PHOTO GALLERY

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – Senior forward Cherelle Moore led four Hawks in double figures with 20 points as the University of Hartford women's basketball scored its second straight victory 68-63 over the visiting Sacred Heart Pioneers. Included in Moore's 20 points was a pair of baskets in the final two minutes that broke a 63-63 tie and put Hartford ahead for good. Her 20 points is the second 20+ game of the season for the senior from Bridgeport, Conn., and her eighth of the season in double figures.

Joining Moore in leading the Hawks were classmates Shanise Bultron and Amber Bepko who finished with 13 and 12, respectively, and sophomore Deanna Mayza who finished with 11. As a team, Hartford finished the game shooting 47.2 percent from the field (25-of-53), including 33.3 percent from beyond the three point arc on 7-of-21. The Hawks also made 11 of their 17 attempts at the free throw line for 64.7 percent. The 47.2 percent shooting for the Hawks is the second-straight game shooting 40% or higher.

Leading the Hawks rebounding efforts were a pair of starting guards, Mayza and Bepko, who each finished with six boards. Bultron, who opened the game scoring 12 of the first 14 points, all in the first four minutes, led Hartford with five assists while also grabbing five rebounds. As a team, Hartford dropped the battle of the boards 39-32.

Defensively, Bepko added a team-best four steals, while the Hawks forced Sacred Heart into 14 turnovers and scored 17 points off of those miscues. The four steals against the Pioneers gives her 167 for her career, four shy of tying Trish Slocum ('90) for eighth all-time in school history.
 

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

·        Senior Cherelle Moore collected her second 20 point game of the season finishing 8-of-15 overall and 4-of-5 at the free throw line to finish with 20 points leading four Hawks in double figures against the Pioneers. Moore's 20 points is also the eighth time, in 11 games, that she has scored in double figures. She now leads the team in scoring at 13.4 points per game.

·        Joining Moore in double figures were three starting guards, Shanise Bultron (13), Amber Bepko (12) and Deanna Mayza (11). Bultron was the first player into double figures as she went 4-of-5 from beyond the arc in the opening four minutes to score 12 of the first 14 points of the game as the Hawks took an early 16-0 lead with 14:55 remaining.

·        Moore would come up huge late in the game when she broke a 63-63 tie with 2:29 remaining by sparking a 5-0 rally for Hartford that closed out the game, while defensively the Hawks held Sacred Heart without a basket after a three pointer from Adaysha Williams tied the score. Moore would hit a pair of baskets, a layup with 1:47 remaining and a jumper with 39 seconds remaining that provided a 67-63 lead they would never look back from.

·        As a team, Hartford finished the game with their second-highest shooting percentage of the season at 47.2 percent on 25-of-53 from the field, which also marks the second-straight game Hartford has shot 40 percent or better. Included in the overall shooting was a 7-of-21 effort from beyond the three point arc led by Bultron's four, a season-high for the senior from Watertown, Mass.

·        In addition to Bultron's early hot shooting, she also led the team with five assists while she added five rebounds. Leading the rebounding efforts was a pair of guards, Bepko and Mayza, who each finished with six.
 

FIRST HALF HIGHLIGHTS

·        Hartford opened up the game on a 16-0 run that spanned the first five-plus minutes. Defensively, the Hawks held Sacred Heart without a basket until the 14:37 mark. Two seniors provided all the offense in the early run as Cherelle Moore opened the scoring on a jump shot and closed out the rally with a layup. Sandwiched between her two baskets was four straight three pointers from Shanise Bultron as she opened up the game going 4-of-5 from beyond the three point arc.

·        Bultron's 12 points in the first four minutes went on to lead all scorers in the first 20 minutes as she finished the half 4-of-6 overall. Joining her in double figures for the opening half was Moore who finished with 10 points on 3-of-7 from the field and 4-of-5 from the free throw line. The Hawks finished the opening half shooting 44.4 percent on 12-of-27.

·        Hartford held an 18-13 advantage on the boards in the first half led by four from sophomore point guard Deanna Mayza. Included in the 18 overall rebounds were seven on the offensive end, which led to six second chance points.

·        As a team, the Hawks forced Sacred Heart into nine first half turnovers and turned those nine miscues into 15 points, while also outscoring the Pioneers in the paint 10-8.
 

SECOND HALF HIGHLIGHTS

·        Hartford finished the second 20 minutes shooting 50 percent from the field on 12-of-26, matching the season-high second half shooting effort, originally set against CCSU on November 17.

·        Leading the Hawks in the second half was Cherelle Moore who finished with 10 points on 5-of-8 shooting. Included in her 10 points were back-to-back baskets that broke a 63-63 tie with 2:29 remaining. Those two baskets led to a 67-63 lead that the Hawks wouldn't relinquish.

·        Defensively, the Hawks held Sacred Heart without a basket over the final two-plus minutes including a key defensive stand in the final 30 seconds that forced a traveling call against the Pioneers which iced the Hartford victory.
 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

·        The Hawks 47.2 percent shooting for the game is the second highest shooting effort of the season, while the 50 percent (13-of-26) second half performance matches the season-high originally set against CCSU. This is also the fourth game of the season the Hawks have shot 40 percent or better and the second-straight.

·        Senior Cherelle Moore's game-high 20 points led four Hawks in double figures, the second time this season four different players have finished with 10 or more points in the same game. Her 20 points also represents the sixth time this season a Hawk has finished with 20 or more points and it is her second 20+ game of the season.

·        Shanise Bultron who finished with 13 points, 12 of which came in the first four minutes, also led Hartford with five assists, a career-high for the senior from Watertown, Mass. Bultron also finished with four three pointers, in eight attempts, with the four made a season-best.

·        Senior Amber Bepko, who also finished in double figures with 12 points, led the Hawks in a pair of categories including rebounding (6) and steals (4). This is the third time this season the Guilford, Conn. native has finished with four steals, while the six rebounds also matches her season-high originally set against Boston College.

·        Sophomore point guard Deanna Mayza rounded out the double figure scorers as she finished with 11 points, her eighth overall and second-straight game in double figures. Over the last two games, Mayza has averaged 18 points-per-game while also joining Bepko in leading the rebounding efforts against the Pioneers with six.
 

TWEETABLES (140 characters or less)

·        Hartford finished with 4 players in double figures for the 2nd time this season led by Cherelle Moore with her 2nd 20+ game of the season.

·        Sophomore point guard Deanna Mayza joined her in double figures with 11 points, averaging 18 ppg over the last two games.  

·        The Hawks 47.2 percent shooting effort was the second-highest for the team this season, and the second straight game shooting 40% or better.

·        SR Shanise Bultron opened the game scoring 12 of the first 14 points in the first four minutes. She finished with a season-high 13 points. 
 

UP NEXT
Hartford closes out its pre-holiday schedule with the final game in a four-game homestand on Sunday, December 21 when it welcomes a second-straight Nutmeg State opponent, Quinnipiac. The Hawks and Bobcats are scheduled for a 12 p.m. opening tip in what is the first game in a doubleheader with the men's team, which hosts Florida International.