THE BASICS:
 
RESULT: Hartford 80, UMass Lowell 59
RECORDS: Hartford (12-4, 3-0 AE); UMass Lowell (3-14, 0-4 AE)
LOCATION: Chase Arena at Reich Family Pavilion (West Hartford, Conn.)

THE LEAD:
 
A season-best six Hawks netted double figures in scoring on Saturday afternoon to lead the University of Hartford women's basketball team past visiting UMass Lowell by way of an 80-59 decision at Reich Family Pavilion. Senior Deanna Mayza's 16 points led all scorers, while sophomore Lindsey Abed compiled the first double-double of her career, adding 11 rebounds to 14 points.

Junior Darby Lee (15 points), junior Janelle Harrison (11), rookie Sierra DaCosta (11) and senior Alyssa Reaves (10) rounded out Hartford's top scorers as the Hawks, who ran past the River Hawks with an 11-0 run in the first quarter, improved to 3-0 in America East action with their fifth-straight win. Markayla Sherman had 15 points for UMass Lowell, which committed 36 turnovers in the contest.
 
FIRST HALF:
UMass Lowell kept pace with the Hawks in the first minute of action, jumping out to a 5-2 advantage after opening the game with an Asia Mitchell-Owens triple and a layup from Tyshay Britten. But that proved to be the River Hawks' lone edge of the game, as Hartford clamped down defensively and held the River Hawks to just two field goals during the final 8:59 of the quarter to take a commanding 14-point lead. During that stretch, the Hawks grinded out 11 unanswered points – including back-to-back three-pointers by Abed – to push the advantage to eight (13-5). From there, Hartford used an 11-3 run to extend the margin to 24-10 before the end of the quarter.

The River Hawks picked up the pace offensively to start of the second, pulling within 11 at 30-19 with 4:41 remaining. But Hartford did not allow UMass Lowell to come any closer for the remainder of the half. Reaves scored six of her 10 points during the final 3:37 as the Hawks held a 10-5 advantage in scoring to take a comfortable, 40-20 cushion into the halftime break.
 
SECOND HALF:
The third quarter was a high-scoring affair for both sides, with the Hawks holding a slight 25-23 edge during the 10-minute stretch. With 6:20 remaining, Hartford held a 48-34 lead but quickly pushed that advantage to 25 behind a 13-2 run featuring nine-straight points, five of which came from DaCosta. UMass Lowell managed to close the gap down to 18 by the end of the quarter, ending out the third with an 11-4 spurt.
 
The first six points of the final quarter were netted by UMass Lowell, as the River Hawks came within 13 points of the Hawks (65-52) with 6:42 left to play. But Hartford halted the visiting squad's charge, netting 15 of the game-s next 17 points during a four and a half minute stretch to put UMass Lowell away. A layup by DaCosta with 1:56 to go expanded the lead to 26 points – the largest of the game – at 80-54.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• In addition to scoring 80 points for the second-straight game and fourth time this season, the Hwaks put together a solid defensive effort on Saturday, recording season-best numbers in steals (21) and turnovers forced (33).
• Hartford cashed in on UMass Lowell's miscues, especially in the first half. Twenty-seven of the Hawks' 40 first-half points came off of turnovers, as UMass Lowell recorded 22 miscues during that stretch.
• More than half (43) of the Hawks' 80 points were scored off turnovers.
• Abed became the third Hawk in the last two games to record a double-double, as Reaves and Lee each accomplished the feat in Wednesday's win at UMBC. Her 11 rebounds are a career high.
• Rebounding proved to be the Hawks' Achilles' heel on Saturday, as UMass Lowell held a 43-29 advantage on the boards. The River Hawks scored 18 points off of 18 offensive rebounds.
• DaCosta extended her double-figure scoring streak to 12 games, marking the longest streak since Danielle Hood registered double figures in 14-straight games in 2007-08.

NEWS & NOTES:

• The Hawks' current five-game winning streak, which began with a win at Delaware on Dec. 21, is the longest rally for the Hawks this season. It marks Hartford's longest win streak since 2013-14, also a five-game rally that spanned from Jan. 20 – Feb. 2.
• With the win, Hartford improves to 6-1 against UMass Lowell.
• Hartford's 3-0 mark in America East action marks the program's best start to league play since 2009-10.
• At 12-4, Hartford is off to its best 16-game start since 2009-10, when the squad went 13-3.

 
UP NEXT:
The Hawks hit the hardwood for the third time in six days on Monday, Jan. 16, when they head to Bangor, Maine, for a Martin Luther King, Jr., Day clash against the Black Bears. Tipoff from Cross Insurance Center is set for 1 p.m.