Amid distractions of the devastating scandal surrounding its football program, Penn State's basketball team got off to a winning start for new coach Patrick Chambers as it shut down visiting Hartford 70-55.

Trey Lewis had 17 points and Tim Frazier 16 for the Nittany Lions, who lost four of the top five scorers from last season's squad that reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2001.

Frazier also went 8-of-9 from the free throw line, while the rest of the team hit only 6 of 17.

The school scheduled the tilt as part of its first-ever football/basketball doubleheader, and the football team nearly rallied from a 17-0 deficit in losing to Nebraska 17-14.

The Nittany Lions made more 3-pointers (five) than 2-pointers (four) in building a 32-22 halftime cushion, despite shooting just 9 for 32. Penn State wasn't much more accurate in the second half, finishing 23 for 64 (35.9 percent).

Wes Cole's 12 points led the Hawks, who struggled to 8-of-26 3-point shooting while playing their second game in two days. Hartford opened Friday with a 70-50 home loss to Sacred Heart in the Connecticut 6 Classic.

It marked a familiar foe for Chambers, who coached the past two seasons in the America East at Boston University and went 5-1 against the Hawks. Penn State and Hartford last met in 2008, an 89-64 Nittany Lions triumph.