THE BASICS:
 
RESULT: New Hampshire 58, Hartford 50
RECORDS: Hartford (13-6, 4-2 AE); UNH (16-3, 6-0 AE)
LOCATION: Lundholm Gymnasium (Durham, N.H.)

THE LEAD:
 
The University of New Hampshire continued its strong start to conference play, maintaining its undefeated record in the league with a 58-52 victory over the University of Hartford women's basketball team on Sunday. Freshman Sierra DaCosta led the Hawks with 17 points and eight rebounds, while Carlie Pogue scored a game-best 25 points for the Wildcats, who shot 52.3 percent on the afternoon.

Junior Darby Lee joined DaCosta in double figures with 10 points. The Hawks were able to trim a 17-point deficit down to two possessions on three occasions in the second half, but were never able to get any closer for the remainder of the game.

FIRST HALF:
UNH came out of the gates hot, converting on five of its first seven shots to take an 11-2 lead midway through the first. Cold shooting plagued the Hawks during that stretch, as a 0-for-6 stretch resulted in a four-minute scoring drought. DaCosta snapped the scoreless streak with a putback, sparking a 5-0 run for the rookie that pulled the Hawks within four (11-7). But Pogue, who had 10 points in the opening quarter, would stretch UNH's lead to eight (15-7) by ending the stanza with back-to-back layups. 

The hot shooting continued for the Wildcats in the second. With four-straight makes to start the stanza, UNH garnered a 24-7 lead with 6:43 left until a Lee jumper snapped the run. That bucket sparked an 8-2 spurt to pull the Hawks within 11, but the Wildcats ended the half with an Aliza Simpson layup and a pair of free throws from Olivia Healy to enter the locker room with a 30-15 advantage.
 
SECOND HALF:
After the break, Pogue scored a quick two to push the UNH to 17. But a DaCosta layup embarked the Hawks on an 8-0 run to cut their deficit to nine, 32-21, following a pull up jumper in transition from senior Deanna Mayza with 7:52 left. Following five unanswered points from UNH, A Mayza layup and Janelle Harrison jumper sparked a 7-0 run that closed the gap to seven, 37-30, with 3:28 to go. The Hawks would cut the lead to six on a DaCosta conversion from long range, but the Wildcats pushed the advantage back to 11 before the end of the period by scoring seven of the next nine points.

With 6:24 remaining, Harrison closed the gap to six for the third time on a layup to make it a 52-46 game. But Hartford was unable to get over the hump, as an 0-for-5 stretch from the field led to a five-minute scoreless stretch. UNH pushed the lead to nine during that duration (55-46), and the Hawks wouldn't come any closer than seven in the final three minutes of the game.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• The Wildcats' defense held the Hawks to 15 first-half points, a season-low offensive effort for Hartford. The Hawks' 50 points marked a season-low scoring output
• From the floor, UNH was hot in the first half, going 13-of-23 for 56.5 percent.  The squad went on to shoot 52.3 percent (23-of-44), including 44.4 percent (8-of-12) from long range.
• Unlike UNH, Hartford was cold in the opening half, turning in their worst performance from the field in a first half this season (6-of-24; 25.0%)
• Harrison added nine points and a game-best four steals.
• Pogue had a hot hand for the Wildcats, shooting 10-of-12 from the field while making 5-of-6 from the line.

NEWS & NOTES:

• UNH has won 10-straight games, a program record.
• The Hawks dip to 33-34 in the all-time series with the Wildcats.

 
UP NEXT:
A mid-week clash with Binghamton is on the docket for Hartford, as the Hawks return to Reich Family Pavilion to entertain the Bearcats on their You Can Play night on Wednesday, Jan. 25. Hartford and Binghamton are slated for a 7 p.m. tip.