THE BASICS:

RESULT: Hartford 65, UMBC 57
RECORDS: Hartford (7-11, 3-2 AE); UMBC (11-8, 2-4 AE)
LOCATION: Chase Arena at Reich Family Pavilion (West Hartford, Conn.)
ATTENDANCE: 1,012

THE LEAD: A season-best five Hawks registered double figures in scoring, as the University of Hartford women's basketball team topped visiting UMBC, 65-57, on Thursday night. Pacing the offense with a career-high 14 points, including four three-pointers, was senior Katelyn Skinner. Sophomores Janelle Harrison and Darby Lee added 13 and 12 points, respectively, while rookies Lindsey Abed and Jalay Knowles each posted career high point totals with 12 and 10.

In a game of runs, it was a 13-0, fourth-quarter rally that sealed the win for the Hawks. Lee contributed six of her points during that stretch, which helped Hartford break open a 45-45 deadlock and pull away from the Retrievers. Laura Castaldo had a game-best 20 points, including six three-pointers, while Pandora Wilson added 14 for UMBC in the losing effort.

FIRST HALF:
Both teams came out of the gates cold, but it was UMBC that hit its stride first. After misfiring on four of their first five, the Retrievers settled in and made three-straight shots, including two from long range, to force the Hawks to play from behind early. The 10-2 setback did not phase Hartford, though, as it managed to claw its way back and take a 13-12 advantage before the end of the stanza.

Following back-to-back buckets from Knowles, Skinner completed the comeback and put the Hawks in front for the first time with a baseline jumper in the final seconds of the first. Hartford carried its momentum into the second quarter, as a quick 5-0 spurt within a 57 second stretch extended its lead to 18-12. A hot stretch from the Retrievers featuring a trio of three-pointers would put the visiting squad back on top at 21-20, but that edge proved to be short-lived. Drilling her first of four triples of the night, Skinner sparked a half-ending, 7-0 rally that sent Hartford into the locker rooms with the 27-21 lead.

Three Hawks led the way in scoring at the break as Knowles, Harrison and Skinner each had eight points.

SECOND HALF:
Similar to the opening half, the second was one of runs. The Hawks picked up where they left off at the break, as they scored eight unanswered points within the first 2:09 to take their largest lead of the game (14) at 35-21 with 7:51 to go. But UMBC wouldn't go down easy, as it used two spurts – a 7-0 stretch followed by an 8-0 rally – to tie up the game at 43-all at the end of the third.

The Hawks' largest run of the night – a stretch of 13 unanswered points – proved to be the difference in the game. That offensive burst, which featured six-straight points from Lee and another long range make from Skinner, erased a brief, 45-43 deficit and put the lead in Hartford's hands for good with 5:01 remaining in the game. The Retrievers would close the gap down to six with 2:11 left, but an Abed three before the shot clock expired gave the Hawks a comfortable 61-52 cushion heading into the final 1:41 of action.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• All but two of the Hawks' 13 points in the first quarter came from their post players, as Knowles had four points to fuel a quarter-ending 6-0 spurt. Harrison added four points during that stretch, while Lee had three.
• Despite being forced to the sidelines after picking up her second foul with 3:32 left until the intermission, Knowles bettered her previous career high of six points in the first half alone, scoring eight points during that stretch.
• Hartford shot a season-high 47.2 percent from the floor (25-of-53), and converted on six shots from long range.
• Junior La'Trice Hall padded the stat sheet for the Hawks, grabbing six rebounds and adding a block to a career- and team-high eight assists.
• Six of Lee's 13 points came as part of a game-deciding, 13-0 run in the fourth quarter.
• The Hawks had another solid effort from the free-throw line, where they converted on 9-of-10 for 90.0 percent. It marks the third-straight game that Hartford converts on 70% or more of its free-throws.
• Hartford controlled the boards, outrebounding UMBC by a 35-22 margin. Harrison led the Hawks' rebounding efforts with eight, a season-high.

• For the third time in four games, Hartford's bench has put together a big performance. The Hawks' bench produced 26 points and outscored that of UMBC's by 18.
• Taylor McCarley, who went 4-for-12 from the field for eight points, had a hand in 14 of her team's 22 field goals, as she handed out a game-best 10 assists.

NEWS & NOTES:

• Hartford improves to 26-7 in the series with UMBC, and has won eight of the last nine games.
• Three Hawks registered career highs in scoring in Thursday's game (Skinner-14, Abed-12, Knowles-10).
• The win was the 312th of head coach Jen Rizzotti's career at Hartford.

• Lee's double-figure scoring game is the second-straight for the sophomore while Harrison's 12-point effort marks the third time in four games that she has netted twin-figures.

UP NEXT:                                                                                                                              
The Hawks remain home for their next contest, as they are scheduled to host the New Hampshire Wildcats in an America East Conference clash on Sunday, Jan. 24. The Hawks and Wildcats will tipoff from the Reich Family Pavilion at 12 p.m. in a contest that will be broadcasted live on ESPN3. Tickets are still available, and can be purchased by calling 860.768.HAWK or at www.HartfordHawks.com. Fans can also purchase tickets at the Malcolm and Brenda Berman Athletics Ticket Office.

Sunday also marks Hartford's OMS Awareness Game. The Hawks will be holding a teddy bear drive in order to raise awareness for OMS. For more information about the promotion, click here.