night, so it was only fitting that he would be the hero. He put up 25 points, including five three pointers, and grabbed seven rebounds as well. Dunne also was six-of-six from the free throw line, contributing to the Hawks’ perfect night shooting free throws - which was pivotal in a close win.

Hartford hopes that this win will create momentum with America East play around the corner. It was just their third victory of the year, and the first that didn’t require overtime.

UNC Greensboro falls short against Wake Forest

UNC Greensboro had its own bid for an upset squashed on a late game three pointer.

The Spartans were down by 16 early in the second half at home against the Demon Deacons. But they went on an 18-4 run capped off by a Francis Alonso three to make it a two point game with eight minutes to play. From there, the Spartans were able to keep Wake Forest close until finally tying things up with 29 seconds to go. But, Wake Forest’s Bryant Crawford hit a three with only a couple of seconds left to seal a Demon Deacon win.

Spartan forward R.J. White had 22 points on 8-of-13 shooting to lead all scorers.

The loss snapped a six-game winning streak for UNC Greensboro. Despite falling short, the Spartans have to feel good that they were able to fight back and have a chance to win against a power conference opponent.

Other scores of note:

• Florida Gulf Coast held off a second half rally by Siena to win 73-69. The win makes five in a row for FGCU, who now sits at 6-3. On the other hand, the loss continues a rough start to the year for Siena. The Saints are now 3-7 and will have to hope they can pull things together in conference play.
• Navy handled Columbia easily at home by a final score of 69-54. The Midshipmen are now 5-6 with all five wins coming at home.