BOX SCORE

ORLANDO, Fla. – Behind a career-high 21 points from junior Daphne Elliott and a double double from fellow junior Ruthanne Doherty (11 points, 11 rebounds), the Hartford women's basketball team scored a 64-60 victory over TCU in the first game of the UCF Thanksgiving Classic on Friday at UCF Arena. The Hawks improve to 4-1 on the season, while TCU falls to 1-4 overall.

Elliott's 21 points led all players in the game, while she and Doherty provided the only double digit scoring for Hartford. The Hawks shot 36.4 percent for the game (24-of-66), while being outshot by their opposition for the game as TCU finished 22-of-51 for 43.1 percent. Elliott finished the game shooting 6-of-12 from the field, while connecting on 7-of-8 from the free throw line.

Alex Hall and Amber Bepko chipped in seven points for the Hawks, while rookie's Shanise Bultron and Cherelle Moore rounded out the leading scorers with six points each. Bultron finished 2-of-5 from beyond the arc, including one with 3:03 remaining in the game, which was the Hawks second basket in the late run and tied the score at 57. Overall, Hartford finished with 16 assists and 13 steals, while forcing TCU into 18 turnovers. Elliott led the Hawks with five assists and was tied for the team lead with four steals in addition to six rebounds. Bepko finished tied with Elliott with the four take-a-ways.

After allowing a TCU layup 17 seconds into the game, the Hawks scored the next five to take their first lead of the game, which came on a three pointer from Hall. The Hawks would go on to take a 10-4 lead with another 5-0 run, all five of which came from Elliott as she picked off TCU's possession and went the distance each time.

TCU would manage a 14-14 tie after turning a Hawks turnover into a three pointer from Chelsea Prince with 10:07 to play in the first half. Following a jumper from Hall, the Horned Frogs rattled off 10 unanswered points to their largest lead at 24-16. Hartford responded by scoring 11-straight to retake the lead at 27-24 with just over a minute left in the half. The Horned Frogs would use a long range bucket from Meagan Henson to tie the score at 27 and then another three pointer as time expired to take a three point advantage into the break 30-27.

Coming out of the intermission, the Hawks scored the first four points which led to the fifth lead change of the game and a 31-30 Hawks lead. All four of those points came in the paint from Doherty. Just over two minutes later the Horned Frogs would manage the eighth lead change, one they would hold for the next 14 minutes.

During that span, TCU led by as much as eight points using a 10-2 run after the Hawks tied the game for the seventh time with 10:59 remaining on a three-point play from Elliott. Following the Horned Frogs eight point advantage, which came with 7:37 remaining, the Hawks would hold their opposition to just five more points, three of which came with eight seconds remaining in the game as TCU scrambled late.

Following a pair of free throw from Antoinette Thompson with 5:31 remaining and a five point lead for TCU, the Hawks would rattle off 12-straight points, beginning with a layup from Doherty. Bultron's second three pointer of the game with 3:03 remaining tied the game at 45 and the Hawks would use a 5-of-6 effort at the free throw line, all from Elliott, over the final 38 seconds to secure the victory despite last ditch efforts by the perennial Mountain West power Horned Frogs.

Hartford will play its only back-to-back game when they take on the host Central Florida Knights at 2:30 p.m. in the final game of the 2011 UCF Thanksgiving Classic on Sunday afternoon.