THE BASICS:
 
RESULT: UMBC 64, Hartford 47
RECORDS: Hartford (14-10, 5-6 AE); UMBC (12-12, 7-4 AE)
LOCATION: Chase Arena at Reich Family Pavilion (West Hartford, Conn.)

THE LEAD:
UMBC received a game-high 17 points from Allison McGrath, as the Retrievers took advantage of a cold shooting afternoon for the University of Hartford women's basketball team, topping the Hawks 64-47 on Friday afternoon at Reich Family Pavilion. Freshman Jess Camarda was the lone Hawk to finish in double figures, matching her career high in scoring with 15 points.

McGrath converted on five three-pointers, while Taylor McCarley contributed 15 points for the Retrievers, who shot 24-of-49 overall (.490).  The Hawks shot 15-of-54 (.278) on the afternoon, as all but five of their made field goals came from three-point territory.

FIRST HALF:
Each scoring possession provided a lead change in the first quarter, as there were seven lead changes until a pair of junior Janelle Harrison free throws tied up the game at 12-12 inside of the final minute of the stanza. UMBC broke the deadlock before the end of the quarter, though, as Laura Castaldo's third layup of the quarter gave the Retrievers a 14-12 advantage as time expired.

UMBC opened the second quarter with a 9-1 run over the first three minutes to take its first double-digit lead of the contest at 23-13. Senior La'Trice Hall stopped the bleeding with a baseline jumper, but the Retrievers converted on back-to-back possessions to push their lead to 27-15 with three minutes to go. Hartford managed to muster up a 5-0 run behind a Hall layup and a Camarda three, but McGrath, who hit a three earlier in the stanza, ended the half with two more long range makes to stretch the visiting team's lead to 33-20.
 
SECOND HALF:
After struggling to convert from the field in the first half (24%), the Hawks' shooting woes continued after the break. Hartford was held to two field goals during that stretch, with junior Darby Lee knocking down a jumper and Camarda ending a nearly eight-minute scoring drought with a three pointer with 15 seconds left. Behind six points from Castaldo, the Retrievers led by 18 (43-25) at the end of the third.

Behind a 10-2 run, UMBC extended its lead to 53-27 in the opening minutes of the fourth. But the Hawks ended the game with a string of hot shooting from long range, closing the gap to 62-41 over the final six minutes before Lakiah Sims ended the contest with a layup for the Retrievers. During that final stretch, Hartford went 6-of-8 from behind the arc, with Camarda leading the charge with three makes.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• The Hawks struggled offensively, turning in season-low efforts in field goal percentage and points.
• Camarda had a hot hand from long range, especially in the second half. She knocked down five three-pointers, including three in the final four minutes of the game.
• Mayza and Abed contributed two threes apiece as the Hawks knocked down 10 triples, the most since making 10 at UMBC last month.
• The Hawks were cold in the opening half, going just 24.0 percent from the field (6-of-25), a season-low clip. Conversely, UMBC had a hot start, making 48.3 percent of its first-half field goal attempts (14-of-29).
• Senior Alyssa Reaves pulled down a game-high eight rebounds, as Hartford and UMBC finished even in the category with 32 apiece.
• Wilson and McCarley also registered double figures in scoring with 10 and 12 points, respectively.

NEWS & NOTES:

• Settling for the series split after defeating the Retrievers, 80-73, in Baltimore on Jan. 11, the Hawks dip to 23-8 in the all-time series with UMBC.
• Since that matchup at UMBC, the Retrievers have won seven of their last eight games.
• Friday's game was originally scheduled to be played on Thursday evening at 7 p.m., but was moved due to inclement weather conditions.

 
UP NEXT:
Hartford kicks of a two-game road trip with a stop at UMass Lowell on Sunday, Feb. 12. The Hawks and River Hawks are slated for a 2 p.m. tip from the Tsongas Center.