THE BASICS:
 
RESULT: Hartford 80, UMBC 73
RECORDS: Hartford (11-4, 2-0 AE); UMBC (5-11, 0-3 AE)
LOCATION: RAC Arena (Baltimore, Md.)

THE LEAD:
Senior Alyssa Reaves and junior Darby Lee each had a double-double on Wednesday night, as the University of Hartford women's basketball team grinded out its fourth-straight victory by way of an 80-73 decision at UMBC. The duo combined for 29 points and 23 rebounds, while freshman Sierra DaCosta scored a career-high 19 points to help the Hawks improve to 2-0 in America East action.

In a back-and-forth battle that featured 17 lead changes and seven ties, it was a 7-0 spurt midway through the third quarter that provided the Hawks with 54-51 lead, an advantage they would not relinquish for the remainder of the game. The Retrievers made things interesting in the final stanza, though, closing the gap to one (70-69) with 1:47 remaining. Despite the late charge, Hartford added to its lead from the free-throw line to hold on for the win. Tyler Moore had a game-high 20 points for UMBC, knocking down four triples in the losing effort.

FIRST HALF:
Both the Hawks and the Retrievers got off to a hot start from the field, combining to make the first five shots of the game. The teams were even more impressive from behind the arc, as Hartford hit its first two attempts. But UMBC knocked down 3-of-4 from long range in the opening minutes to take a 13-10 edge with 6:18 left. That UMBC advantage, which grew to 16-12 with 3:42 to go, was erased with a Hawks' 7-2 run capped by a DaCosta layup, but a pair of Taylor McCarley free throws in the closing seconds put the Retrievers on top, 20-19, at the end of the first.

The three-pointers continued to fall for both sides in the second quarter. The Hawks converted on five shots from long range, with DaCosta and sophomore Lindsey Abed each knocking down a pair, while UMBC made dropped four triples to force 10 lead changes during that stretch. With less than a minute remaining, Hartford led by a 43-40 count, but the Retrievers grabbed the two-point advantage at the break after ending the half with a 5-0 rally. 
 
SECOND HALF:
A 7-0 run during the middle part of the third proved to be the turning point of the game for the Hawks. Prior to that run, which began with a layup from Lee, UMBC held a 51-47 lead thanks to a three-point play by Moore. Reaves, who capped the run with a steal and an easy two at the 4:36 mark, extended Hartford's lead to 58-53 with 75 seconds left in the stanza with a layup, marking her sixth point of the quarter.

In the final quarter, Hartford continued to roll, taking its largest lead of the game with 5:51 remaining at 65-57. But the Retrievers clawed back into the contest, bringing a 70-62 deficit down to a single point with seven unanswered points, five of which came from Laura Castaldo. The Hawks answered and held off the charge, using a pair of Lee free throws and a short-range jumper from Reaves to extend the lead to five with 50 seconds to go. With UMBC forced to foul, Hartford iced the game from the charity stripe, scoring six points from the stripe over the final 32 seconds.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• The Hawks matched a season high in first-half scoring with 43 points, reaching that mark behind 5-of-8 shooting from long range in the second quarter.
• UMBC shot 50 percent from three in the opening half, knocking down 7-of-14 shots to take a 45-43 edge into the break. The Hawks made 8-of-19 from three during that stretch, good for 42.1 percent.
• Lee recorded 15 points and a personal-best 11 rebounds to finish with her first career double-double. Reaves, who accomplished the feat for the first time this season and third time in her career, posted season-best numbers off the bench in points (14) and boards (12).
• Abed was also active on the boards, pulling down a career-high nine to go along with 10 points. The Hawks finished with 45 boards, a season-best effort.
• DaCosta shot 7-of-19 from the field, including 5-of-9 from three, to extend her double-figure scoring streak to 11 games with 19 points.
• UMBC committed 20 turnovers, marking the 10th time the Hawks force 20-or-more in a contest this season.

NEWS & NOTES:

• With 14 games remaining in the regular season, Hartford has already matched last year's win total (11-19).
• The Hawks, who are 7-1 on the road this season, improve to 23-7 in the all-time series with UMBC.
• Hartford's current four-game winning streak matches a season-best rally.
• Sitting at 11-4, the Hawks are off to their best 15-game start since 2009-10 (12-3).

 
UP NEXT:
The Hawks return to West Hartford on Saturday, Jan. 14, to host UMass Lowell on Alumni Day at 2 p.m. General admission tickets are on sale for $2, and can be purchased by calling the Malcolm and Brenda Berman Athletics Ticket Office (860.768.HAWK) or by visiting HartfordHawks.com.