THE BASICS:
 
RESULT: Hartford 80, Siena 76
RECORDS: Hartford (3-1); Siena (0-2)
LOCATION: Alumni Recreation Center (Loudonville, N.Y.)

THE LEAD:

Four Hawks scored in double figures on Saturday as the University of Hartford women's basketball team scored a thrilling, 80-76 win at Siena inside the Alumni Recreation Center. Senior Deanna Mayza scored a team-high 19 points while sophomore Lindsey Abed, who tied a career high with 16, pulled the Hawks out of a pair of deficits late in the game with clutch three-pointers, both of which came inside of the one minute mark.

Junior Janelle Harrison added 17 points for Hartford, while Kelly Douglass knocked down four three-pointers to round out the Hawks' top scorers. Jackie Benitez also had a hot hand for Siena, draining 6-of-10 from long range. She led all scorers with 30, while Kollyns Scarbrough and Meghan Donohue added 16 and 15 points, respectively, for the Saints in the losing effort.

FIRST HALF:
Despite committing 14 first-half turnovers, the Hawks got off to a solid start offensively, connecting on five of their first 10 field goals to take a 12-6 advantage midway through the opening quarter. Three-pointers from Douglass and Mayza stretched Hartford's lead to nine on two occasions, but down the stretch, Siena closed the gap down to six at 20-14 after ending the quarter with an 8-4 spurt.

But turnovers would continue to limit Hartford's scoring opportunities, especially in the second quarter. Three-straight Hawks' miscues in the first two minutes led to 7-0 run that put Siena in front, 21-20. Halting the Saints' rally with a three-pointer at the 7:59 mark, Mayza provided two more triples to put the lead back in the hands of the Hawks down the stretch. Her hot hand from downtown wasn't enough, though, as Siena ended the half with a 5-0 spurt to take a 34-33 edge into the intermission.
 
SECOND HALF:
A three-point shootout in the third quarter resulted in Siena taking a slight, 60-57 advantage at the end of the stanza. Both sides combined for 10 three-pointers during that stretch, as the Hawks made 5-of-8 from long range, with three of those triples from Douglass. Hartford tied up the game three times during the first four minutes of the half, but was not able to pull ahead.

The Hawks remained within striking distance in the fourth, and regained the lead at 69-68 behind an old-fashioned three-point play by Harrison with 2:48 to go. But Siena would pull ahead by two on the next possession as Denisha Petty-Evans knocked down another three-pointer for the Saints. Forty-two seconds later, she struck again, this time delivering a jumper to make it a 73-70 Siena lead with 1:20 left.

Hartford didn't let up, though. Abed knocked down back-to-back buckets for the Hawks, closing the gap to one on a long two-pointer before putting her team back in front on a three following a steal from Darby Lee. With less than a minute to go, Donohue put the lead back in Siena's hands after converting on a three-point play, but Abed prevailed again for Hartford, erasing the deficit and putting the Hawks up by two ((75-73) with another long ball from the top of the key. In the final seconds, the sophomore came up with a clutch steal that led to a game-clinching, fast break bucket from Harrison with just 4.1 seconds remaining.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Mayza, who led the Hawks in scoring for the second-straight game, registered her fourth-straight game in double figures. She shot 7-for-13 from the floor, including an impressive 5-for-7 from long range.
• Collectively, Douglass (4), Abed (4) and Mayza (5) combined for each of the Hawks' season-best 13 three-pointers. From long range, the Hawks shot 59.1 percent (13-of-22), including 70 percent in the second half (7-for-10).
• Douglass and Abed each tied career highs in made three-point field goals. Abed also posted personal-best numbers in assists (4) and steals (6).
• The Hawks also turned in their best shooting performance of the season, going 47.6 percent (30-for-63). Siena also shot the rock well, making 49.1 percent (26-for-53) of their attempts.
• Siena held the advantage on the boards at 37-29, recording 11 points off second-chance opportunities.
• A total of 42 turnovers were committed, 18 by Hartford and 24 by Siena. The Saints scored 22 of their points off miscues while the Hawks cashed in for 23 points off turnovers.

NEWS & NOTES:

• The Hawks' 80 points are the most netted in a single game since the 2013-14 season, when Hartford scored 80 in a win over UMBC on Feb. 22.
• Knocking down five triples, Mayza moved into ninth place in Hartford's record books in made three-point field goals (109).
• The win was the first for the Hawks against the Saints, as Siena entered the game holding an 8-0 edge in the series. Saturday's meeting marked the first between the two teams since the 2002-03 season.

 
UP NEXT:
Hartford returns to Chase Arena at Reich Family Pavilion on Tuesday, Nov. 22, to host BIG EAST member Providence at 7 p.m.