THE BASICS:
 
RESULT: Quinnipiac 82, Hartford 59
RECORDS: Hartford (7-4); Quinnipiac (7-2)
LOCATION: Chase Arena at Reich Family Pavilion (West Hartford, Conn.)

THE LEAD:
Junior Darby Lee scored 13 points and freshman Sierra DaCosta added 12 for the University of Hartford women's basketball team, but a hot-shooting Quinnipiac squad handed the Hawks an 82-59 defeat in their final non-conference home game on Saturday.

Brittany Johnson scored a game-best 16 points for the Bobcats, who went 15 deep in the contest. Paula Strautmane also scored in double figures, netting 13 points behind a 5-for-5 effort from the field and a 3-for-3 performance from the stripe. Hartford built a 13-2 lead early in the game, but Quinnipiac came back behind 56.3 percent shooting in the second quarter. Holding a 13-point edge at the half, the Bobcats expanded that margin in the third after turning in a 70.0 percent clip from the field.

FIRST HALF:
Solid play on the defensive end led to a quick start for the Hawks. Forcing Quinnipiac into four early turnovers over the first 4:30, Hartford jumped out to a 13-2 advantage, with a three by DaCosta providing the 11-point margin. The Bobcats responded over the next three minutes, though, and cut Hartford's lead to a single point. During that stretch, Quinnipiac closed the gap to 15-14, using a 12-2 run that included nine unanswered points. A layup by Janelle Harrison would make it a 17-14 Hartford edge heading into the fourth.
 
The second quarter proved to be the decisive one for the Bobcats. With 7:29 to go, Hartford led, 21-17, behind back-to-back layups by Lee and Abed. But Quinnipiac got hot from the floor and used five three-point possessions – three triples and a pair of old-fashioned three-point plays – over a two-minute stretch to take a 32-21 lead with 4:45 remaining. Three-pointers from DaCosta and Abed would stop the bleeding, but it wasn't enough as two of the Bobcats' final three field goals of the half came from behind the arc as Hartford trailed, 40-27, at the break.
 
SECOND HALF:
The Bobcats opened the second half on a tear, going on a 7-0 run to begin the third quarter. Brittany Johnson capped the scoring spree with a three-pointer that pushed Quinnipiac's lead to 20 points at 47-27. The Hawks cut the deficit to 15 with five consecutive free throws, but Hartford didn't connect on a field goal until Kelly Douglass knocked down a triple with 5:15 left to play in the quarter.
 
The Bobcats took a 64-49 advantage into the fourth but Hartford continued to chip away. A pair of free throws from Abed pulled the Hawks within 12 points, 68-56, with less than seven minutes left in regulation, but Hartford wouldn't get any closer. Quinnipiac went on a 14-3 run behind five Hartford turnovers in the final six minutes to close out the game.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Conceding a season-high 82 points to the Bobcats, Hartford also registered a season-low in scoring with 59 points. It marked the first time all season that the Hawks did not eclipse 60 points in a game.
• Lee put up double digits in scoring for the fourth time this season while DaCosta, who has accomplished the feat nine times, extended her double figure scoring streak to seven games on Saturday.
• Lee added a career-high four blocks as Hartford totaled nine as a team for a new season high. The junior also matched a personal-best in steals with three.
• Freshman Erin Jones tallied seven points in the defeat, all of which came in the third quarter. Her first points of the game – a three-pointer – were the first of her career
• Eight of the Bobcats' nine buckets in the decisive second quarter were three-point plays, including five triples and a trio of old-fashioned three-point plays.
• Quinnipiac shot 50.9 percent on the afternoon (29-for-57), including 70.0 percent in the third quarter (7-for-10). Hartford turned in a 32.2 percent effort from the floor, connecting on 19-of-59 of its attempts.
•  The Hawks 23 Quinnipiac turnovers, but committed a season-worst 21.

NEWS & NOTES:

• The defeat marked the first time this season that Hartford falls in consecutive outings.

 
UP NEXT:
The Hawks break for finals before heading to Delaware for a mid-week clash on Wednesday, Dec. 21. The meeting between the two former conference mates is set for a 7 p.m. tip from the Bob Carpenter Center in Newark, Del.