Box Score VESTAL, N.Y. – The University of Hartford women's basketball team dropped its final regular season road game on Wednesday night, 55-51, to the Binghamton Bearcats. Hartford (11-17, 8-7 America East) was led by junior post Cherelle Moore who finished with 15 points.
Moore was one of two Hawks to finish in double figures joined by rookie Alyssa Reaves who chipped in 10 points. As a team, Hartford finished the game shooting 32 percent on 19-of-60 and struggled from beyond the arc making 3-of-16 for 18.8 percent. Joining Moore and Reaves in leading the team was Deanna Mayza and Alyssa Englert who each finished with seven.
The Bearcats also won the battle of the boards with a six rebound advantage, 42-36. Amber Bepko led Hartford with seven rebounds, while Moore and Reaves each pulled down six.
The Hawks opened up the game scoring the first five points of the night, all of which came from Bepko, her only points of the contest. That 5-0 lead was erased less than a minute later as the Bearcats scored twice in 25 seconds. Reaves responded by hitting her first basket of the game regaining a two point advantage with less than four minutes off the game clock.
After being tied for the second time, the Hawks responded again by scoring another five straight points, with the second basket a three pointer from Shanise Bultron giving Hartford a 12-7 lead. The Bearcats answered with their second rally of the night, this time seven unanswered points with the last five from Kandace Newry providing Binghamton's first lead of the night at 14-12 with 11:21 remaining in the half.
The lead would change four more times in the opening half with the Hawks last lead of the stanza coming thanks to five straight points, a three from Mayza and a layup from Englert that provided a 23-22 lead with 3:23 remaining. Binghamton answered by scoring the final eight points of the half on two three pointers and the final basket of the half a jumper from Sherae Swinson with 1:05 remaining. That basket provided a 30-23 advantage at the intermission with Mayza leading the Hawks with seven points.
Coming out of the break, the Bearcats would maintain a five point, or more, lead through the first seven minutes until a 10-1 run ended with a 39 all stalemate with 9:13 remaining in the game. That run included four points from Reaves and a half dozen from Moore. With 7:12 remaining in the half, the Hawks took their first lead in the final 20 minutes thanks to a free throw from La'Trice Hall.
That lead would be extended to as much as three points with 6:05 remaining thanks to a jumper from Moore and two more free throws, one each from Englert and Hall. That jump shot from Moore would prove to be the last field goal of the night for Hartford who scored their final seven points all at the free throw line.
Within that drought, the Bearcats used a pair of three pointers from Paulk and a layup from her as the shot clock expired with 20 seconds left in regulation. That basket provided a four point lead with the Hawks unable to connect from beyond the arc twice in the last 20 tics.
The Hawks return to the Chase Family Arena at the Reich Family Pavilion to conclude the regular season on Saturday, March 1 against the Vermont Catamounts. Hartford and Vermont are scheduled for a 2 p.m. tip-off with a pre-game ceremony honoring the four senior members of the team prior. All of the action can be seen live on the America East Digital Network at AmericaEast.tv.
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