BOX SCORE
South Bend, Ind. – The Hartford women's basketball team dropped its first game of the 2011-12 season by a 98-43 final against the #2/2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (3-0 overall) in the semifinals of the 2011 Preseason WNIT. The Hawks (2-1 overall) were led on the night by junior guard Daphne Elliott who finished with nine points.
Elliott led nine Hawks players, all but one who saw time, with her team-high nine points. She finished the game shooting 3-of-7 from the field and connected on two of her four long range attempts. Joining her in leading the way was fellow classmate Ruthanne Doherty who finished with eight points on 4-of-11 shooting, while missing all six of her free throw attempts. Amber Bepko, Alyssa Englert and Cherelle Moore all added five points for Hartford.
As a team, the Hawks shot 39.5 percent for the game on 17-of-43, while connecting on half of their three point attempts, 5-of-10. The visiting team didn't capitalize on the free throw line where they were just 4-of-18 overall. Notre Dame finished the game shooting 56.1 percent (32-of-57), including a 62 percent effort in the first half alone (18-of-29). Notre Dame opened the game making 16 of their first 20 shots (80 percent). Junior guard Skylar Diggins led four Notre Dame players in double figures with 22 points.
The Fighting Irish opened the game making their first five attempts from the field, opening up an early 10-2 lead with just over three minutes gone by. Notre Dame extended that lead to 18-2 before Englert, a sophomore, broke up a nearly six minute scoring drought with a three pointer off a pass from Doherty.
The Irish would then use a barrage of long range buckets, 5-of-6, to pull ahead by a 20-point advantage with 8:05 to play in the first half. Natalie Novosel and Brittany Mallory combined for four of those three pointers. After Notre Dame pulled ahead by 30 with 3:58 to play in the half, the Hawks would hold Notre Dame without a point until the final 30 second of the half, and without a bucket for a four minute span. That drought led to five-straight points for Hartford.
Early in the second half, the Hawks would again hold Notre Dame without a bucket, this time for nearly nine minutes, however the Irish would take advantage at the free throw line going 9-of-13 during that stretch. In the midst of the drought, Hartford would manage a 7-0 run on a three pointer from Moore and layups from Elliott and sophomore Milana Gilbert.
After the Hawks pulled the Notre Dame lead to 34 on a jumper from Doherty with 9:17 to play in the game, the Fighting Irish answered with a 17-1 run that allowed the home team to take a 50 points lead 91-51 with 2:47 remaining.
The Hawks return to the Nutmeg State for a showdown with in-state rival Central Connecticut on Tuesday at the Chase Family Arena at the Reich Family Pavilion. Hartford and Central will tip off at 7:00 p.m. in a rematch of a CCSU victory in the season opener a year ago.
