THE BASICS:

RESULT: UMBC 58, Hartford 51
RECORDS: Hartford (11-15, 7-6 AE); UMBC (16-10, 7-6 AE)
LOCATION: RAC Arena (Baltimore, Md.)
ATTENDANCE: 486

THE LEAD: The University of Hartford women's basketball team was unable to complete a fourth-quarter comeback bid, as it fell at UMBC, 58-51, on Wednesday night. Sophomore Darby Lee paced the Hawks in scoring for the third-straight game with 15 points, marking her third consecutive outing in double figures. Freshman Kelly Douglass added 11 points behind a trio of three-pointers while classmate Lindsey Abed also sank three from long range for nine points in the losing effort.

Taylor McCarley led all scorers with 19 points, including a key three-point play with 6:45 left to play that pushed UMBC's lead into double digits for the first time all night. Amanda Hagaman and Pandora Wilson chipped in with 12 points for the Retrievers.

FIRST HALF:
Both teams shot better than 50 percent in the opening stanza, but 66.7 percent shooting from the field by UMBC, including a perfect 2-for-2 clip from long range, allowed the home team to jump out to an early 20-13 advantage by the end of the first. During that stretch, the Retrievers used an early 7-0 spurt over a 57 second span to push ahead, 7-2, with 7:59 left. The Hawks would close the gap down to three on a Janelle Harrison jumper with 1:57 remaining, but UMBC used a 7-4 rally to gain the seven point edge heading into the second.

Four turnovers within the first five minutes of the second quarter prevented the Hawks from chipping away at their deficit. During that stretch, UMBC matched its largest lead of the half (8) at 26-18 before Hartford started to claw its way back. Lee, who shot 4-for-4 in the first half, used her final bucket of the period to pull the Hawks within five at 28-23 with 3:35 to go. Following a pair of Retrievers' free throws that pushed the lead back to seven with 2:41 remaining, Hartford strung together a five-point rally behind a putback from Douglass and a three-pointer from Abed. But UMBC would spoil the Hawks' comeback bid, as McCarley beat the buzzer with a three-pointer to send her team into the locker room with a 33-28 edge.

Lee led the Hawks with nine points while McCarley's 12 points paced all scorers at the break.

SECOND HALF:
Behind the hot hand of Lee, who made it a 5-for-5 start with a layup at the 8:21 mark, and a pair of three-pointers from Douglass, the Hawks trimmed their deficit down to a one at 37-36 with 5:35 left in the third. The Hawks would get no closer, though, as six-straight misses from the floor coupled with a pair of turnovers would keep them off the scoreboard for the remainder of the period. UMBC capitalized on that cold spell as it rattled off a 5-0 run to end the quarter to up by six at 42-36.

The Hawks got shots to fall in the final quarter, but the Retrievers were also converting on their end. With 6:45 remaining, McCarley converted on an old-fashioned three-point play that pushed UMBC's lead into double figures for the first time in the outing at 50-40. The Retrievers would extend that lead to 11 at 54-43 with 3:44 remaining.

Hartford wouldn't go down easily, though, as it made it a game in the final minutes. A pair of three-pointers delivered by Abed at the 2:54 and 1:4 marks closed the gap down to five points at 54-49. But the Hawks were over the limit on fouls, and UMBC, which was 10-of-11 from the line heading into the final minutes, continued to cash in from the charity stripe. Emily Russo pushed the Retrievers' lead back seven with a pair of free throws. The deficit would be brought back down to five one last time in the final minute, but the Hawks came up empty after forcing a turnover, allowing two more freebies from McCarley to ice the game.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Using a hot 5-for-5 start from the floor, Lee paced the Hawks with 15 points, marking her third-straight game in double figures.
• Douglass and Abed, a pair of freshmen, converted on three three-pointers apiece to finish with 11 and nine points, respectively.
• Hartford came one three-pointer shy of its season-high, finishing with eight on the night.
• UMBC cashed in off of Hartford's 15 turnovers, scoring 20 points off the miscues. Twelve of those points came in the opening half.
• Both teams shot the ball well in the first half, but UMBC bettered Hartford's 48.0 percent effort (12-of-25) with 54.2 shooting from the floor (13-of-24), including 50.0 shooting from three (3-of-6).
• Hartford finished the game at 41.2 percent, going 8-for-21 from three and 21-for-51 from the floor. The Retrievers bettered that clip with a 46.5 percent effort (20-for-43).
• Hartford was whistled for seven more fouls than the Retrievers (13-6).
• UMBC benefited from the free-throw line, making 14-of-15 for 93.3 percent. The Hawks were sent to the line just twice, where they were 1-for-2.
• For the third time this season, each Hawk that checked into the game registered at least one point. Hartford used an eight-player rotation on Wednesday.

NEWS & NOTES:

• With identical 7-6 records in league play, the Hawks and Retrievers are now tied for fourth in the America East standings.
• The Hawks and Retrievers split the regular-season series.
• Hartford leads the all-time series with UMBC, 22-7.

UP NEXT:                                                                     
The Hawks remain on the road for their next contest, which lands the squad at New Hampshire on Saturday, Feb. 20. Tipoff from Lundholm Gymnasium is set for 2 p.m.