THE BASICS:
 
RESULT: Hartford 60, Hofstra 49
RECORDS: Hartford (1-2); Hofstra (1-2)
LOCATION: Chase Arena at Reich Family Pavilion (West Hartford, Conn.)
 
THE LEAD:
 
Senior Janelle Harrison scored 17 points and added eight rebounds to lead the University of Hartford women's basketball team past Hofstra, 60-49, at Reich Family Pavilion on Saturday. Sophomore Sierra DaCosta added 15 points for the Hawks, who led from start-to-finish in the contest behind an impressive defensive effort that featured 27 Pride turnovers.

Olivia Askin paced all scorers with 18 points, while Ashunae Durant added 14 in the losing effort for Hofstra.
 
FIRST HALF:
 
The Hawks opened up the game on a tear on both ends of the court, building a quick double-digit lead after forcing Hofstra into a plethora of turnovers. In the opening minutes, Hartford converted five Pride turnovers into seven points to take a 9-0 lead with 7:11 left. Harrison, who contributed her first career three to the Hawks' game-opening run, made it a 12-1 game with another triple. After being held without a field goal for the first 5:27, Askin got hot from three for Hofstra, drilling a pair to close the gap to 15-7.
  
The two sides traded points to the tune of a 21-14 Hawks' advantage midway through the second quarter. But Hartford would end the half with another rally, scoring nine-unanswered points to regain a double-digit lead. Junior Alexia Douglas and freshman Jade Young each converted from long range during that stretch as Hartford led by 15 (30-15) at the break.
 
SECOND HALF:
 
The Hawks spotted Hofstra four-straight points to open the third, allowing the visitors to close the gap to 11. But Hartford held off the Pride's charge, regaining a 19-point lead with an 8-0 run that featured back-to-back threes from DaCosta and Abed. Two-straight layups by Harrison in the final 2:31 provided the Hawks with their largest lead of the game – a 20-point spread at 44-24 – with 16 seconds left in the quarter.

The Pride chipped away at their deficit, though, and pulled within 11 at 50-39 with a 10-1 run that was fueled by eight-straight points from Askin. In the final 79 seconds, Hofstra closed the gap to nine on a Durant layup, but the Hawks held the visitors scoreless for the remainder of the game to come out with the 11-point win.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

• Hartford forced 27 Hofstra miscues on the evening, scoring 24 points off of those turnovers. It marked the second time in as many games that the Hawks force 25 or more turnovers.
• The defense was especially impressive in the first half, as Hartford held the Pride to just 26.3 percent (5-of-19) shooting from the field in that stretch.
• Nearly half (14) of the Hawks' 30 first-half points came off of Hofstra's 16 turnovers.
• The Hawks held a 33-32 edge on the boards as each team finished with 13 second-chance points.
• Durane grabbed eight rebounds to lead Hofstra on the boards.

 
NEXT ON TAP:
The Hawks begin a four-game road trek on Monday, when they head to Syracuse for a morning matchup. Tipoff from inside the Carrier Dome is slated for 11 a.m.