THE BASICS:
 
RESULT: Hartford 78, Yale 70
RECORDS: Hartford (8-5); Yale (7-6)
LOCATION: Rose Hill Gym (Fordham, N.Y.)
 
THE LEAD:
 
A season-best five Hawks scored in double figures on Friday as the University of Hartford women's basketball scored a 78-70 win over Yale in the consolation game of the Fordham Holiday Classic. Junior Lindsey Abed scored 16 of her team-best 19 points in the second half to help propel the Hawks to their fifth win in six games.

Jen Berkowitz paced Yale in the losing effort with 21 points, while Gabby Nelson knocked down four three-pointers for 12 points.

HOW IT HAPPENED:
 

• The Hawks got out to an early lead against Yale, pushing ahead by as many as 10 points in the first quarter. With 90 seconds to go in the stanza, junior Kelly Douglass capped a 7-2 run with a layup to make it a 21-11 Hartford lead.
• The Bulldogs responded before the end of the quarter, though, and cut their deficit in half with a 5-0 run. Yale continued to chip away in the second quarter, and behind a pair of three-pointers from Nelson, the Bulldogs came back to take a 29-26 lead with 4:33 left until halftime.
• The edge was short-lived, though, as Hartford used seven unanswered points to erase a 33-29 deficit and reclaim the lead. Senior Janelle Harrison knotted up the score at 33-33 with a layup before junior Alexia Douglas put the Hawks up by three with her first of three triples on the afternoon. A late foul would send Berkowitz to the line with one tick remaining, allowing the Bulldogs to pull within one at the break.
• The third quarter featured back-and-forth action between the Hawks and Bulldogs. After five lead changes, freshman Brielle Wilborn gave Hartford a one-point edge (57-56) in the period's final seconds after delivering a 2-for-2 effort from the free-throw line.
• Those free throws gave the Hawks a lead they would not relinquish for the remainder of the game. With Hartford holding on to a 61-59 edge with 6:19 to go, Douglass knocked down another three-pointer to give the Hawks some breathing room. That triple sparked a 9-3 run that pushed the advantage to 70-62 with 2:56 left to play.
• Down the stretch, the Bulldogs closed the gap to four with less than a minute left after Nelson converted from long range, but Abed iced the game by going 4-of-4 from the line.     

 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE & NOTES:

• Both teams shot the ball well on the afternoon. Hartford turned in a season-best 50 percent effort from the field (27-of-54), while Yale went 49.1 percent (27-of-55) from the field.
• Harrison, who recorded four steals in the contest, pulled down a team-best seven rebounds as Hartford held a 32-28 advantage on the boards.
• Harrison finished with 16 points while Douglas added a career-high 15 points for the Hawks. Douglass matched a season-high in scoring, joining Young with 11 points.
• Douglas, Douglass and Abed each knocked down three triples as the Hawks made a season-best 10 shots from long range behind 38.5 percent shooting.
• The Hawks cashed in from the free-throw line, going 70 percent (14-of-20). Abed was perfect in six attempts.
• Young and Abed combined for 13 of Hartford's 18 assists on the afternoon. Young dished out seven, a career high, while Abed finished with six.
• Hartford scored 21 points off of 21 Yale turnovers. It marked the eighth time this season that the Hawks force 20 or more miscues.

 
NEXT ON TAP:
The start of America East Conference play puts the Hawks up against defending league champion UAlbany at home on Wednesday, Jan. 3. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. on ESPN3.
 
Tickets for the contest are still available, and can be purchased by calling 860.768.HAWK, by emailing tickets@hartford.edu or by visiting the Malcolm and Brenda Berman Athletics Ticket Office. Tickets can also be purchased by clicking here.