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ALBANY, N.Y – Senior forward Cherelle Moore and sophomore point guard Deanna Mayza each finished with a team-high 22 points leading the University of Hartford women's basketball team as it came up short in the quest for a sixth America East championship, 84-75 to Albany.

Moore also led the Hawks with seven rebounds, while Mayza dished out five assists, finishing her sophomore season with 170 assists, passing Maureen DiJulia for the single season record for assists. DiJulia's record came in 1998-99 when she finished with 168. Senior Shanise Bultron led Hartford with seven assists, a career-high for the guard from Watertown, Mass.

Also setting a record on Friday was senior guard Amber Bepko who finished with one three pointer, tying MaryLynne Schaefer ('09) with 222 career three pointers. Bepko also extended her single season school record three pointers made to 91, holding the top two positions in that category.

Overall against the Great Danes, Hartford shot 49.2 percent (29-of-59) with its best shooting coming in the second half as they finished 17-of-29 for 58.6 percent. The 58.6 percent second half shooting was a season-best for Hartford in either half, that coming after setting a first half season best against Maine in the semifinals.

Individually, Mayza led Hartford's shooting efforts as she made 67 percent of her field goal attempts, 8-of-12. She also finished 50 percent from beyond the three point arc, going 4-of-8. Moore finished the game shooting 11-of-19 from the field. Freshman Darby Lee joined Moore and Mayza in leading the team as she finished one point shy of double figures with nine points, seven of which came at the free throw line as she missed just one of her eight attempts. Lee also led Hartford with two blocks, while as a team the Hawks finished with a season-high five.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

·       Senior forward Cherelle Moore finished with her team-leading sixth game with 20 or more points as she closed out the America East Championship game with 22 points on 11-of-19 from the field. Moore also led the Hawks with seven rebounds. The 22 points was her second 20-plus performance of the tournament as she was  one of two Hawks named to the All-Tournament team.

·       Joining Moore on the All-Tournament team was sophomore point guard Deanna Mayza who matched Moore's 22 points, going 8-of-12 from the field including 4-of-8 from beyond the three point arc. Mayza was also a perfect 2-of-2 at the free throw line while dishing out five assists.

·       Mayza and senior guard Amber Bepko both set school records in the title game as Bepko tied 2009 graduate MaryLynne Schaeffer for career three pointers with 222 and Mayza passed 1999 graduate Maureen DiJulia's single season assists mark of 168, finishing her sophomore campaign with 170.

·       Hartford finished the game shooting 49.2 percent (29-of-59) from the field including a season-high single half best of 58.6 in the second half, making 17-of-29 attempts. Included in the second half numbers for the Hawks were five three pointers in eight attempts for 62.5 percent.

·       Senior guard Shanise Bultron closed out her final collegiate game with a career-high seven assists to lead all Hawks. Bultron's seven assists were part of 19 total for Hartford, a season-best.

·       As a team, Hartford also combined for a season-high five blocks, led by freshman Darby Lee who finished with two, tying her career-high.

FIRST HALF HIGHLIGHTS

·       Hartford answered an early 9-2 deficit against the Great Danes with the first three pointer of the afternoon out of the hands of Morgan Lumb, which cut the Albany lead to four. They would cut that deficit to three two possessions later after holding the Great Danes to one point at the free throw line and adding a 2-for-2 effort at the line from freshman Darby Lee to cut Albany's advantage to 10-7.

·       Just over seven minutes into the game, senior guard Amber Bepko hit a three pointer from the corner off a feed from Shanise Bultron. That three point basket was the 222nd of her career which ties her with MaryLynne Schaefer ('09) for the career record.

·       Trailing 32-18 with just under six minutes to go in the half, Hartford used a 9-2 rally to cut the Albany lead to seven, 34-27 with 1:47 remaining. Four different players contributed to the rally, with one basket coming from beyond the three point arc from Deanna Mayza. Alyssa Reaves tipped off that rally with her first points of the afternoon on a layup thanks to a feed from Lee.

·       Senior Cherelle Moore would score the final four points of the half for Hartford as she went into the break leading the team from the field with eight points, while pulling down four rebounds. Mayza followed Moore in the scoring column with seven points while adding a pair of assists.  

SECOND HALF HIGHLIGHTS

·       Hartford came out of the halftime break and scored on the opening possession as senior Cherelle Moore secured her 21st double figure game of the season thanks to a pass from Christie Michals.

·       Moore's layup was part of a 13-6 rally over the first five-plus minutes of the half that allowed Hartford to pull within a single possession, 45-42 with 14:41 remaining. In that possession, Moore finished with back-to-back layups, while Michals and Deanna Mayza each hit a pair of three point baskets. The three point margin for Hartford came thanks to a free throw from freshman Darby Lee.

·       One minute after Lee's three throw, Mayza provided Michals with a feed inside the lane that she converted into a layup, cutting Albany's advantage to 49-44. That assist for Mayza was her 169th, passing 1999 graduate Maureen DiJulia for the single season assists record. She would finish the game with five total assists, giving her 170 on the season.

·       Mayza would cut the Hawks deficit to 10 on two different occasions, the first of which came with 10:35 remaining as she drained her third three pointer of the game off a pass from La'Trice Hall. She then added two free throws 27 seconds later that pulled the Hawks to a 59-49 margin with 10 minutes remaining.

·       Mayza finished the second half leading the Hawks in scoring with 15 points as she missed just two of her seven field goal attempts, a 71 percent effort. Moore followed her with 14 second half points as she went 7-of-10 from the field

·       Senior guard Shanise Bultron finished the second half with six of her seven total assists, securing her career-high and second career game with five or more helpers.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

·       Hartford and Albany combined for 159 points, the third most combined points in a single championship in league history. It is also the most points combined since 1998.

·       Senior Cherelle Moore and sophomore Deanna Mayza each finished with 22 points, the 11th and 12th time this season a player has scored 20 or more points. Moore's 22 points is a team-leading sixth time.

·       Hartford finished the second half shooting 58.6 percent on 17-of-29, the single highest shooting half of the season. That followed a 57.7 percent first half in the semifinals against Maine.

·       Senior Shanise Bultron set a career-high with seven assists against Albany, six of which came in the second half.

·       Mayza finished the championship game with five assists, with her fourth of the game passing Maureen DiJulia for the single season school record for assists. With her five against Albany, Mayza now has 170 for the season

·       Senior guard Amber Bepko also set a school record on Friday when she hit a three pointer just over six minutes into the game. That three-pointer was the 222nd of her career, which ties her with 2009 graduate MaryLynne Schaefer for career three pointers made.

·       In addition to the season high shooting in a half, the Hawks set two other season bests as a team. The first coming thanks to the seven assists from Bultron and five from Mayza, which were part of 19 total for the team. The previous season high was 17, which happened four different times including against Maine in the semifinals. The second team season high came in block with five total, led by Darby Lee who matched her career-high with two.

TWEETABLES (140 characters or less)

·       Senior Cherelle Moore and sophomore Deanna Mayza were both named to the All-Tournament Team after leading the team with 22 points each.

·       SO PG Deanna Mayza set a single season school record with her fourth of five assists, she now has 170 for the season.

·       Senior Cherelle Moore's 22 points is her team-leading sixth game scoring 20 or more points.

·       Senior Shanise Bultron set a career-high with seven assists, six of which came in the second half.

·       Senior Amber Bepko hit a three pointer early in the first half with that three tying her for the school record for career three's with 222.