THE BASICS:

RESULT: Hartford 41, Binghamton 39
RECORDS: Hartford (10-14, 6-5 AE); Binghamton (10-15, 5-7 AE)
LOCATION: The Events Center (Vestal, N.Y.)
ATTENDANCE: 1,122

THE LEAD: A putback by senior Katelyn Skinner moments before the final horn sounded broke open a deadlocked game and propelled the University of Hartford women's basketball team to a thrilling, 41-39 road win at Binghamton on Thursday night. With the win, the Hawks improve to 6-5 in the America East and are ranked fourth in the league standings.

Skinner, who went 2-for-4 from long range and 3-for-7 overall, finished the game with eight points. Joining her with eight points was freshman Jalay Knowles, who added a career-high seven rebounds. Despite foul trouble, sophomore Darby Lee paced the Hawks with 10 points while Binghamton's Rebecca Carmody led all scorers with 12 points.

FIRST HALF:
The Hawks woke up from a sluggish start that featured just one bucket during the first 5:20 of action. Facing a 9-2 deficit while misfiring on four of its first five shots, Hartford quickly got hot. Skinner got the offense going, as she drained a three-pointer from the top of the key with 4:40 left. That make sparked an impressive, quarter-ending 13-2 run that provided the Hawks with a 15-12 lead heading into the second. That rally, which featured 6-for-7 shooting from the field, saw the visiting squad score 11 unanswered, with six coming from Jalay Knowles.

With the offense flowing, the Hawks picked up the pressure defensively in the second quarter as well. Binghamton was held to just two field goals in that stretch – a jumper from Kim Albrecht at the 7:03 mark and a three from Imani Watkins with 5:28 left – to allow Hartford to build on its lead. The Hawks received help from the three-point line, as triples from Kelly Douglass and Skinner at the 6:00 and 4:48 marks pushed the visitors ahead by a 25-18 count. Following a pair of Bearcats' free throws from Watkins, Lindsey Abed dialed in from long range with 4:11 left to stretch the Hawks' advantage to nine at 28-19, a score that stood until the halftime break.

Three Hawks – Lee, Skinner and Knowles – registered six points to lead a well-balanced offense.

SECOND HALF:
The roles were reversed to start the second half, as momentum shifted in favor of Binghamton. Lee kept the Hawks in control of the lead with a pair of layups in the opening minutes of the third, but the Bearcats used hot shooting to claw themselves back into the game. Following Lee's first bucket of the half, Binghamton trimmed an 11-point, Hartford lead down to a point (32-31) with a 12-2 rally. The Hawks would be held to just two more points – a pair of free throws by Alyssa Reaves – and Binghamton would take its first advantage(35-34) since leading, 9-7, in the first utilizing a 5-0 spurt to end the stanza.

Hartford managed to reclaim the edge at 37-35 two and a half minutes into the final stanza, as Douglass ended a field goal drought that spanned over eight minutes with a three-pointer. But the Bearcats answered with a 4-0 spurt to force the Hawks to play from behind heading down the final stretch. With 2:58 remaining, Knowles drained a jumper through contact to tie up the ball game at 39-39. With both teams unable to capitalize on opportunities to break the deadlock, Binghamton called a timeout with under a minute left, and Imani Watkins missed a three-pointer from the top of the key. Hall corralled the rebound, and the Hawks used a timeout to call up a play with 17 seconds left.

Designing the play for Knowles, who had dominated the paint during the game, she came up short on her shot under the hoop. The rebound, though, landed in the hands of Skinner, who quickly got the shot up and through the hoop before the final horn sounded.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Hartford was impressive from three-point land in the first half, making 4-of-7. Included in that effort was a perfect 2-for-2 clip from Skinner and a 1-for-1 clip from Douglass.
• Overall, the Hawks turned in a 37.9 percent (11-of-29) effort from the field in the first half, holding the Bearcats to a 26.1 percent (6-of-23) clip during that stretch.
• The Hawks cooled off from both spots in the second half to finish the game at 30.2 percent from the floor (16-of-53) and 35.7 percent (5-of-14) from three.
• Despite seeing limited time due to foul trouble, Lee paced the Hawks in scoring with 10 points on 5-for-9 shooting from the field.
• Albrecht led all scorers with 12 points while Rebecca Carmody pulled 10 boards, a game-best.
• Hartford's bench continues to contribute, as it had 18 points tonight, including eight from Knowles and Skinner. The Hawks held the Bearcats to just one point off the pine.
• Going 2-for-4 from long range, Skinner extended her three-point streak to seven games on Thursday. In addition, she has knocked down multiple three-pointers in each of her last three outings.
• Hall and Reaves paced Hartford on the boards with eight apiece as the Hawks held a 41-38 advantage.

NEWS & NOTES:

• The Hawks finished with the series split with Binghamton with tonight's victory and improves to 25-9 all-time against the Bearcats.
• Hartford has now won its last four at the Events Center, the site of the upcoming America East Championship.
• The victory was the 315th for head coach Jen Rizzotti, who is in her 17th year at the helm of the Hawks.
• Skinner's game-winner marked the second time Hartford netted a game-winner in the final 10 seconds. Prior to this season, Diana Delva's putback with 2.2 ticks left on Jan. 26, 2010, was the Hawks' last game-winning basket.
• Hartford entered the game ranked fourth in the America East standings, while Binghamton was right behind the Hawks at fifth.

UP NEXT:                                                                     
Hartford returns home on Sunday, Feb. 14, when it entertains Vermont in a Valentine's Day showdown. The date marks the Hawks' Pink Zone Game, with fans receiving a commemorative pink t-shirt to help raise awareness for breast cancer. Tipoff from Reich Family Pavilion is set for 2 p.m.