THE BASICS:
 
RESULT: North Carolina 90, Hartford 70
RECORDS: Hartford (3-4), UNC (5-2)
LOCATION: Carmichael Arena (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
 
THE LEAD:
 
The University of Hartford women's basketball team dropped a 90-70 decision at ACC opponent North Carolina in non-conference action on Friday afternoon. Coming off back-to-back wins, the Hawks trailed by six in the fourth quarter, but a 10-0 run by the Tar Heels opened up the tightly contested affair and sealed the win for UNC.

Sophomore Sierra DaCosta scored a career- high 26 points to lead all scorers, while junior Lindsey Abed and senior Darby Lee added 11 points apiece for the Hawks in the setback. Janelle Bailey had 25 points and 13 rebounds to pace the Tar Heels in the win.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• After opening up the game to a 4-4 tie, UNC used an 11-4 run fueled by a pair of three-pointers from Taylor Koenen and Jamie Cherry to take a 16-8 advantage with 5:39 left in the opening quarter. With four minutes to go, Cherry converted on a pair of free throws to push the lead into double figures.
• A big push from the Tar Heels to open the second quarter extended the lead to 36-18 with 5:05 minutes to go until halftime. UNC used a 9-4 run to build the cushion, which marked its largest advantage of the half.
• A pair of free throws late in the first half trimmed the Hawks' deficit down to nine, and the Tar Heels would go on to take a 12-point edge (43-31) into the intermission.
• The Hawks came out firing after halftime and chipped away at their deficit. With 6:31 left in the stanza, DaCosta pulled Hartford within three with a three-pointer.
• Hartford continued to hang around and was down by six points (71-65) with 6:39 left to play. But UNC outscored the Hawks by a 19-5 margin down the stretch to seal the win.

 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

• The Hawks turned in a stellar effort from the free-throw line, going 16-of-18 for 88.9 percent.
• UNC was sent to the line often, as 22 of its points came from the charity stripe. The Tar Heels finished the game shooting 64.7 percent from the free-throw line.
• The Hawks held the Tar Heels to just 20.0 percent shooting from long range (4-of-20).
• Freshman Jade Young scored all of her nine points in the second half.
• Three other Tar Heels joined Bailey in double figures as Cherry (19 points), Paris Kea (14) and Koenan (11) rounded out the team's top scorers.
• UNC held a 57-24 advantage on the boards and scored 23 of its points off second-chance opportunities. Jaelynn Murray and Jocelyn Jones each pulled down 10 rebounds.

 
NEXT ON TAP:
Hartford returns to Reich Family Pavilion for its next two games, beginning with a Sunday tilt against Niagara. Tickets for the non-conference clash are still available and can be purchased by calling 860-768-HAWK, by visiting the Malcolm and Brenda Berman Athletics Tickets Office, or by clicking here. Tipoff between the Hawks and Purple Eagles is set for 4 p.m. on ESPN3.