Hartford police are investigating a fatal vehicle accident that occurred early Sunday morning in the area of Elizabeth and North Beacon Street.

Police say they were dispatched to the area for reports of a single vehicle crash and found a 2013 Hyundai Sonata crashed into a retaining wall on the west side of the intersection.

According to police, 31-year-old Shalique Payne of Manchester sustained serious life-threatening injuries.

He was transported to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The Hartford Police Crime Division responded and is investigating the scene.

The victim has not been identified and anyone with information is asked to call the Tip Line at 860-722-TIPS (8477).

DANBURY, Conn. – The University of Hartford men’s lacrosse team picked up a huge road victory on Saturday defeating Western Connecticut State University by a 10-8 final. 

Rapid Recap:

• The Wolves scored the first three goals of the contest over the first eight minutes of action. Hartford got their first goal nine minutes into the first as sophomore Shaun Wright (Frederick, Md.) buried a goal from junior Michael Novotny (Cornwall, N.Y.). After an answer from West Conn, the Hawks would score back-to-back strikes as junior Jack Hart (Grafton, Mass.) scored the first goal, followed by a snipe from junior Colin Reilly (Southington, Conn.). The Wolves would tack on a fifth goal at the buzzer to take the 5-3 advantage into the second. 
• The home team once again scored first to double the Hawk score, but this time Hartford battled back scoring three more times with two goals coming from sophomore Gavin Pelletier (Southington, Conn.) and the other coming from Wright. Senior Andrew Leibold (Chula Vista, Calif.) came into the goalie position making three saves as the teams were tied at 6-6 at halftime. 
• Junior Aidan Ezra (New Milford, Conn.) gave Hartford their first lead in the contest lighting the lamp on an assist by Wright. West Conn would respond to even the score once again. Reilly would follow it up for the Hawks on a feed from senior Aidan Kemp (South Orange, N.J.). The Wolves would even it up just a minute later to draw the score at level once again. Hartford would stay in front as Novotny scored after a save from the West Conn keeper as the Hawks led 9-8 heading into the fourth. 
• The fourth quarter was very chippy in the early stages. Ezra would get the lone goal in the period to give Hartford the 10-8 advantage. Graduate student Nick DiDomizio (Cheshire, Conn.) would cause a turnover followed by three more saves for Leibold as Hartford would pickup the 10-8 victory.

Post Game Press:
“It feels great to get a comeback win on the road against a good team”, said senior Andrew Leibold (Chula Vista, Calif.). “We showed a lot of resilience after going down early and did what we needed to do to get the job done.”

Inside The Numbers:

• Wright led the offense with two goals and an assist to go with four grounders and a caused turnover in the win. Ezra and Pelletier both added two goals and an assist in the victory. Kemp led the passing with two assists, while Novotny added a score and a helper. Reilly tallied two scores and Hart picked up his second collegiate goal to end the point scorers.
• Five Hawks each had one caused turnover in the win. Sophomore Ian Reynolds (Queensbury, N.Y.) went 12-19 from the face-off dot with 10 grounders to lead the way. 
• Sophomore CJ Ledwick (Falmouth, Mass.) stopped just a single shot in 15 minutes. Leibold (Chula Vista, Calif.) added eight saves picking up the win while just allowing three goals in 45 minutes. 
• Tristan McMahon led the Wolves with three goals in the loss. 
• The Hawks held a 41-29 shots advantage in the win, while also grabbing 26 grounders compared to 24 for West Conn. 

Up Next:
The Hawks will travel to Skidmore College on March 14th with a game taking place at 1:00 PM. 

For the latest information on Hartford Athletics follow the Hawks on Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube.

The first round of the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) boys basketball Division II and IV state tournaments is complete. 

Both divisions began their respective playoffs on Friday with the second round of each division continuing Monday. 

Many stories emerged from Friday night’s slate of games, but two Division II coaches’ career win milestones highlighted the madness. 

Scot Wenzel And Bryan Moretti Now Have 500 Wins Between Them

Two teams from the Central Connecticut Conference, Newington and Hall had special moments for each of their head coaches. 

Over in Newington, the No. 6 Nor’Easters hosted and defeated Conard, 65-43. The win was also head coach Scot Wenzel’s 300th career win. He has oached the Nor’Easters from 2003–2017 and 2022-present. 

“It means that I’ve coached a lot of really good players,” said Wenzel following the accomplishment. “I’m fortunate to make connections with them on the court and also off the court, and glad I still have connections with a lot of those guys now. They all hold a special place in my heart.”

Another milestone looms for Newington in its Monday second-round matchup against Hillhouse, as senior Josiah Sims is eight rebounds away from his 1,000th career rebound. The talented senior already reached 1,000 career points earlier this season. 

In the area and just one town over, Hall head coach Bryan Moretti notched the 200th win of his career in a close 49-46 victory over the visiting Cheney Tech Chargers. Moretti is in his 23rd season as the Titans’ head coach, coaching them since the 2003 season. 

Hall will host No. 9 Fairfield Ludlowe in the second round of the tournament on Monday. 

Over In Division IV, St. Paul’s Sean McMahon Had A Career Game 

In the Division IV State Tournament, St. Paul senior Sean McMahon scored a career-high 46 points in his team’s 75-50 first-round win over No. 22 Suffield. 

McMahon scored 10+ points in three out of four quarters and had 23 points in each half. 

The senior who had the hot hand let his shots come naturally and felt confident about them.  

“When the first couple fall, you want to get a couple more up and see if those fall, but I’m not going to go out there and force it,” McMahon told the Bristol Press. “I just let the game come to me.”

St. Paul will face No. 6 Windham Tech on the road Monday in the second round on March 9.