THE BASICS:
 
RESULT: Hartford 81, Sacred Heart 64
RECORDS: Hartford (7-2); Sacred Heart (2-5)
LOCATION: Chase Arena at Reich Family Pavilion (West Hartford, Conn.)

THE LEAD:
The University of Hartford women's basketball extended its winning streak to four games on Sunday, coming back from its largest halftime deficit of the season to down Sacred Heart, 81-64, at Reich Family Pavilion. Senior guard Deanna Mayza and junior forward Darby Lee combined for more than half (44) of the Hawks' points, netting 24 and 20, respectively.

A sluggish start in the Hawks taking a 39-31 deficit into the halftime break. But Hartford came out firing in the second. Clawing back to take a 55-54 lead after three quarters, the Hawks defense clamped down, conceding just two field goals in the final quarter to put Sacred Heart away. Hannah Kimmel paced the Pioneers in the losing effort with 18 points and 10 rebounds.

FIRST HALF:
An 0-for-5 start coupled with three Hawks' turnovers translated into Sacred Heart jumping out to a 7-0 lead with 6:13 to go in the stanza. Hartford started to come alive, though, using an 8-3 run to pull within a bucket at 10-8 with 3:50 to go. But the Pioneers, who had previously used a pair of three-pointers to build their early advantage, received two more triples within a 27-second span from Kimmel and Kelcey Castro  to go up, 16-8.

Facing an 18-10 deficit at the end of the first, Hartford started to knock down some shots, but Sacred Heart was also getting shots to fall. The squads exchanged six baskets to a 28-18 score with 6:26 left before the break. Six-straight points, fueled by a pair of jumpers from the top of the key by Mayza, brought the Hawks within four at 28-24, but they wouldn't come any closer as the Pioneers pushed the lead back to eight (39-31) by the break.
 
SECOND HALF:
A tale of two halves saw Hartford put together a 5-for-8 start from the field, a rally that pulled the Hawks within one (47-46) at the midway point of the third. Again coming within a point at 51-50 on a pair of makes from the free-throw line by Mayza, the guard gave Hartford its first lead 40 seconds later on a strong finish to the rim. The Pioneers regained the edge using a Katherine Haines layup and a 1-for-2 effort from the line by Erin Storck, but that proved to be their last lead of the game as Mayza knocked down a three-pointer to put Hartford in front, 55-54, before the end of the quarter.
 
From there, the Hawks' defense took over. Holding Sacred Heart without a field goal for the first six minutes of the fourth quarter, the Hawks took a commanding, 71-58 edge behind a 16-4 run to open the stanza. Mayza contributed eight points to that rally, including a huge four-point play with 7:33 left. Hartford continued to build on its lead down the stretch, outscoring the Pioneers, 10-4, to put a season-high 81 points on the scoreboard.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• A total of four Hawks scored in double figures against the Pioneers as Abed added 16 points to go along with a game-high four steals, while DaCosta added 11 points for her fifth-straight game in twin figures.
• After a dismal 28.6 percent effort from the floor in the first (4-for-14), the Hawks combined to shoot 54.2 percent over the final three quarters, making 26-of-48 from the field, including 7-for-11 from three-point land.
• From three, the Hawks turned in a 57.1 percent performance, going 8-for-14 overall.
• Second-chance points and points off turnovers were key in Sunday's win. Hartford had 14 points off of 10 offensive rebounds, while 26 of the Hawks' points came off of 22 Sacred Heart turnovers.
• Lee, who came three points shy of her career high (23), shot 8-for-12 overall, scoring 11 of her 20 points during the first half behind a 5-for-7 effort from the field.
• Twenty of Mayza's game-best 24 points came in the second half, including nine in the third quarter and 11 in the final stanza.

• At 7-2, the Hawks are off to their best nine-game start since 2012-13, a season that also featured a 7-2 record to open the year.
• Hartford, which was won six of its last seven, has now won four-in-a-row, marking the team's longest winning streak since 2013-14. That rally, which spanned over five games, began with an 80-76 win over UMass Lowell (Jan. 20).
• Sunday's win was Hartford's eighth- straight against Sacred Heart. The Hawks lead the all-time series, 9-1.

 
UP NEXT:
Hartford's next contest lands the Hawks at Niagara for a mid-week matchup on Wednesday, Dec. 7. The Hawks and Purple Eagles are slated for a 7 p.m. tip from 'Taps' Gallagher Center.