THE BASICS:

RESULT: UAlbany 78, Hartford 41
RECORDS: Hartford (8-13, 4-4 AE); RV/RV UAlbany (17-3, 8-0 AE)
LOCATION: Chase Arena at Reich Family Pavilion (West Hartford, Conn.)
ATTENDANCE: 1,526

THE LEAD: The University of Hartford women's basketball team fell victim to a hot-shooting UAlbany squad, as it dropped a 78-41 decision on Sunday afternoon. Junior La'Trice Hall and sophomore Janelle Harrison paced the offense with eight points apiece as each of the 10 Hawks who checked in the game recorded at least one point against a Great Danes' squad that is receiving votes in the national polls.

The Great Danes, who shot 64.7 percent, landed four players in double-figures, paced by a 21-point effort from Shareesha Richards. Imani Tate added 18 points as UAlbany improved to 8-0 in the conference.

FIRST HALF:
The Great Danes benefited from some hot shooting early on, and took an early double digit lead as a result. Making six of its first eight field goal attempts, including a perfect 3-for-3 effort from behind the arc by Erin Coughlin, UAlbany held a 17-5 advantage with 2:32 left to play in the opening period. Hall and rookie Lindsey Abed each netted four points in that stretch, but it wasn't enough for the Hawks to keep pace with the hot hands of the Great Danes, as they shot an impressive 81.8 percent (9-of-11) to push ahead by 13 (24-11) by the end of the stanza.

The Hawks received some offense via the three-point line from freshman Kelly Douglass and Hall in the second quarter, but UAlbany continued to push the pedal to the medal down at its own basket. A 12-5 start to the stanza would extend the lead to 20 at 36-16 with 6:22 to go. That 20-point margin would prove to be the advantage for the Great Danes at the halftime break (42-22).

At the intermission, Hall's eight points paced the Hawks. UAlbany registered two players in double figures as Richards and Coughlin had 18 and 12, respectively.

SECOND HALF:
UAlbany took advantage of a cold shooting streak from Hartford as it went on a 16-4 run to stretch its lead to 58-24 with 1:36 remaining in the third. Saunders contributed the first four points of that spurt on back-to-back layups within the quarter's first minute before Cassandra Edwards continued the run with a bucket at the 7:43 mark. Following a layup from Harrison 30 seconds later, the Great Danes would go on to hold Hartford without a field goal for more than six minutes. Two Harrison free throws proved to be the Hawks' lone scoring during the drought, as UAlbany ripped off a 10-2 run to build on its advantage.

Trailing, 67-31 with 7:43 remaining in the contest, the Hawks got into an offensive groove, as they netted seven quick points within a stretch of 106 seconds. Harrison dropped a pair of free throws to cap off a perfect 6-for-6 effort from the line before sophomore Darby Lee added a jumper on the next possession. Closing out the spurt was Abed, who closed the gap down to 67-38 with a three-pointer at the 5:47 mark. Hartford would struggle on the offensive end down the stretch, though, allowing UAlbany to end the game with an 11-3 run before the final horn.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• For the second time this season, each Hawk that checked into the game got in on the scoring action. Head coach Jen Rizzotti went 10-deep against the Great Danes.
• The Great Danes were hot all afternoon, finishing the game shooting 64.7 percent from the field (33-of-51) and 50.0 percent from behind the arc (50.0 percent). UAlbany also went 7-for-9 from the free-throw line, good for 77.8 percent.
• Tying for the team lead in scoring with eight points, Harrison added four rebounds to tie a career high in the category
• The Hawks turned in another impressive performance from the free-throw line, as they finished the game at 83.3 percent (10-for-12). That marks the fourth time in five games that Hartford shoots better than 80.0 percent or better, as it is 45-for-56 (80.3%) from the line in its last five.
• Harrison (6-for-6) and Pattison (2-for-2) each went perfect from the line.
• Forcing UAlbany into19 turnovers, Hartford turned those miscues into 14 points.
• Saunders had a double-double for the Great Danes with 14 points and 10 rebounds. She shot 70.0 percent from the field, going 7-for-10.

NEWS & NOTES:

• During the game, the Hawks honored the 10th-year anniversary of the 2005-06 team. Winning both the America East Regular Season and the Championship for the first time in program history, that team made program history when it knocked-off sixth-ranked Temple in the Trenton Regionals for its first NCAA Tournament victory. Several members of that squad, along with a slew of alumnae from over the years, were in attendance.

UP NEXT:                                                                                                                              
Hartford begins its second swing through the America East Conference on Wednesday with a road tilt at UMass Lowell. Earlier this season, the Hawks coasted to a 72-59 defeat of the River Hawks. Tipoff from the Costello Athletic Center is set for 7 p.m.