ALBANY, N.Y. – Taylor Clark collected a career-high 16 points as the Hartford women's basketball team dropped a 55-48 overtime decision at Albany on Saturday afternoon. The Hawks fall to 12-7 overall and 3-3 in the America East, while Albany improves to 14-3 overall and is one of two undefeated teams remaining in the league at 5-0.

Clark's 16 points led all players in the game as she finished the match-up 8-of-11 from the field, while also leading the team with five rebounds. Overall for the game, Hartford shot 36.0 percent (18-of-50), but missed all six shot attempts in the overtime period. Hartford opened the game shooting 47.8 percent in the opening half (11-of-23), but was held to 33.3 percent in the second half (7-of-21).

Joining Clark in leading the team was Daphne Elliott, Alex Hall and Amber Bepko who all finished with seven points. Alyssa Englert and Katie Roth each added four points, while Ruthanne Doherty rounded out all Hawks scorers with one point. Roth had a three point attempt at the buzzer in regulation that was halfway through the hoop before rattling out and forcing the extra period.

The Hawks also shot 27.8 percent from beyond the three point arc on 5-of-18 overall, but finished 0-5 from long range in the overtime. Hartford also struggled at the free throw line where they missed 11 of their 18 attempts for 38.9 percent.

Albany won the battle of the boards 43-35 with Clark's five leading the team. All but one of the nine Hawks players in the game finished with at least two rebounds. Albany's Ebone Henry led all players with 12 rebounds, but the Great Danes leading scorer was held to just six points, four of which came at the free throw line.

Hartford came out of the gate and took an early 4-0 lead before the Great Danes first bucket which came nearly two minutes into the action. Taylor Clark opened Hartford's scoring with a jump shot on the Hawks opening possession.

Julie Forster began Albany scoring and eventually scored the first two Great Danes baskets to tie the game at four, the first of four ties in the opening half. The first half would also see nine lead changes before the intermission. The first of those lead changes gave Albany a 7-6 advantage on a free throw from Henry with 15:25 remaining before the break.

The teams would then trade baskets and leads five times over the next three minutes before Hartford's first three pointer of the game, from Englert, provided the third stalemate, 16-16 with 9:41 remaining in the half.

After a layup from Hall gave the Hawks a 19-18 advantage with 3:52 remaining, the home team scored four-straight to take a 22-19 lead on a three pointer from Margarita Rosario with 3:01 remaining. That three pointer would be the final bucket of the half for Albany as Hartford scored the final seven points.

Taylor Clark broke a two and a half minute Hartford drought with a layup off a feed from Doherty. She then grabbed a defensive rebound just inside the one minute mark and 21 seconds later gave Hartford a 23-22 lead with 39 seconds remaining. The Great Danes used the full shot clock but was unable to get a look at the hoop leading to a four second effort for Hartford that resulted in a three pointer at the buzzer from Bepko and a 26-22 halftime advantage. Clark led all players at the half with 10.

After the intermission the teams traded baskets through the first seven minutes before back-to-back buckets from Megan Craig and Henry knotted the score at 24 with 12:36 remaining. After a free throw from Bepko, the Great Danes then used an old fashioned three point play from Shereesha Richards to take a 37-35 lead with 11:53 remaining.

The layup from Richards with 11:53 left in regulation was the last for the Great Danes for seven minutes, however the Hawks were only able to muster a one-point advantage in that stretch courtesy of a three pointer from Daphne Elliott. In the seven minute stretch without a hoop for Albany, the Great Danes were 5-of-6 at the free throw line, which allowed for a 42-41 advantage. Craig would build on that one-point lead with a layup with 4:37 remaining that provided a 44-41 lead.

Trailing 46-44 with 2:22 remaining, the Hawks would manage one more lead in the game on another three pointer from Elliott with 1:54 remaining as the only scoring in the final 114 seconds came on a free throw from Sarah Royals with 30 second remaining. Her free throw provided the score at the end of regulation 47-47 as Roth's three pointer at the buzzer rattled around and out forcing the extra period.

In the extra time, Hartford would finish 0-of-6 from the field, while the Great Danes opened the scoring with a layup 1:06 in from Craig. They would build their lead to as much as 53-47 before the only overtime point for Hartford came from Hall who hit a free throw with 21 seconds remaining.

Hartford will return to the friendly confines of the Chase Family Arena for one game over the next 22 days as they welcome the New Hampshire Wildcats to West Hartford. The Hawks and Wildcats are scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. tip on Wednesday, January 23. The game is also scheduled to air live on CPTV Sports throughout Connecticut with Amy Lawrence and Julianne Viani on the call.