THE BASICS:
 
RESULT: Hartford 61, Norfolk State 51
RECORDS: Hartford (5-2); Norfolk State (2-4)
LOCATION: Stabler Arena (Bethlehem, Pa.)

THE LEAD:
The University of Hartford women's basketball team topped Norfolk State by a 61-51 final on Sunday afternoon to claim the team championship at the Christmas City Classic, hosted by Lehigh University. Freshman Sierra DaCosta, who was named to the All-Tournament Team, led the way with 14 points while sophomore Lindsey Abed, the tournament's Most Valuable Player, added 12 as the Hawks shook off a late comeback bid by the Spartans.

Kayla Roberts recorded a double-double for Norfolk State, registering game highs in points (15) and rebounds (12). The Spartans earned their spot in the championship game after downing the host-team Mountain Hawks, 81-57, on Saturday.

FIRST HALF:
Both teams traded buckets to open the game, and the Spartans took an early 5-3 edge. Hartford settled in, as La'Trice Hall capped a 7-0 run with a three-pointer and a baseline jumper to put the lead in the Hawks' hands at 10-5 with 5:22 to go. Scoring slowed down for both sides, though, as a plethora of fouls held both the Hawks and Spartans to just two combined makes from the field for the rest of the stanza. Hartford went 4-for-6 from the line during that stretch, but Norfolk State went 6-for-8 to pull within three at 16-13 by the end of the quarter.

Six Norfolk State turnovers spotted the Hawks nine points in the second quarter as Hartford pushed its lead into double digits midway through. A pair of three-pointers by Deanna Mayza and Abed fueled a 14-5 rally to begin the quarter. Capping that spurt was Darby Lee, who put Hartford ahead by a 30-18 count with 3:51 remaining in the half with a jumper. Norfolk State brought the lead down to seven with 1:45 left, but the Hawks netted five of the last seven points of the quarter to regain a 10-point edge (35-25) at the break.
 
SECOND HALF:
Norfolk State cut Hartford's 10-point halftime lead in half in the first four minutes of the third. Knocking down a pair of unanswered threes within a 42 second stretch, the Spartans connected on two more jumpers on consecutive possessions to pull within five (40-35) with 6:07 left. The Hawks managed to increase their lead before the end of the quarter, though. Holding Norfolk State to a Kayla Roberts layup down the stretch, Hartford closed out the quarter with a 6-2 run to take a 46-37 edge.
 
An 0-for-4 start from the field by the Spartans from the field allowed the Hawks to reclaim a double-digit lead (50-38) in the opening minutes of the fourth. But the Spartans chipped away at their deficit, closing the gap down to 53-49 with less than three minutes to go behind an 11-3 spurt. With just over a minute left, Lee came away with a key steal – her second of the game – which set the scene for a DaCosta three-pointer that pushed the Hawks' advantage to seven (56-49) heading into the final minute. That shot proved to be the dagger, as the Hawks closed out the game by making 5-for-6 free throws.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Lee had an impressive stat line for the Hawks, scoring 10 points while adding seven rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals, including a clutch theft in the final minute of the game.
• Norfolk State shot just 23.1 percent (3-of-13) in the second, allowing Hartford to push its lead into double digits. The Spartans shot 27.8 percent (15-for-54) on the afternoon, but benefited from a 17-for-25 effort from the charity stripe.
• The Hawks forced the Spartans into 16 turnovers, scoring 17 points off those miscues.
• Despite shooting just 33.9 percent (21-for-62) on the afternoon, the Hawks recorded 60-plus points for the sixth time this season.

NEWS & NOTES:

• DaCosta was named to the Christmas City Classic's All-Tournament Team, while Abed was tabbed the tournament's Most Valuable Player.
• Abed averaged 13.5 points, four assists and 5.5 rebounds during tournament play while DaCosta averaged 14.0 points in the wins.
• Adding seven more assists after a six-assist outing against Monmouth, Mayza moved into third place in Hartford's record books in the category with 361 on her career.
• The meeting was the first-ever between Hartford and Norfolk State.
• The Hawks have yet to lose on the road this season, previously defeating Central Connecticut, Siena and Monmouth.

 
UP NEXT:
The Hawks return home for a pair of games, beginning with a mid-week tilt against UMass on Wednesday, Nov. 30. The tilt, which is scheduled for a 6 p.m. tip from Chase Arena at Reich Family Pavilion, is part of a doubleheader with the Hartford men's team, which is scheduled to host LIU Brooklyn at 8:30 p.m.