WEST HARTFORD, Conn. - Host and fourth-seeded Hartford (12-8) used an 18-4 run midway through the second half to pull away from Binghamton 77-60 in an America East tournament first round game Saturday afternoon at Chase Arena. The Hawks advance to the quarterfinals while dealing BU (4-14) a season-ending defeat.

The Bearcats were hampered by cold shooting all afternoon but used a 10-0 run to trim a 19-point deficit to nine, 49-40, with 11:37 to play. But Hartford responded with eight straight points and the larger, deciding 18-4 run was the difference. Binghamton shot 34% for the game and made just 6-of-35 3-point attempts.

"We didn't shoot the ball well, which is our 'calling card,'" head coach Tommy Dempsey said. "We continued to battle throughout the game but Hartford was the better team today. We made a nice push and had some momentum during that second-half stretch. We spread the court and attacked but ultimately we needed to use the 3 ball to get back in the game and weren't able to make enough shots. We had a good a stretch and then Hartford did a good job of answering and put us away."

Sophomore guards Dan Petcash (15 pts.) and Tyler Bertram (14 pts.) led the Bearcats. Classmate Hakon Hjalmarsson added 11 points and seven rebounds and senior center Thomas Bruce chipped in with nine points (4-for-4 FG) and five boards. 

Hartford opened the game with an 18-9 run and led 34-24 at half. The Hawks then used a 15-6 run to open the second half, extending their cushion to 49-30, before Binghamton countered. The hosts shot 47% and made 10 3-pointers to keep BU at bay. 

Binghamton was looking to pull off another postseason upset akin to its stunning quarterfinal win over second-seeded Stony Brook in 2019. The Bearcats closed the regular season by winning three of four and had played Hartford to the buzzer in their most recent meeting. 

The team's core of eight sophomores, who will get a season of eligibility back, led the program through a challenging season. 

"We have been resilient and I love all the guys," Dempsey said. "It's always tough when it comes to an end but we persevered through a lot. We had so many new guys and we had to throw them together in November ... and they developed and gave us everything they had. You grow through experiences and through the course of 18 games I do think we got better. We just weren't at our best today but there's a lot of good basketball in front of this group."