Baltimore, Md.-- UMBC men's basketball defeated Hartford 70-59 on Wednesday night behind a career-high 21 points from R.J. Eytle-Rock (London, England). Eytle-Rock was a key part of a 17-3 run over seven minutes that gave the Retrievers the lead for good. 

The Retrievers improve to 10-14, 3-6 AE on the year while the Hawks fall to 13-11, 6-3 AE.

Eytle-Rock netted a career-high 21 points on 9-15 shooting. L.J. Owens (Annapolis, Md./Severn School/William & Mary) added 12 points with Daniel Akin (London, England) adding 10 points and seven rebounds for UMBC.

Malik Ellison paced the Hawks with 20 points and 11 rebounds with Traci Carter chipping in 18 points in the loss.

Both teams went back and forth in the early going with each team taking turns with the lead. Six different times the lead was exchanged in the first 20 minutes. UMBC took a four-point lead, holding the Hawks scoreless for three minutes before Hartford used an 8-0 run to put them back in front. 

K.J. Jackson (Missouri City, Texas) ended the run with a pair of free throws, and R.J. Eytle-Rock drilled a three to end a three-minute drought. From the Eytle-Rock would catch fire at the end of the half, scoring all ten of his first-half points late to give UMBC at 28-24 lead at the break.

Eytle-Rock led all scorers with 10 points on 4-8 shooting. L.J. Owens added six as the Retrievers shot 33 percent from the floor. 

UMBC continued the hot streak in the second half, racing out with a 17-3 run over a seven-minute stretch between the first and second half to take a double-digit lead. After the Hawks tried to chip away, back-to-back and one's from Brandon Horvath (West River, Md./Southern) and Akin re-upped the lead to 10.

The Hawks would not go away, using an 8-0 spurt to cut the deficit to just six, but Eytle-Rock put UMBC back in control with a jumper in the paint. K.J. Jackson put the final nail in the coffin with a corner three that beat the shot clock to put the game away in a 70-59 win.

The Retrievers held the Hawks to just 38 percent from the floor, forcing eight turnovers in the win. UMBC finished 44 percent from the floor and outscored the Hawks 10-0 in bench points. 

UMBC now heads north to take on UMass Lowell on Saturday, Feb. 8. Tip-off with the River Hawks is set for 4 p.m. on ESPN3.