THE BASICS:

RESULT: Maine 61, Hartford 43
RECORDS: Hartford (8-12, 4-3 AE); Maine (15-7, 6-1 AE)
LOCATION: Cross Insurance Center (Bangor, Maine)
ATTENDANCE: 1,559

THE LEAD: The University of Hartford women's basketball team had its two-game streak snapped on Wednesday, as it dropped a 61-43 decision at Maine at the Cross Insurance Center. Senior Katelyn Skinner drilled a trio of three-pointers to pace the Hawks with nine points while classmate Christie Michals added eight points, a season-best. Sigi Koizar, who had four of Maine's six threes, led all scorers with 24 points.

FIRST HALF:
The first half featured a lot of back-and-forth action, as the lead changed hands 10 times during that stretch. Maine's Achilles heel proved to be cold shooting, while the Hawks were plagued by turnovers in the game's first 20 minutes. The Hawks held the Black Bears to just 5-of-16 shooting from the floor in the first quarter, but conceded five points off five turnovers in that stanza. At the end of the first, the score was deadlocked at 10-10.

Each side continued to trade blows throughout the first seven minutes of the second quarter. With 3:19 to go, sophomore Darby Lee tied up the game for the sixth time at 21-all with an old-fashioned three-point play before Lindsey Abed, a freshman, dialed in from long range to give the Hawks the 24-21 advantage with 2:34 to go before the break. But Maine countered Hartford's 6-0 spurt with seven unanswered points – all of which came from Koizar over the final 2:25 – to take a 28-24 lead into the locker rooms.

SECOND HALF:
After intermission, the Black Bears started to heat up. Behind a trio of Koizar three-pointers and a 66.7 percent, third-quarter effort from the floor (8-of-12), Maine pushed its lead to 13 points at 47-34 by the end of the third. The Hawks' struggle to take care of the ball continued, as six turnovers resulted in nine Black Bears' points during that stretch. Koizar had 11 of her game-best 24 points in the third.

The shots continued to drop in the fourth and using a 12-0 run, the Black Bears pulled away at 59-37 with 3:16 remaining. The Hawks did convert on three triples during that stretch, with Michals, Skinner and freshman Kelly Douglass each coming up with makes from long range.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Hartford, which shot the ball well in the first half with a 47.6 percent clip, was plagued by turnovers during that stretch as it committed 10 within the game's first 20 minutes.
• The Black Bears managed to cash in on those miscues, as 12 of their 28 first-half points came off turnovers.
• Maine turned things around in the second-half, carding a 56.5 percent effort from the floor (13-of-23) to finish at 44.4 percent on the game.
• Hartford committed 19 turnovers, its most since recording 21 at UMass on Dec. 22, and spotted Maine 23 points off those miscues.
• Overall, the Hawks shot 38.6 percent (17-of-44), going 47.6 percent in the opening half (10-of-21) and 30.4 percent in the second (7-of-23).
• Koizar had an impressive night from the floor as she scored a game-high 25 points on 8-for-14 shooting from the floor, 4-for-7 shooting from long range and a 4-for-4 effort from the free-throw line.
• The Hawks' bench contributed 19 points in the losing effort, 17 of which came from Skinner (9) and Michals (8).

NEWS & NOTES:

• Hartford dips to 40-29 in the all-time series with Maine..

UP NEXT:                                                                                                                              
A rematch of last season's America East Championship is up next for Hartford, as it will host UAlbany on Sunday, Jan. 31. Tipoff from the Reich Family Pavilion is scheduled for 2 p.m. The contest will be broadcasted live on ESPN3. The contest marks the Hawks' Alumnae Day, which includes a special tribute to Hartford's 2005-06 team, a squad that posted the program's first NCAA Tournament win since becoming a Division I team.