THE BASICS:
 
RESULT: Hartford 69, Hofstra 67 (ot)
RECORDS: Hartford (9-4); Hofstra (7-3)
LOCATION: Mack Sports Complex (Hempstead, N.Y.)

THE LEAD:
Senior Deanna Mayza scored a career-high 26 points to lead the University of Hartford women's basketball team to a 69-67 overtime victory at Hofstra on Friday night. Nineteen of Mayza's points came in the second half, including five in the extra session, as the Hawks overcame a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to score the win in their non-conference finale.

Three other players netted double figures for Hartford, including senior Alyssa Reaves, who sent the game into overtime with a layup with three seconds remaining. She joined sophomore Lindsey Abed with 10 points, while freshman Sierra DaCosta added 11 to round out the Hawks' top scorers. Hofstra, which entered the night riding a three-game winning streak, was led by Ashunae Durant's 16 points.

FIRST HALF:
Three turnovers and a 1-for-5 start from the field spotted Hofstra an 11-2 lead to start things off. But defense got Hartford back in the game, and with 2:05 left to play in the opening quarter, the Hawks tied up the score at 13-all using a 9-0 run. Four different players contributed to that 98-second stretch, which was capped by a Mayza layup. The two sides exchanged two points apiece before Aleana Leon put the Pride in front, 17-15, with a layup in the closing seconds of the first.
 
Back-to-back scores by Hofstra within the first 54 seconds of the second extended the Pride's lead to six at 21-15. The Hawks remained within arms reach, though, until a three-pointer by Ana Hernandez Gil and a layup by Sandra Karsten gave Hofstra an eight-point lead – its largest of the quarter – at 30-22 with 3:57 left. Lee cut the deficit to 30-24 with a layup, but that bucket proved to be the final points of the half as both teams were held scoreless for the remainder of the quarter.
 
SECOND HALF:
Twice in the third quarter, the Hawks managed to bring their deficit down to one possession. But Hernandez Gil heated up from long range, knocking down a pair of threes at the end of the quarter to give the Pride a their largest lead – a 10 point cushion – at 52-42 heading into the fourth.

Trailing by 10 with 8:32 left in the fourth, the Hawks began to chip away. Using an 11-2 rally, Hartford made it a one-point game at 59-58 with 4:39 on the clock. Both teams went cold from the field for the next three minutes, as a Hofstra free throw proved to be the only point during that stretch. With 38.9 seconds left, Durant cleaned up a missed three-pointer with a putback to stretch the Pride's lead to four before Mayza knocked down her third triple of the night to make it a one point game with just 11.4 seconds to go.
 
On the next possession, Hernandez Gil followed with a 1-for-2 effort from the free-throw line to push the lead to two. Hofstra, which had fouls to give, forced the Hawks to inbound the ball under their own basket, allowing Reaves to tie up the game and force overtime with a left-handed layup.
 
OVERTIME:
Another three-pointer gave Hofstra the edge to start overtime, but Mayza was quick to respond with a triple of her own 30 seconds later. Following a 1-for-2 effort from the line by Leon, Mayza came up clutch again, knocking down two from the charity stripe to give Hartford its first lead of the game at 68-67 with 1:12 remaining. The Hawks held on to their one-point edge, and out of a Hofstra timeout with 19.1 seconds left, they clinched the win with a huge defensive stop, forcing Hofstra into its 25th turnover of the night with 3.3 seconds remaining.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Mayza shot 10-of-16 from the field, including 4-of-7 from three, to finish with 20-or-more points for the fourth time this season.
• DaCosta, who recorded career highs in both rebounds (6) and assists (5), extended her double-figure scoring streak to nine games, the longest for the Hawks this season.
• Both teams went 26-for-66 from the field, with the Hawks going 35.0 percent from three (7-for-20) and Hofstra finishing 28.6 percent from long range (6-for-21).
• The Hawks cashed in on the Pride's miscues, scoring 22 points off turnovers.
• The Pride capitalized on nine first-half offensive rebounds, adding to their lead with nine points off second chance opportunities. Hofstra went on to score 22 second-chance points.
• Trailing by six (30-24) at the half, Hartford overcame a halftime deficit for the fourth time this season. 

NEWS & NOTES:

• The contest marked the first time Hartford faced overtime all season, while it was Hofstra's second overtime game. The Pride previously defeated American in extra time on Dec. 10.
• The Hawks improve to 12-10 in the all-time series with Hofstra.
• Hartford's nine non-conference wins are the most since 2012-13, when the squad went 9-4 in out-of-league action.
• First-year head coach Kim McNeill's 9-4 start is the best debut by a Hartford coach, besting Jennifer Rizzotti's 7-6 start in her first season (1999-00).

 
UP NEXT:
The 16-game America East Conference slate begins at home for the Hawks, as they host the Vermont Catamounts on Saturday, Jan. 7. Tipoff from Chase Arena at Reich Family Pavilion is set for 2 p.m.
 
The contest has been tabbed OMS Awareness Day, as the Hawks continue to raise awareness for the rare genetic disease. Team member Zoe Brown, who was drafted by the Hawks through Team IMPACT, was diagnosed with OMS and has been battling the disease for most of her childhood years.