STONY BROOK, N.Y. – Sophomore point guard Deanna Mayza converted a pull up jumper with 28.4 seconds remaining that was the difference as the University of Hartford women's basketball team (11-11, 5-3 America East) scored a 60-58 victory over the Stony Brook Seawolves on Thursday night. The win was a milestone victory for Head Coach Jen Rizzotti, her 300th career victory at the helm of the Hawks.

Leading the Hawks on the night was senior Amber Bepko who finished with a game-high 18 points, one of four Hartford players who finished in double figures. Bepko's 18 points came on 6-of-11 from the field, including four three pointers, while also making two of three attempts at the free throw line.

Joining Bepko in leading Hartford was Mayza who added 13 points while Cherelle Moore and Janelle Harrison each added 10 points. Overall as a team, Hartford finished the game shooting 43.6 percent on 24-of-55, the sixth time in the first eight conference games the Hawks have shot 40 percent or better. Included in the 24 total baskets were six from beyond the arc as the Hawks finished 6-of-15 from long range for 40 percent.

Defensively, Hartford forced the Seawolves into 14 turnovers and turned those mistakes into 17 points. The Hawks also held Stony Brook to just two field goals in the final 10 minutes of the game. That defensive pressure helped the Hawks rattle off 12-of-14 points to take a 58-55 lead, one they would hold on to for the victory.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

·        Deanna Mayza scored her sixth basket of the game as a pull-up jumper at the right elbow with 28.4 seconds remaining that gave the Hawks a 60-58 lead. The basket, a second chance attempt, secured Hartford's fifth victory in conference play and the 300th career victory for 16th year head coach Jen Rizzotti.

·        Senior guard Amber Bepko led four Hawks in double figures, leading all scorers in the game with 18 points, her 16th game of the season in double figures. Bepko finished the game shooting 6-of-11 overall with four of those baskets from beyond the three point arc.

·        Mayza joined Bepko in double figures with 13 points, her third game in the last four scoring 10-plus. She also finished with six made field goals in 14 attempts with one from beyond the arc. Mayza also dished out seven assists, her seventh straight game with five or more.

·        Joining the pair in leading the Hawks was senior Cherelle Moore and freshman Janelle Harrison who each added 10 points. Overall, all but five of the Hawks 60 points came from the starting five as Cassidy Bundy closed out that group with four.

·        Hartford finished the game shooting 43.6 percent overall on 24-of-55, the sixth time in the first eight conference games the Hawks have shot 40 percent or better for the game. Included in the 24 made field goals were six from beyond the arc as the Hawks finished the game shooting 40 percent from long range (6-of-15).

·        Defensively, the Hawks forced Stony Brook into 14 turnovers and held them to a 38.5 percent average from the floor. Off of the 14 Seawolve mistakes the Hawks scored 17 points. Hartford also led the two squads with a 32-18 advantage in the paint.

FIRST HALF HIGHLIGHTS

·        Trailing by three early on, the Hawks used a 9-0 run to take their first lead, 11-5, just over three minutes into the game. All nine points in the run came from beyond the three point arc with the first and last baskets from senior Amber Bepko whose baskets sandwiched one from sophomore Deanna Mayza.

·        Mayza led all Hawks scorers in the opening half with nine points, while dishing out three assists. She finished the half shooting 4-of-9 from the field, with one of those a three pointer.

·        The Hawks largest lead of the half, eight, came on two occasions, the first after rattling off six unanswered points which led to a 17-9 advantage with under 12 remaining before the break. That run included layups from Mayza and freshmen Janelle Harrison and Cassidy Bundy. A second layup from Bundy about a minute later matched that eight point differential at 19-11.

·        The Hawks closed out the first half scoring five of the final six points on a three pointer from Mallory Shickora and a layup from Cherelle Moore to cut the halftime deficit to one possession, 33-31. Overall in the first half, seven Hawks provided offense.

SECOND HALF HIGHLIGHTS

·        The Hawks came out of the break and scored seven of the first 10 points which led to the third lead change of the game as the Hawks took a 38-35 lead with 17:57 remaining. The final two baskets in that rally both came from beyond the arc as senior Amber Bepko drilled back-to-back three pointers just under a minute apart.

·        Trailing by seven with just under seven minutes remaining, the Hawks began a come-back rally that amounted to a 12-2 run as the Hawks would hold Stony Brook without a field goal for just under six minutes. The Hawks used that span to put together a pair of 6-0 runs with the lone Stony Brook points coming on a pair of free throws. That run led to a 58-55 Hartford lead thanks to four-straight points from Bepko on a layup with 3:06 remaining and a pair of free throws with 2:21 remaining.

·        Stony Brook would tie the score for the fifth and final time on a three pointer with 56 seconds remaining before sophomore point guard Deanna Mayza converted a second chance opportunity with 28.4 seconds remaining for what amounted to be the game-winning basket.

·        Overall in the second half, Hartford was led by Bepko who finished with 12 of her game-high 18 points. She finished the final 20 minutes making 4-of-5 attempts from the field, including a pair of three pointers. She also went 2-of-3 at the free throw line.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

·        Amber Bepko's 18 points led four Hartford players in double figures, which is just the third time this season the Hawks have had four or more players finish with 10-plus points. Bepko has now led the team in scoring in two-straight games and 10 total for the season, which leads the team.

·        Sophomore point guard Deanna Mayza added seven assists to her 13 points, marking the seventh straight game she has dished out seven or more assists. With these seven assists, Mayza passes current assistant coach Jackie Smith and former Hawk Lisa Etienne to move up two positions to sixth all-time in a single season.

·        The 60-58 victory for Hartford is a milestone victory for 16th year head coach Jen Rizzotti as it marks her 300th at the helm of the Hawks. Rizzotti holds the most wins in school history for a men's or women's coach, while her 300 wins is also the most among all current and former America East head coaches.

TWEETABLES (140 characters or less)

·        Deanna Mayza scored the game-winning basket with 28.4 seconds remaining lifting the Hawks to a 60-58 victory, the 300th for HC Jen Rizzotti.

·        SO point guard Deanna Mayza dished out seven assists to move into sixth all-time in a single season with 122 assists.

·        Senior guard Amber Bepko led the Hawks in scoring for a team-high 10th time with 18 points, one of four Hawks in double figures.

UP NEXT
The Hawks return to the Chase Family Arena at the Reich Family Pavilion for a brief stop on Super Bowl Sunday, February 1. Hartford welcomes the Vermont Catamounts for an afternoon match up (2 p.m.) as both teams begin their second trip through the league