BOX SCORE
Providence, RI – Behind 13 points from junior Ruthanne Doherty and 10 points from fellow classmate Nikkia Smith the Hawks dropped their final non-conference game 63-46 at Providence on New Year's Eve. The Hawks will enter league play with a 9-5 record as they begin to defend their 2011 America East Championship.
Doherty finished the game just 4-of-14 from the field while going 5-of-6 at the free throw line. The Hawks struggled to find a shooting rhythm throughout the game, finishing the contest with a 31.4 percent effort from the field (16-of-51). Providence finished the game shooting 33.9 percent (20-of-59) and were led by Symone Roberts who came off the bench to lead all scorers with 18 points on 5-of-10 shooting and a perfect 8-of-8 at the free throw line.
Joining Doherty and Smith in the scoring column was Amber Bepko with eight points, Alyssa Englert with six, Daphne Elliott with five and Cherelle Moore who was the only player off the bench to hit a bucket, finishing with four points. The Friars also won the battle of the boards 46-35, outrebounding the Hawks by 11 in the second half after the team finished the first half with an even 20-20 showing. Elliott led the Hawks on the boards with 10 rebounds, her first career game with double digit rebounds. Doherty followed her with nine rebounds.
The Friars got on the board first in the game, taking an early 5-0 lead until Smith provided the Hawks first bucket with 80 seconds off the clock. She would use a pass from Englert and connect on a fade away jumper. Following a Providence bucket 21 seconds later, the Hawks would scored five-straight to tie the game for the first time at seven. The tying basket came as a three pointer from Englert with 16:38 remaining in the half.
Alicia Cropper answered that mini run with a three pointer before the Hawks took their first lead on a jumper from Doherty and a pair of free throws from Smith. That lead, the only of the half for Hartford, came with 15:20 remaining in the first period.
Providence answered with five-straight to retake the lead, extending to as much as six with 8:36 remaining on back-to-back unanswered baskets from Teya Wright. The Hawks then rattled off six-straight to tie the game at 19, the second stalemate of the game. Doherty would provide all six of those points and end up scoring eight straight for the Hawks as she ended the half as the only player in double figures for both teams with 10 points.
The teams would then trade baskets for the remainder of the half with the home squad scoring the final basket of the half with 1:06 remaining, a lay-in from Rachel Barnes. Doherty's 10 points led three Hawks who got in on the scoring as Smith finished the half with eight points and Englert chipped in a half dozen. Providence was led by Alicia Cropper and Lola Wells who each finished with seven points.
Providence came out of the break to score the first seven points of the half, with five of them coming from the free throw line. Bepko provided the Hawks first bucket in the half, her first of the game, with a layup with 18:17 remaining in the game. Providence answered with four straight before Bepko answered that mini run with a three pointer, the first of two for the rookie.
After a free throw from Roberts with 11:02 remaining gave Providence a 15 point lead, its largest to that point, the Hawks defense began to step up, limiting the Friars attempts, but Hartford was never able to manage a run. A free throw from Elliott and a jumper from Smith would pull the Hawks within 12, which would be the closest they would get for the remainder of the game.
The Hawks defense held the home team without a bucket over the final 3:36, but Providence would connect at the free throw line, going 6-of-8 down the stretch. Three straight free throws, the final two from Roberts would provide Providence with its largest lead of the game at 17, 60-43. Hartford answered with Bepko's second three pointer with 1:30 remaining, but that basket would turn out to be the last for Hartford.
The Hawks will open up conference action on Monday night with their third game in five days when they welcome the Albany Great Danes to West Hartford. The Hawks and Great Danes are scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. tip off at the Chase Family Arena at the Reich Family Pavilion.
