THE BASICS:
 
RESULT: UAlbany 82, Hartford 71
RECORDS: Hartford (14-7, 5-3 AE); UAlbany (11-10, 5-3 AE)
LOCATION: SEFCU Arena (Albany, N.Y.)

THE LEAD:
The University of Hartford women's basketball team mounted a furious run in the fourth quarter, but the Hawks were unable to complete the comeback on Saturday, dropping an 82-71 decision at UAlbany. Sophomore Lindsey Abed and rookie Sierra DaCosta paced the Hawks with 17 points, while junior Darby Lee, who added 15 points, led the team with seven rebounds and three steals.

The Hawks trailed by as many as 31 late in the third, but an Abed three-pointer at the end of the stanza provided the team with some momentum heading into the final quarter. Thirteen of DaCosta's points came during that final stretch as Hartford cut the Great Danes' 70-42 advantage down to six, 75-69, with 2:06 to go using a 27-4 run to open the stanza. But Imani Tate, who led all scorers with 23 points, halted the rally, scoring five-unanswered points to provide UAlbany with an 11-point cushion heading into the final minute.

FIRST HALF:
Junior Janelle Harrison opened the game with a short-range jumper for the Hawks out of the opening tip, but the Great Danes took control for most of the opening quarter from there. Heather Forster got UAlbany on the board with a layup, and that bucket ignited a 16-2 run that put the Great Danes ahead, 16-4, with 3:36 left in the stanza. Hartford put a dent in its deficit before the end of the quarter, as a baseline jumper from senior La'Trice Hall and a pair of makes from the free-throw line by DaCosta closed the gap to 16-8.

The Hawks continued to rally in the second quarter, opening the stanza with four-straight points to bring the deficit down to four (16-12) within the first minute. Hartford wouldn't come any closer, though, as UAlbany held off the Hawks' charge and pushed its lead back into double digits with an 11-0 run. Mackenzie Trpcic capped that 2:25 stretch with a three-pointer to make it a 31-16 score, and the Great Danes would net eight of the final 13 points of the half to take a 41-25 advantage into the break.
 
SECOND HALF:
Deanna Mayza and Lee converted on back-to-back jump shots to close the gap to 11 (41-29) after intermission, but UAlbany got hot. A 24-6 Great Danes' run featuring three-pointers from Bailey Hixson, Tate and Trpcic stretched UAlbany's lead to 65-35 with 1:35 to go. Tate, who added another make from behind the arc to give UAlbany its largest lead of the game (31) before the end of the stanza, scored nearly half (14) of the Great Danes' 29 points during that quarter. As time expired, Abed drilled a three of her own to make it a 70-42 deficit for the Hawks.
 
Hartford picked up the pace on both ends of the floor in the fourth to claw its way back into the game. Holding the Great Danes to just one field goal during the first five minutes, the Hawks grinded out an 18-2 run to close the gap to 12, 72-60, with 5:08 remaining. After a Khepera Stokes three-point play disrupted the run, Hartford got even closer over the next three minutes, as a DaCosta sparked a 9-0 run with a three to pull the Hawks within six of the Great Danes at 75-69 with 2:06 to go. Tate put an end to Hartford's furious comeback bid, though, adding a cushion to her team's lead with two free throws and a triple with just over a minute left.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Lee, who shot 7-of-10 from the field, scored all but two of her 15 points in the second half.
• DaCosta was perfect in eight free-throw attempts as Hartford converted on 13-of-15 from the line, good for a season-best clip of 86.7 percent. The Great Danes scored 18 of their points from the charity stripe behind a 62.1 percent effort.
• Prior to Saturday's defeat, the Hawks were 7-0 when scoring 70-or-more points.
• Both teams shot well on the afternoon, as UAlbany converted on 47.5 percent (28-of-59) from the field to Hartford's 45.8 percent (27-of-59). The Hawks were sizzling in the second half, combining to shoot 55 percent (17-of-31) during that stretch.
• The Great Danes posted a dominant effort on the boards, outrebounding the Hawks by a 41-29 margin. Tiana-Jo Carter pulled down a game-best nine rebounds.

NEWS & NOTES:

• The Great Danes have won 12-straight against the Hawks to close Hartford's advantage in the all-time series to 20-19.
• After posting an 8-1 record on the road to start the season, Hartford has come up empty in its last three games away from West Hartford.

 
UP NEXT:
The Hawks have a week off before beginning the second half of the America East Conference schedule with a road trip to Burlington, Vt. Hartford will be seeking its 11th-straight victory in the series with the Catamounts in a 2 p.m. tip from Patrick Gymnasium.