BOX SCORE
Vestal, N.Y. – Behind 16 points from junior post Nikkia Smith, the Hartford women's basketball team snapped a four-game skid with a 63-41 victory over the Binghamton Bearcats in an America East match-up. Hartford improves to 10-8 overall and are now 1-3 in league play, while the Bearcats fall to 10-8 and 2-3 in America East action.
Smith's 16 points led three Hawks in double figures as she was joined by fellow classmates Ruthanne Doherty and Daphne Elliott who finished with 12 and 11 points respectively. Cherelle Moore chipped in nine points, while Alex Hall finished with seven. Overall, the Hawks shot 47.3 percent from the field (26-of-55), while holding the Bearcats to 31.3 percent (15-of-48). The Hawks also forced Binghamton into 16 turnovers, while committing just eight of their own, a season low. Hartford turned those 16 turnovers into 19 points, while also leading the points in the paint 26-14.
Binghamton won the narrow margin battle of the boards with a 34-33 advantage, while Smith led Hartford's efforts with eight rebounds, one shy of her career-high. Jasbriell Swain led all players with nine rebounds, while Andrea Holmes led the Bearcats in scoring with 10 points.
The Hawks opened the game with an intensity on both ends of the floor, streaking to an early 6-0 lead with all six points come from the post players. Doherty provided the first bucket of the game, a second-chance opportunity off the opening tip. Smith then connected on back-to-back baskets to give the Hawks the early advantage.
Binghamton wouldn't see its first points until the 15:35 mark when Kara Elofson scored from under the hoop, but the Hawks answered back 22 seconds later with a jumper from Hall. Binghamton responded to their early drought with a 9-2 run that allowed the Bearcats to take their first lead of the game at 11-10 with 12:45 remaining. After trading leads with buckets from Alyssa Englert and Holmes, the Hawks would begin what would be a 19-5 run over the final 10 minutes of the game.
The Hawks run began with eight unanswered points that spanned nearly five minutes and gave Hartford a 20-13 advantage. Six of the eight points in that run came from Moore. The Hawks then followed up a layup from Mallory Lawes with five-straight points on a steal and fast break layup from Amber Bepko and the Hawks first three pointer in 11 attempts, dating back to the Hawks last game, from Elliott. Elliott's downtown bucket gave the Hawks their first double digit lead of the game, 25-15.
Binghamton's Lawes, a junior transfer from Loyola, provided the final bucket for the Bearcats in the half on a jump shot with 1:56 remaining before the break. The Hawks would then score six of the final seven points of the half, including a pair of buckets from Smith in the final minute to put her into double digits for the half, 10 points, and give the Hawks a 31-18 lead heading into the locker room.
Binghamton would manage the first points of the second half, over 1:30 into the period, on a three pointer from Holmes, only to be answered with a three pointer from Hall as the Hawks first points. Hall's three pointer began a 16-3 run that extended the Hawks halftime lead to 47-24 with 11:08 remaining in the game. Doherty would provide six points in the run for Hartford, while Moore capped off the run with a put back layup.
Sherae Swinson scored the bucket that ended that Hawks run as she hit the Bearcats second three pointer of the half, but Hartford answered with a three pointer from Elliott, her second in a three minute span, 26 seconds later. Following Elliott's three, the Bearcats mustered four-straight points to cut the lead down to 19, 50-31, with 8:38 remaining, but Hartford responded with an 8-0 run that extended the lead back to 27 with 5:03 before the final horn.
After trading the next four points of the contest, Binghamton managed its longest run of the contest with six-straight points, but it would be too late for the Bearcats, with Hartford securing the victory with 3-of-4 at the free throw line in the final 1:30.
The Hawks will head straight to Baltimore as they will be back in action in less than 48 hours when they take on the preseason conference favorite UMBC Retrievers on Monday afternoon at 2:00 p.m.
