THE BASICS:
 
RESULT: Niagara 75, Hartford 62
RECORDS: Hartford (7-3, 0-0 AE); Niagara (4-4, 1-1 MAAC)
LOCATION: 'Taps' Gallagher Center (Niagara Univ., N.Y.)

THE LEAD:
The University of Hartford women's basketball team was unable to recover from an early deficit on Wednesday, as it dropped a 75-62 decision at Niagara for its first road loss of the season. Senior Deanna Mayza scored 22 points in the defeat, which snapped a four-game winning streak for the Hawks.

Two scoring surges by Niagara at the start each of the first two quarters allowed the Purple Eagles to build a 36-19 lead by the halftime break. The Hawks managed to trim a 23-point, third-quarter deficit down to nine early in the fourth, but ran out of time in the comeback bid. Kayle Stoemple shot 10-for-12 to lead all scorers with 24 points, while Victoria Rampado added 20 points for the Purple Eagles.

FIRST HALF:
An 0-for-8 start coupled with three early turnovers by the Hawks spotted Niagara an 11-0 lead within the first six minutes of the game. Hartford got the offense going, though, and closed the deficit down to five with 2:14 to go using an 8-2 spurt, but an old-fashioned three-point play followed by a layup from Stroemple pushed the Purple Eagles' advantage back to double digits at 18-8 late in the quarter.
 
Niagara benefited from another hot start in the second, scoring 10 unanswered points to stretch a 20-11 lead to 19 (30-11) with 6:26 left in the quarter. The Hawks rallied back again, closing the gap to 30-19 with back-to-back three-pointers from freshman Sierra DaCosta and a layup from senior La'Trice Hall, but the Purple Eagles ended the half with a 6-0 spurt to take a 17 point advantage into the locker rooms.
 
SECOND HALF:
The opening part of the second half saw an exchange of baskets by both sides, as Niagara took its largest lead of the game (56-33) with 3:42 to go in the third. Four of the Hawks' seven makes and more than half (9) of the team's 16 points during that span came from Mayza, who would continue to have the hot hand for Hartford for the remainder of the quarter. Over the last 3:29, Hartford rallied for a 12-2 run, including 10-unanswered points behind a four-point play from Mayza and triples from sophomore Lindsey Abed and DaCosta, to pull within 11 at 58-47.
 
The Hawks continued to chip away at their deficit in the fourth, and with 6:26 remaining, Mayza pulled her team within single digits for the first time since late in the opening quarter. The senior knocked down a pair of free throws before cashing in on a fast break bucket to close Niagara's lead to 62-53. But the Purple Eagles' offense continued to click heading down the stretch, and Hartford was unable to close the gap as Niagara came away with the victory.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Mayza shot 8-for-16 from the floor, including 3-for-5 from long range, to finish with 20-plus points for the second-straight game (22) and the third time this season.
• All but three of Mayza's points came in the second half, including 13 in the third quarter.
• Four other Hawks also scored in double figures, as Harrison and DaCosta added 12 points apiece while Abed contributed 10.
• DaCosta extended her double-figure scoring streak to six games, dating back to Hartford's loss to Providence on Nov. 22.
• Harrison pulled down a game-high nine rebounds in the loss while Abed matched a career high in assists with six.
• A 27.6 percent (8-for-29) effort from the field and 11 turnovers limited the Hawks' first-half scoring, as they put up just 19 points, the fewest in a half this season.
• Niagara was hot throughout the entire game, shooting 52.5 percent (31-of-59), including 58.3 percent in the final quarter (7-of-12).

NEWS & NOTES:

• Prior to Wednesday's game, Hartford was undefeated in each of its four road games.
• Converting on a trio of triples, Mayza moved into sixth place in Hartford's record books with 123 made triples.
• Senior Alyssa Reaves also moved up one spot in the record books, as her two blocks against the Purple Eagles gives her 62 on her career, eighth-most in program history. 
• The meeting was the first between the Hawks and the Purple Eagles.

 
UP NEXT:
The Hawks head back to West Hartford for their final home non-conference game on Saturday, Dec. 10, hosting in-state foe Quinnipiac at 2 p.m. Tickets for the contest are still available, and can be purchased by calling 860.768.HAWK or online at HartfordHawks.com.