West Hartford, CT - The University of Hartford women's basketball team opened its season Saturday afternoon with a win at home in Chase Arena at the Reich Family Arena, defeating the Dartmouth College Big Green, 73-40. Hartford was led by junior forward, Diana Delva who finished with a game-high 15 points.
Delva's, the Nestle Purina ONE America East Player of the Game, finished the game shooting 7-of-10 from the field and completed her first double double of the season, ninth of her career, with 10 rebounds, leading all players. Mary Silvia and Lisa Etienne rounded out Hartford's leading scorers with 12 and 10 points, respectively. Erica Beverly finished second in rebounding with seven.
Momentum swung in the Hawks' favor early thanks to their smothering defense. In the first half, Hartford allowed just three Dartmouth field goals on 18 shots and forced 19 first half turnovers.
The defensive intensity allowed the Hawks to open up an early lead, with the Big Green's final basket of the first half coming with 12:20 remaining. From that point on, the Hawks went on a 25-5 run to end the half, taking a 40-14 lead at the break. All five of Dartmouth points during that stretch came from the free-throw line.
Silvia led the Hawks offensively in the first half. She finished with all of her career-high 12 points in the first stanza, shooting 6-for-7 from the field. She also added four rebounds, two assists and a steal in 19 minutes of play for the game.
Hartford held Dartmouth to just 23.9 percent shooting for the game. The Hawks did not allow a Dartmouth field goal for a period of over 20 minutes spanning the two halves. The Hawks finished the game shooting 47.8 percent on 32-of-67 from the field. Delva's 7-of-10 and Silvia's 6-of-7 effort led Hartford.
The Hawks finished with a 40-36 advantage on the boards and rejected seven Dartmouth shots. Beverly led Hartford with three blocks, while Kacey Pratt added two. The Hawks advantage on the boards included 17 offensive rebounds, which Hartford turned into 19 second chance points. Hartford also mastered scoring in the paint with a 32-4 advantage.
Hartford finished the game with 22 assists, the most since February 21, 2007 (24 vs. Boston University). Etienne and MaryLynne Schaefer led the team with four assists each. For the game, the Hawks forced 27 turnovers and they converted those Dartmouth miscues into 28 points.
Brittney Smith led Dartmouth with 11 points, while Koren Schram added 10.
Prior to today's game the Hawks honored the success of the 2007-08 season by raising a banner to the rafters of Chase Arena, recognizing the programs fourth America East Championship and second trip to the NCAA Second Round.
Hartford returns to action on Tuesday night when they host the Providence College Friars at 7:00 p.m. at Chase Arena at the Reich Family Pavilion.
