Hartford, CT - The University of Hartford women's basketball team dropped its third-straight game, falling to 5-7 on the season, in their final game of the 2008 calendar year, 78-41 at #1 Connecticut. The Hawks were led by freshman guard Ilicia Mathis who finished with a career-high 10 points. The Huskies improve to 12-0 in 2008-09.

Mathis was the only Hartford player in double figures. She was followed by Erica Beverly who finished with nine points, as nine different players entered the scoring column for the Hawks. Mathis hit just two baskets in the game, but excelled at the free throw line where she connected on 6-of-8. Marthis also grabbed four rebounds. The Hawks rebounding efforts were led by Diana Delva who finished with five boards to go along with six points.

Hartford finished the game shooting 27 percent from the field (15-of-56). The Hawks finished behind in the rebound category, 45-29. The Hawks best shooting came at the free throw line where they connected on 9-of-14, led by Mathis effort at the charity stripe. The Hawks committed a season low 12 turnovers, while forcing UConn into 11. Hartford turned those 11 Huskies turnovers into nine points, while UConn converted the Hawks miscues into 15 points. The Huskies took advantage of their size difference in the paint where they scored 40 points, compared to just 20 from Hartford. Connecticut finished the game shooting 56 percent (34-of-61), with a 62 percent first half effort (23-of-37).

Hartford got behind early as the Huskies opened up a 14-2 lead, after Beverly tied the game at two in the early going on a jumper. The 12-0 run for Connecticut was made capped off by back-to-back three pointers from Maya Moore and Rene Montgomery.

Hartford answered that run with back-to-back baskets, a three pointer from Jackie Smith and a layup from Beverly to pull within seven, the closest the Hawks would be for the remainder of the game. The Huskies then used two 6-0 runs to pull ahead by 20 for the first time in the game, 32-12 with 4:24 to play.

Hartford scored with just over four minutes remaining in the first half, before allowing a 17-2 run to end the first 20 minutes. The run started with back-to-back baskets from Tina Charles, who scored six of the points, and ended with Montgomery scoring seven of the final nine points in the run. Hartford scored its final basket of the half with 22 seconds remaining, a layup from Delva, while giving up a basket to Lorin Dixon at the buzzer.

The Hawks came out of the break and scored nine of the first 13 points, including six-straight on baskets from Beverly, Mathis and Delva. The closest the Hawks would get in the second half was 27 points, and that came with 14:33 to play in the game on a three pointer from Lisa Etienne.

Mathis provided the majority of the offense in the final 10 minutes, all coming at the free throw line, where she hit 5-of-6 within a 4:30 span. Hartford would score the final bucket of the game, a jumper from freshman Keyokah Mars-Garrick, with 23 seconds remaining.

The Hawks have six days to prepare for their conference opener, welcoming Binghamton University to the site of the 2009 America East Championship, Chase Arena at the Reich Family Pavilion on January 7 at 7:00 p.m. Hartford and the Bearcats will both be tipping off their 16-game conference schedules in that game.