Lynch's free throws help Hartford hold off Oakland 87-82
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — George Blagojevic scored 24 points with seven rebounds, five assists and four steals and Hartford beat Oakland 87-82 on Sunday.
Karmari Newman's 3-pointer brought Oakland within 74-72 with 5:31 left. Braden Norris made a 3 a minute-and-a-half later and Oakland trailed 77-75. But following each basket, J.R. Lynch responded with a pair of free throws and the Grizzlies could not take the lead.
Lynch finished with 21 points and made all nine of his free-throw attempts. Travis Weatherington scored 17 points and Jason Dunne scored 12 for the Hawks, who only committed seven turnovers.
Hartford (5-7) led 45-44 at halftime after shooting 16 of 27 (61.5 percent) while making 12 of 14 foul shots. Meanwhile, Oakland kept pace shooting 11 of 18 (61.1) from 3-point range.
Jaevin Cumberland led Oakland (4-7) with 26 points, Karmari Newman scored 12 and Braden Norris had 11 with nine assists, four rebounds and four steals.