After winning two of their first three games to start the season, the Hawks have lost eight in a row to fall to 2-9 on the season.
Despite the struggles, first-year head coach Billy Lange is staying positive.
"Despite our record not being what we want it to be, I've been very pleased with how our guys have encaptured the 'Hawk will never die' attitude," Lange told KYW Newsradio. "We keep fighting, we find ways to claw back in games. We've had an amazing series of injuries that have just left us never having the chance to practice, train or even play really with a full team outside of, I think, three games. But yet, our guys still find a way to come here with passion every day and represent the university and that's very important here in year one."
The Hawks have gotten great production out of redshirt junior guard Ryan Daly. The Archbishop Carroll product, who transferred to Hawk Hill from Delaware, leads the team in scoring (20.2 ppg), rebounding (8.1 rpg) and assists (49).
"First, Ryan is a competitor," Lange said. "He likes to be in the mix and play. He wants big moments, he does not shy from that. We're tying that into playing winning basketball because often those things are not inclusive. You have to compete, there's a chance to play as a competitor and a chance to play as a winner and we've watched Ryan grow just in the short amount of time that we've all been connected and together here. He gives our team confidence, because they know he can make plays."
The Hawks will face a talented William & Mary team on Thursday night that is 8-3 this season.
"Their two big guys, one is a probable NBA roster player at some point in (senior Nathan) Knight," Lange said. "(Senior Andy) Van Vliet, the transfer from Wisconsin, is right here. So any time you have two guys that are 6-foot-9 or bigger that can score on the inside and shoot the three, there you go, right? That's why you're 8-3. Then they've got other good players as well. They've got a fifth-year transfer in (Bryce) Barnes, who does a good job of setting the table for them as a point guard. And they've got a bunch of guys on the wings that know their roles."
The Tribe bring a three-game winning streak into Thursday night's game which will tip off at 7:00 p.m.
You can follow Matt on Twitter @Mattleon1060.