West Hartford, Conn.- The Hartford women's basketball team dropped to 0-3 in league play after relinquishing a 15 point halftime lead to fall 57-50 in front of 1,265 at the Chase Family Arena at the Reich Family Pavilion on Saturday. Following the loss, the Hawks are now 9-8 overall, while Vermont stands at 7-9 on the season and 1-2 in conference action.
Junior Ruthanne Doherty led the Hawks on the night with 12 points, joining one other player in double figures as fellow classmate Nikkia Smith chipped in 10. As a team, the Hawks finished the game shooting 41.7 percent (20-of-48) and held a 47-29 advantage on the boards, however the Hawks were unable to control the ball, finishing with 29 turnovers that Vermont turned into 24 points. The Hawks also struggled at the free throw line where they finished the game 10-of-21, while Vermont answered with a 10-of-14 effort.
Freshman Cherelle Moore finished the game with nine rebounds leading the Hawks as all 11 players in the game finished with at least one rebound. Moore added seven points as well. Smith and Doherty each finished with six rebounds, while junior Daphne Elliott finished with eight points.
Neither team would be able to convert in the opening two minutes of the game as they combined to shoot 0-of-7 from the field. Shanise Bultron, who started her first collegiate game, would provide the first points in the game with a jumper at 17:24.
Vermont's shooting troubles continued through the first eight minutes of the game, however Hartford was only able to manage a 5-0 lead in that stretch. Vermont opened the game missing their first 10 shots until Shanai Heber put the first points on the board for the Catamounts with 11:58 remaining in the half.
Vermont cut the Hawks lead down to a single point before Hartford was able to build it back up, taking their first double digit lead with 2:35 remaining on a jump shot from Doherty which made the score 21-10. That lead came in the midst of a 9-0 run for the Hawks that ended with a 25-10 lead for Hartford with 1:30 remaining before the break.
Heber and Taylor Clark would trade buckets in the final 33 seconds of the half leading to a 27-12 advantage for Hartford at the break. In the first half, the Hawks were able to outscore Vermont 18-10 in the paint, while also finishing with a 10-4 advantage in second chance points, having finished the first 20 minutes with 11 offensive rebounds.
Following a Vermont layup 16 seconds into the second half, Hartford would suffer back-to-back turnovers which allowed Vermont to open the half with the first six points, cutting the lead back into single digits before Hartford could get on the board. Smith would end that run with a jump shot 1:27 into the action.
A volley of three pointers that spanned just over two minutes mid-way through the Hawks quickly cut the Hawks lead down to a single point with 12:53 to play in the game. Following the third three pointer, from Tierra Shumpert, the teams would go scoreless over the next two minutes before Elliott broke the drought with a layup with 10:15 remaining in the game, which put the Hawks lead back to three, 35-32.
Vermont answered that bucket with one form Lauren Buschmann and a free throw on the same play would give the Catamounts their first tie of the game at 35. Trading two-point plays over the next three minutes resulted three additional ties before Vermont used a Hawks turnover to take their first lead of the game on a layup from Buschmann.
They would grow that lead to four before the Hawks collected four-straight points to tie the game for a fifth time, but Vermont answered right back with a pair of free throws from Sam Simononis, which led to a lead the Catamounts would not give up. A layup from Doherty and a free throw from Alex Hall would be the final three points of the game for Hartford as Vermont finished the game with a 12-5 run leading to the 57-50 final tally.
The Hawks return to action a week from today when they begin a two-game road trip that will start with a game in Vestal, N.Y. against the Binghamton Bearcats on January 14. The Hawks and Bearcats are scheduled to tip off at 2:00 p.m.
