George Blagojevic scored 18 points, John Carroll added 11 and grabbed 10 rebounds with five assists, and Hartford held off Niagara 77-73 on Tuesday to win its home opener.
Jack Hobbs scored 13, hitting 3 of 3 3-pointers, Evan Cooper scored 11, and the Hawks (3-2) shot 12 of 26 from long distance.
Trailing 39-27 at halftime, Niagara chipped away and pulled to within 69-65 with 3:15 left after Emile Blackman and Matt Scott hit 3s. Scott hit a 3 and two free throws to pull the Purple Eagles within 75-73 with 5 seconds left, but Hobbs was fouled and hit two free throws to seal the win.
Niagara led early, but Hartford used an 11-4 run capped by Blagojevic's 3-pointer to lead 25-15, then pulled ahead after J.R. Lynch, Hobbs, Taylor Dyson and Justin Graham each hit 3s.
Scott led the Purple Eagles (2-4) with 23 points, Blackman scored 19 and Marvin Prochet 17.
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