PHOTO GALLERY

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – Senior Daphne Elliott led all players with 17 points, becoming the 14th member of the 1,000 point club in the process, while leading her squad to a 59-33 victory over Vermont on the final day of the regular season. Hartford, who ends the regular season schedule with a 19-10 overall record, will enter the 2013 America East Championship presented by SEFCU as the #2 seed and will take on the Binghamton Bearcats in the quarterfinals on Friday, March 8 at 12:00 p.m.

Elliott's 17 points is two shy of her season-high as she finished the game shooting 6-of-10 from the field, including 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. Entering the game needing just five points to pass the 1,000 point plateau, Elliott scored 14 of her 17 points in the second half, including a fast break steal and layup 78 seconds in that lifted her into the elite group of top scorers in Hartford history.

Joining her in leading the team was classmate Nikkia Smith who completed her 16th game in double figures with 14 points on 4-of-14 from the field and a perfect 6-of-6 at the free throw line. Overall, Hartford shot 30.6 percent on 19-of-62, after shooting just 15 percent in the first half (5-of-24).

Defensively, Hartford forced the Catamounts into 36 turnovers; the most Hartford has forced an opponent into under coach Rizzotti. In turn, Hartford turnovers those 36 miscues into 30 points, while Vermont managed just three points off of 13 Hartford turnovers. Vermont finished the game shooting 35.1 percent from the field on 13-of-37. The Catamounts did win the battle of the boards with a 40-33 advantage, with smith and Ruthanne Doherty leading Hartford with eight each.

The Hawks opened up the game scoring the first five points and extended their game-opening run to 9-3 with 12:28 remaining. The first Vermont basket came with 13:31 remaining, a three pointer from Tierra Shumpert. Prior o that basket the Catamounts missed their first six field goal attempts and turned the ball of six times prior to the basket.

Vermont answered the six point drought by scoring eight straight points and taking their first advantage 11-9 with 7:13 remaining before the break. Despite three points for the Hawks, Vermont opened up its largest lead of the game with just under four minutes before the intermission on back-to-back layups from Sam Simononis and Shumpert.

The teams would trade layups before ending the half with Alyssa Englert scoring for Hartford and Niki Taylor for the visitors as Vermont took a 17-14 lead into the locker room.

Coming out of the break, the Hawks again scored the first five points including the 1,000 point basket from Elliott that provided an 18-17 Hartford edge. After a free throw from Englert provided a 19-17 advantage, the Catamounts saw their first basket of the half come by way of a Shumpert three pointer.

Hartford answered that three by using a 23-3 run to open up a 17 point lead with 9:38 remaining in the game. The first field goal in the rally was a three pointer from Amber Bepko that gave Hartford a 23-20 advantage, one they would never give up. The run concluded with back-to-back three pointer from Elliott.

Vermont would only be able to cut that lead to 12 points as they would net just one field goal in the final seven minutes of the game, that a layup from Morgan Albert with 2:08 remaining. The Hawks then sealed the victory with back-to-back layups from Taylor Clark and Cherelle Moore and a free throw from Diamond Doe which provided the final margin, 59-33.