WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – Career high scoring from a pair of sophomores, Amber Bepko and Shanise Bultron, along with a school record 14 three pointers leads the Hartford women's basketball team to an 82-56 home victory over the Maine Black Bears on Wednesday night. Bepko finished the night with 21 points while Bultron added 18. Hartford improves to 17-8 overall and 8-4 in the America East.

Bepko's 21 points ties a season high for all players in 2012-13 while it is the second-straight game the Guilford, Conn. native has scored 20 or more points. Bultron's 18 points passed her previous career best of 10. The pair combined for 10 of Hartford's 14 three pointers as the Hawks broke a school record that was in place for 10 years. Hartford also finished the night with a season-high 24 assists, the most since finishing with a school record 27 against UMBC on February 2, 2010. That same season, Hartford also finished with 24 assists against the Black Bears in a home contest on January 18, 2010.

For the game, Hartford shot 47.7 percent from the field (31-of-65), including a 51.6 percent (16-of-31) effort in the second half. From Beyond the arc, the Hawks finished the night shooting 46.7 percent on 14-of-30, while they were also 6-of-9 (66.7 percent) from the free throw line. Defensively, Hartford held the Black Bears to 38.9 percent shooting on 21-of-54 with Ashleigh Roberts leading the visitors and all players with 23 points, the most she has scored in an America East game.

Hartford also led the battle of the boards, the third time in the last four games, with a 35-33 advantage led by five rebounds each for Nikkia Smith and Katie Roth. All but one of Hartford's 12 players who played finished with at least one rebound. In addition to Bepko's 21 points she also tied her career high with six assists, leading all players, while finishing with four rebounds.

Hartford came out of the game firing from beyond the arc with their first six attempts from beyond the 19'6” foot line. The Hawks would make three of those first six three point attempts and after nine-straight points all from Bultron, the Hawks took a 12-2 lead with less than four minutes off the clock. Bepko opened up the scoring with her first of five three pointers before Bultron scored back-to-back from long range and then calmly sunk three free throws for her nine unanswered Hartford points.

After a three pointer from Maine's Courtney Anderson broke Bultron's run, the Hawks began another 9-0 run with a layup from Daphne Elliott. The second run for Hartford resulted in a 21-5 Hawks lead with 10:55 remaining before the intermission.

That lead would be extended to 18 after Smith scored three straight Hartford field goals, broken up only by a jumper from Maine's Milica Mitrovic. Smith's six points led to a 27-9 Hartford advantage. The Hawks then extended that lead to its largest of the half on a three pointer from Christie Michals with 5:23 remaining that made it 35-13.

Following another Bultron three pointer with 46 seconds remaining in the first half the Black Bear would put the final points on the score board with a jump shot from Roberts with 30 seconds remaining, resulting in a 40-21 Hartford advantage at the break.

Coming out of halftime the Black Bears would score first with a three pointer 41 seconds into the action from Liz Wood who scored 15 points in the game, all in the second half. Hartford answered with their seventh three of the game this one from Bultron as she started a 5-0 run that extended the Hawks lead back over 20, 45-24.

Hartford took its largest lead of the game on a four point play from Bepko with 12:02 remaining. Bepko's three pointer that began the four-point play was her fifth of the game as she extended the Hawks advantage to 29, 62-33.

The Hawks would match that advantage on two more occasions, the first after trading three point baskets from Michals and Roberts, which resulted in a 65-36 differential. The final 29 point advantage came with under a minute remaining as Diamond Doe went back-to-back for the Hawks with a jumper and a lay-up, her first points of the season, to put the Hawks ahead 82-53 with 45 seconds remaining.

Hartford will play a second-straight home game on Sunday when they welcome the Albany Great Danes to West Hartford. The Hawks look to be the first to knock off the Great Danes in league play as they enter at 11-0. Albany and Hartford will tip off at 2:00 PM live on ESPN3.