THE BASICS:
 
RESULT: Hartford 84, UMass Lowell 64
RECORDS: Hartford (15-10, 6-6 AE); UMass Lowell (3-23, 0-13 AE)
LOCATION: Tsongas Center (Lowell, Mass.)

THE LEAD:

A big offensive third quarter allowed the University of Hartford women's basketball team to push past UMass Lowell in an 84-64 decision on Sunday afternoon at the Tsongas Center. Junior Janelle Harrison scored 17 of her game- and career-best 27 points during that stanza as the Hawks erased a one-point halftime deficit by dominating the River Hawks, 28-12, to take a 17-point lead into the final quarter.

Sophomore Lindsey Abed also eclipsed the 20-point mark, netting 21 to help Hartford reach a season-high mark in scoring. Kayla Gibbs scored 14 points for the River Hawks, who have lost their last 13 games.

FIRST HALF:
Hartford and UMass Lowell went back-and-forth in the opening minutes, trading two buckets apiece to the tune of a 4-4 score. Over the next three minutes, the Hawks took control and broke the tie with a 7-0 run, with a Darby Lee jumper at the 5:07 mark making it an 11-4 lead for the visitors. But UMass Lowell answered back with seven-unanswered points, tying up the game for the third time since opening tip with 1:48 to go. Before the end of the stanza, Harrison, who had all but five of the Hawks' points in the first, put Hartford up by two 13-11, with a jumper.
 
Lee pushed the lead to four in the opening seconds of the second quarter, but the River Hawks used a stretch of hot shooting from behind the arc to erase their deficit. An 11-2 run sparked by Megan Hendrick and fueled by triples on three consecutive possessions – including two from Nicole Hayner – gave UMass Lowell a 22-17 advantage with 6:52 left. The Hawks were quick to rally back, tying up the score with five unanswered points before taking a three-point lead behind a Deanna Mayza three on the next possession. Following two more deadlocks, Gibbs would give UMass Lowell a slight, 33-32 edge heading into the break with a 1-of-2 effort from the charity stripe.

SECOND HALF:
The Hawks used a big third quarter to pull away from the River Hawks. Opening the stanza with a 9-0 run, including four points from Harrison, to take a 41-33 lead, Hartford continued to rally, breaking open a 43-37 game by ending the quarter with a commanding, 19-8 rally. Harrison, who ended the stanza with six-straight makes from the field, scored 17 of her points during the stretch as Hartford took a 17-point lead, 62-45, into the fourth.

Despite spotting UMass Lowell the first five points of the final quarter, Hartford continued to roll. A 15-5 run fueled by eight points by Abed, including a pair of triples, gave the Hawks their largest lead of the game (22) at 77-55 with 3:12 left on the clock. The River Hawks closed the gap to 15 with 88 seconds to go, but Hartford scored the final five points of the game to hold off any late charge.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Behind a career-high 10 made field goals, Harrison put up the most points for a Hawk in a single game this season.
• Harrison, who added eight rebounds, three assists and a game-best five steals, shot 10-of-16 on the afternoon (.672), while Abed went 8-for-15, including 4-of-6 (.667) from three-point range.
• On the afternoon, the Hawks shot 45.7 percent (32-of-70). UMass Lowell closed out the game shooting 26-of-49, good for 53.1 percent.
• For the second time this season, Hartford landed two 20-point scorers in the same game, as Lee and Mayza accomplished the feat against Sacred Heart on Dec. 4.
• Gibbs posted a double-double for the River Hawks, adding a game-best 14 points.
• Running away with the game behind a solid defensive effort, Hartford scored 27 of its points off 27 UMass Lowell turnovers. Abed added four steals as the Hawks finished with 17 thefts.
• Lee and Alyssa Reaves also finished in double figures for Hartford with 12 and 10 points, respectively.
• Mayza led the way in assists with seven, marking the 50th time in her career she records five-or-more assists in a contest

NEWS & NOTES:

• Defeating UMass Lowell for the fourth-straight outing, Hartford improves to 7-1 in the all-time series.
• The victory snaps a four-game skid for the Hawks, and a four-game losing streak in road games.
• Recording a block in the win, Reaves moved into fifth in program history in career blocks with 80 on her career.

 
UP NEXT:
Hartford concludes its two-game road trek on Wednesday, Feb. 15, with a trip across Long Island Sound to face Stony Brook. The Hawks and Seawolves are slated for an early tip from Island Federal Credit Union Arena, with action set to begin at 12 noon.