WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – The University of Hartford women's basketball team dropped its opening game of the 2014 Cancun Challenge 53-43 to the Furman Paladins. Leading the Hawks was senior forward Cherelle Moore who completed the first double double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds.  

Joining Moore in leading Hartford was sophomore point guard Deanna Mayza who finished with 11 points, her fourth game of the season in double figures. She also added two rebounds and three assists. As a team, Hartford finished the game shooting 26.6 percent overall on 17-of-64, including making 3-of-18 attempts from beyond the three point arc.

Defensively, Hartford forced Furman into a game-high 17 turnovers, while committing just 10 of their own. Hartford managed to score eight points off of those Furman turnovers, while collecting a game-high nine steals. Leading the way defensively was Mayza who finished with three steals, while freshman Janelle Harrison added a pair.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS 

·        Senior forward Cherelle Moore completed the first double double of the season for the Hawks, finishing with 13 points and 11 rebounds to lead Hartford against Furman. Moore finished the game making 6-of-16 attempts from the field, while six of her 11 rebounds came on the offensive glass.

·        For the game, Hartford finished shooting 26.6 percent overall on 17-of-64, while making 3-of-18 attempts from beyond the three point arc. Along with Moore's shooting, sophomore Deanna Mayza finished 4-of-12 overall, including a three pointer, while making both of her free throw attempts. Mayza was the only Hawk to join Moore in double figures with 11points, her fourth game in double figures.

·        As a team, Hartford combined for nine steals, forcing Furman into 17 turnovers. From those Paladin turnovers, the Hawks scored eight points.
 

FIRST HALF HIGHLIGHTS 

·        Hartford opened the game scoring seven of the first nine points to take an early advantage over the Paladins. Sophomore Deanna Mayza led the way in that rally, scoring five of the seven points, including a three pointer with 17:42 remaining that capped off five unanswered points.

·        Mayza led all players in the first half with nine points, finishing the first 20 minutes shooting 3-of-6 overall, including a three pointer, and making 2-of-2 at the free throw line.

·        The Hawks held that early lead through the first five minutes of the half with five-straight points from Furman providing the first lead change of the afternoon at 13-12 with 12:27 remaining. A layup from freshman Mary Pattison two minutes later would give Hartford its final lead of the afternoon at 16-15 with 10:28 remaining.

·        Facing its largest deficit of the opening half, 25-20, the Hawks would score five of the final seven points of the opening half to pull within two at the intermission, 27-25. The first of those baskets was a three pointer from senior Amber Bepko, with the final basket of the half a jumper from senior Cherelle Moore with 37 second left providing the halftime margin.
 

SECOND HALF HIGHLIGHTS 

·        Hartford came out of the intermission and tied the score just five second in thanks to a jump shot from Cherelle Moore. That tie was the first of three over the first four minutes of the half, before Furman broke open a double digit lead using a 13-2 run that spanned seven minutes. The Hawks only basket in that stretch was a jumper from Moore.

·        Out of the under eight media timeout, the Hawks would break what was at the time a 10-0 run for Furman with a three pointer from senior guard Shanise Bultron, that pulled Hartford back into a single digit deficit at 44-36. She followed that up just over a minute later with her second basket of the game, a jump shot off a feed from junior Christie Michals.

·        Trailing by nine with five minutes remaining, the Hawks began a rally that pulled them within five points, the closest they would get for the remainder of the game. Included in the run was a free throw from sophomore Alyssa Reaves and a free throw and put back jumper from Moore.
 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS 

·        Hartford finished with a game-best nine steals, forcing Furman into 17 turnovers, while committing just 10 of their own. The 10 turnovers for Hartford is a season low. Sophomore point guard Deanna Mayza finished with three steals to lead all players in the game.

·        Two Hawks finished in double figures in the opening game of the Cancun Challenge, led by senior Cherelle Moore with 13 points. She was joined by Mayza who finished with 11, her fourth game, of five, in double figures.
 

TWEETABLES (140 characters or less) 

·        Senior Cherelle Moore pulled in the Hawks first double double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds.

·        Sophomore point guard Deanna Mayza finished with 11 points for her fourth game, in five total, in double figures.

·        Hartford forced Furman into 17 turnovers, while committing just 10 of their own. As a team, the Hawks finished with nine steals.
 

UP NEXT
The Hawks will play their second game in the Cancun Challenge on Friday afternoon when they take on the Washington Huskies. The Hawks and Huskies are scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. tip off from the Hard Rock Hotel in Riviera Maya, Mexico.