PHOTO GALLERY

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – Senior forward Nikkia Smith completed her first career double double with 21 points and 12 rebounds leading the Hartford women's basketball team (13-7 overall, 4-3 America East) to a 63-56 win over the visiting New Hampshire Wildcats (6-12 overall, 1-5 America East) on Wednesday night.

Smith led all players in the game in both categories with her 21 points a season best for the Montville, Conn. native. Joining her in leading the Hawks was sophomore guard Amber Bepko who finished with 17 points, matching her season high from the third game of the season at CCSU. The pair combined to shoot 13-of-20 from the field with Smith going 9-of-14 and Bepko 4-of-6, including hitting three of her four three point attempts. Bepko was also a perfect 6-of-6 at the free throw line.

Overall, Hartford shot 47.8 percent from the field (22-of-46), while struggling from outside the arc on 4-of-14 (28.6 percent). At the line, Hartford missed just one of their 16 attempts. Smith's 12 represented the only player with double figure boards as the Wildcats finished the contest with a 31-28 rebounding advantage.

Neither team led by more than five points in the first half with a total of seven ties and seven lead changes in the first 20 minutes. The Wildcats would strike first out of the games on a jump shot on the opening possession from Kaylee Kilpatrick. She would go on to score the first six points for New Hampshire, taking a 6-4 lead. That lead would be extended by one more basket before Hartford broke what was a six point run with a jumper from Katie Roth.

After trading the next three baskets, the last being a three pointer from Reed that gave the Wildcats a 13-8 lead, Hartford broke the visitor's momentum and scored seven straight taking its second lead of the evening. Three different players scored in the run, including the first of three three-pointers from Bepko.

The squads would then exchange the lead four consecutive times with each team hitting back-to-back baskets in each instance. The last of those lead changes came on a pair of free throws from Daphne Elliott and a jump shot from Smith that gave the Hawks a 23-21 lead with just under five minutes remaining before the intermission.

Bepko would extend that lead with her second three pointer that gave Hartford its largest lead of the half at 26-22. Back-to-back buckets for the visitors provided the seventh stalemate in the stanza before the Hawks took the lead back with back-to-back baskets of their own. Lauren Wells would cut Hartford's halftime lead to two, 30-28, with a bucket at the buzzer.

Coming out of the locker room, Hartford would score first with a three point play from Smith giving the Hawks a 33-28 lead.

After a layup from New Hampshire's Morgan Frame provided a three point difference, 35-32 in favor of Hartford, the Hawks began to pull away when they scored six straight to take a nine point lead with 11:28 remaining. The first of those points came on a three pointer from Elliott, while Bepko made a foul behind the three point line count sinking all three free throws.

A seven point run for the home team provided the largest lead of the night at 50-37 with 7:49 remaining. The first four points of the run came from Smith with those part of six-straight Hartford points from the senior forward before a three pointer from Bepko provided 13 point lead.

After sophomore Cherelle Moore hit an open jump shot with 5:36 remaining that gave Hartford a 54-42 lead, the Wildcats began to claw their way back into the contest putting together the largest run of the night with 10 straight. Frame started and ended the run, scoring six of the 10 points total, which pulled the Wildcats within a bucket 54-52 with 1:29 remaining.

After a Hawks timeout Bepko completed an and-one opportunity as she hit a jump shot and calmly sank the free throw to regain a five point edge 57-52 with 71 seconds remaining.

New Hampshire would muster two more field goals, both from Kilpatrick who led UNH with 19 points, but the Hawks capitalized on their free throw attempts connecting on 6-of-6 in the final 53 seconds to secure their fourth league victory.

Hartford will enjoy a seven day hiatus before traveling to Burlington, Vt. for their next game on Wednesday, January 30. The Hawks and Catamounts are scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. tip at Patrick Gym. The game represents the midway point of the 16-game conference schedule as the Hawks will have met each league opponent once in the month of January.