LOWELL, Mass. – Senior Cherelle Moore led the University of Hartford women's basketball team (9-9, 3-1 America East) to a 67-56 road victory over the UMass Lowell River Hawks on Saturday afternoon at the Costello Athletic Center. Moore led a pair of Hawks in double figures with 17 points, connecting on 7-of-12 form the field, her fifth-straight game in double figures.

Joining Moore in leading Hartford was sophomore Morgan Lumb who scored 13 points playing in front of a hometown crowd. As a team, the Hawks finished the game shooting 41.0 percent from the field (25-of-61), while making 8-of-24 from beyond the three point arc for 33.3 percent.

Moore also led the Hawks rebounding efforts with eight boards, tying freshman Janelle Harrison for the team lead. Sophomore point guard Deanna Mayza finished the afternoon contest tying her career-high with nine assists, while as a team the Hawks finished with 16 assists on 25 total baskets.

Defensively, Hartford forced UMass Lowell into 16 turnovers, netting 12 points off of those take-a-ways. The Hawks also limited the River Hawks to 56 points, just under 10 fewer than their season average of 65.8.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

·        Senior Cherelle Moore completed her fifth-straight game scoring in double figures, netting a team-high 17 points, matching her team-high average in America East play. The post player finished the game shooting 7-of-12 from the field while also making 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. Moore also led Hartford's rebounding efforts with eight boards, tying rookie Janelle Harrison to lead the way.

·        Sophomore point guard Deanna Mayza tied her career-high with nine assists against the River Hawks. The Pennsburg, Pa., native dished out five of those helpers in the opening half, the third-straight game she has dished out five or more in the first 20 minutes.

·        Sophomore Morgan Lumb completed her fourth game of the season in double figures, scoring 13 points, 11 of which came in the first half. Playing in front of a hometown crowd, Lumb finished the game shooting 5-of-14 overall and connected on 3-of-8 attempts from beyond the arc, one three pointer shy of her career-high.

·        As a team, Hartford finished the game with 16 assists, tying the season-high in league play. The 16 assists is one short of the team's season-best of 17 which has been achieved three times.

·        Defensively, the Hawks kept UMass Lowell just under 10 points shy of their season scoring average of 65.8 points per game, which entering the game was second best in the league. The Hawks also forced the River Hawks into 16 turnovers, while committing just eight of their own. Off of those UMass Lowell mistakes, Hartford scored 12 points.

FIRST HALF HIGHLIGHTS

·        Sophomore guard Morgan Lumb led eight Hartford scorers in the opening half with 11 points securing her fourth double digit game of the season. She finished the first half making four of her nine attempts from the field including three from beyond the three point arc, one short of her career-high.

·        Point guard Deanna Mayza extended her streak of five-plus assists in the opening half to three-straight games, dishing out five against the River Hawks.

·       The Hawks 14 point lead, 34-20, at the break against UMass Lowell is the third time they have led by double figures at the break in conference play.

·        The Hawks used an 11-0 run that was extended into a 19-2 run to break open the game and provide a 22-7 lead with 7:05 remaining. That full run lasted 10 minutes, while defensively the Hawks held Lowell without a field goal for 10:40, allowing just a pair of free throws in that stretch.

SECOND HALF HIGHLIGHTS

·        Following the first basket of the second half from the River Hawks, Hartford rattled off 11 unanswered points to take a 45-22 lead, their largest of the game. The first nine points in that run all came off the hand of senior Amber Bepko who sank her first three attempts from beyond the three point arc in the second half.

·        Hartford would keep a 20-point lead through 13 minutes of the second half with a layup from senior Cherelle Moore and a pair of free throws from sophomore Deanna Mayza extending the Hawks lead to 22, 59-37, with 7:09 remaining.

·        Moore led all Hawks scorers in the second half as she finished with 11 points, making five of her seven attempts from the field in the final 20 minutes.

·        With just under five minutes remaining Mayza provided a feed to classmate Alyssa Reaves who connected under the hoop. That assist for Mayza was her ninth of the game, tying her career-high set originally against Providence on Nov. 20.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

·        Senior Cherelle Moore scored 17 points to lead 10 Hartford scorers, completing her fifth-straight game in double figures.

·        Sophomore point guard Deanna Mayza tied her career-high in assists dishing out nine against the River Hawks, five of which came in the first half. This is the 10th time she has dished out five-plus assists and the 15th time she has led the team in that category.

·        Moore and freshman Janelle Harrison each pulled down eight of the Hawks 34 total rebounds to lead the team. Moore has led the team in rebounding in all four of the Hawks league games.

·        Defensively, Hartford held UMass Lowell just under 10 points shy of their season average of 65.8 points-per-game, which entering the game was second in the league. They also forced the River Hawks into 16 turnovers.

TWEETABLES (140 characters or less)

·        SR Cherelle Moore scored in double figures for the fifth-straight game, leading the Hawks against UMass Lowell with 17 points

·        Sophomore point guard Deanna Mayza dished out nine assists against the River Hawks, tying her career-high.

·        Playing in front of a hometown crowd, sophomore Morgan Lumb finished with 13 points, her fourth game of the year in double figures.

·        SR Cherelle Moore finished tied for the team lead with eight rebounds. She has now led the team in rebounds in all four league games.

UP NEXT
The Hawks continue a stretch of three games in five days with back-to-back home contests against UMBC and New Hampshire. First on the docket is a Monday afternoon battle against the Retrievers on Monday, January 19. The Hawks and Retrievers are scheduled for a 2 p.m. tip off on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.