WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – Seniors Amber Bepko and Cherelle Moore led the University of Hartford women's basketball team in a 62-46 victory over the Vermont Catamounts in the 2015 America East Conference opener on Saturday afternoon. Bepko led all Hawks scorers with 16 points while Moore chipped in her third double double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Bepko and Moore were two of three players to finish in double figures as sophomore point guard Deanna Mayza finished with 12 points, 10 of which came in the opening half including eight of the first 10 points of the game. She also led the team with four assists.

As a team, Hartford finished the game shooting 44.2 percent overall (23-of-52) including connecting on 50 percent (13-of-26) in the second half. Moore's 10 rebounds led Hartford. Joining her in leading the rebounding efforts was Morgan Lumb and Alyssa Reaves who each pulled down five.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

·        Senior Cherelle Moore scored the final five points of the game for Hartford, collecting her third double double of the year with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Seven of her rebounds came in the opening half while 11 of her 13 points came after the intermission. In addition to leading the team in scoring and rebounding, Moore also grabbed three steals to lead the team for the third time in that category.

·        Leading all Hawks scorers in the league opener was senior Amber Bepko who scored 16 points, all of which came in the second half. Bepko finished the game shooting 4-of-11 overall including three baskets from beyond the arc. She also finished 5-of-6 at the free throw line while grabbing four rebounds and a pair of steals.

·        For the third straight game, Hartford shot 50 percent in the second half, finishing the final 20 minutes with 13 made baskets in 26 attempts. For the game, the Hawks finished 23-of-52 for 44.2 percent, while making 7-of-16 from beyond the arc for 43.8 percent. As a team, Hartford also finished 9-of-13 at the free throw line.

·        Sophomore point guard Deanna Mayza joined Bepko and Moore in double figures as she finished with 12 points overall, including eight of the first 10 points of the game. Ten of Mayza's 12 total points came in the first half, while she also led the team with four assists.

·        The Hawks used three different runs in the second half to put the game out of reach of the Catamounts. The first of those runs spanned five minutes early in the half, an 11-0 rally that led to a 39-24 lead with 14:23 remaining. Combining the second and third runs, Hartford outscored the Catamounts 13-3 over a four minute span that resulted in the largest lead of the game at 55-37. The first six points all came within a 17 second stretch and all came from the hands of Bepko.

FIRST HALF HIGHLIGHTS

·        The Hawks opened the game on a 10-2 run with eight of those points coming in a row, all from sophomore point guard Deanna Mayza.

·        Mayza led all Hawks in the opening half with 10 points on 4-of-9 from the field, including 2-of-5 from beyond the three point arc. She also added a pair of assists.

·        The Hawks also ended the half on a run, scoring nine of the final 13 points to take a five point, 24-19, lead into the intermission. Included in the late rally was a series of five straight on a three pointer from Shanise Bultron and a jumper from Mayza which provided a 24-17 lead with one minute remaining.

·        As a team, Hartford shot 38.5 percent in the opening half on 10-of-26 including making four of their 10 attempts from beyond the three point arc.

·        Senior forward Cherelle Moore led the Hawks with seven first half rebounds.

SECOND HALF HIGHLIGHTS

·        Less than two minutes into the second half, the Hawks broke the game open using an 11-0 run while holding the Catamounts scoreless for just under five minutes. That rally led to a 39-24 lead for the Hawks who never trailed the entire 40 minutes. Leading the way in the run was Cherelle Moore who opened up the rally with back-to-back baskets.

·        Just over the 10 minute mark, the Hawks used another rally, this time a 13-3 run that ended with a 55-37 lead, the largest of the game for Hartford. The lone basket for Vermont, a three pointer from Kylie Atwood, would end up being the final of the game as the Hawks defense held the Catamounts without a field goal over the final eight minutes.

·        Leading Hartford in the final 20 minutes was senior Amber Bepko who scored all 16 of her points in the game in the second half. She closed out the game shooting 4-of-8 overall, including 3-of-5 from beyond the three point arc and connected on 5-of-6 at the free throw line in the second half.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

·        For the third time this season, Hartford never trailed through the entire 40 minutes, this time using an early 10-2 run to open the game and never looked back. The Hawks largest lead of the contest came with five minutes remaining in the second half, an 18 point advantage, 55-37.

·        Cherelle Moore's double double was her third of the season, which is tied for the third most among league leaders. It is also the sixth of her career.

·        Amber Bepko's team leading 16 points represents the sixth time this season she has led the way in scoring, while it is her 11th game scoring in double figures.

·        The Hawks finished the second half making 13-of-26 field goal attempts, shooting 50 percent in the final 20 minutes for the third straight game.

TWEETABLES (140 characters or less)

·        @HartfordWBB led wire-to-wire for the third time this season as they defeated Vermont 62-46 in the @AmericaEast opener.

·        Leading @HartfordWBB was its senior leadership of Amber Bepko (16 pts) and Cherelle Moore (13 pts, 10 reb).

·        The double double for SR Cherelle Moore was her third of the season and the sixth of her career.

·        SO point guard Deanna Mayza also added double digits in the scoring column with 12 points, while dishing four assists.

·        @HartfordWBB shot 50 percent in the second half for the third straight game, making 13-of-26 against the Catamounts.

UP NEXT
Hartford returns to the friendly confines of the Chase Family Arena for its next two games, making the first appearance back in West Hartford since December 21. The conference home opener features a visit from the Binghamton Bearcats on Tuesday, January 6 with tip off schedule for 7 p.m.