Durham, NH - The University of Hartford women's basketball team picked up its second conference win with a 71-56 road victory over the New Hampshire Wildcats on Wednesday afternoon. The Hawks were led by the Nestle Purina ONE America East Player of the Game Erica Beverly, who contributed her second-straight double double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. The Hawks improve to 12-4 overall and 2-1 in conference play.
“I tell my team that in order to win championships you need to win on the road and tonight we proved that we can do that,” said head coach Jennifer Rizzotti. “I was very pleased with our starters today; they played great to start both halves, giving us an advantage right from the start.”
Hartford finished with three players in double digits with Danielle Hood leading all Hawks players with 17 points. She also added seven rebounds and finished the game connecting on 7-of-13 attempts. Beverly finished with a 3-of-7 effort from the field and 4-of-4 from the free throw line. The Hawks also received double digits from Diana Delva, her third-straight conference game in double figures. Delva finished the game shooting 7-of-8 from the field.
The Hawks shot 42 percent from the field as a team, 25-of-69. MaryLynne Schaefer and Jamie McCabe also shot well. Schaefer finished 3-of-8, while McCabe was 3-of-5 with all six of their baskets from long range. The Hawks also excelled in rebounding with a 45-29 advantage. Beverly led all players in that category, while Hood and Delva were next with seven each.
All 13 players saw action for the Hawks with nine entering into the scoring column. Five of the Hawks bench players saw consistent time, with Hartford scoring 25 points off the bench, led by Delva's 15 points. The Wildcats were led by Amy Simpson, who led all players, with 20 points. The Hawks held New Hampshire to 36 percent shooting (22-of-61), while forcing them into 16 turnovers.
Hartford started the game off on a 14-2 run, taking the double digit advantage with just over five minutes played. The Wildcats would chip into the lead, getting as close as six on two different occasions, the second coming after scoring five-straight on a triple from Ashley Cerniglia and a layup from Danielle Flowers.
Hartford then extended its lead to 15 on eight unanswered. The run saw a layup from Delva, a layup and free throw for Hood and the third three pointer of the first half from McCabe. The Hawks finished the first half with 10 assists on 14 total baskets with four players all recording two.
After taking a 15-point advantage into the break, Hartford came out to score the first five points, extending their lead to 20 for the first time. New Hampshire answered back with three-straight layups, extending that to an 11-2 run, pulling within 11, 47-36 with 11:56 to play.
Hartford then extended its lead back to 20 with six unanswered, including a triple from Schaefer. The teams traded baskets for the remainder of the game, with the Hawks ending the game making 6-of-8 free throws to keep the Wildcats out of reach.
The Hawks continue a two-game New England road swing with a meeting in Orono, ME against the Maine Black Bears on Saturday night at 7:00 p.m.
