THE BASICS:
 
RESULT: Binghamton 60, Hartford 59
RECORDS: Hartford (16-12, 7-8 AE); Binghamton (13-15, 8-7 AE)
LOCATION: The Events Center (Vestal, N.Y.)

THE LEAD:
 
A fourth-quarter comeback by Binghamton stunned the University of Hartford women's basketball team on Thursday evening, as the Hawks dropped a 60-59 decision to the Bearcats at the Events Center. Hartford, which led by nine with 7:21 left, was held scoreless for the remainder of the game, allowing Binghamton to steal the win with a game-ending, 10-0 run.

Imani Watkins led all scorers with 28 points, drilling four three-pointers while sparking the Bearcats' late charge with the first five points of the comeback. That run was capped by Carly Boland's lone points of the game - a three-pointer from the corner with 66 seconds left to play. Senior Deanna Mayza led three Hawks in double figures with 18 points. Junior Darby Lee scored 16 while senior La'Trice Hall added a career-high 15 points in the defeat.

FIRST HALF:
Nine combined turnovers in the first quarter kept the scoring to a minimum to start the game. Both sides traded baskets to open things up, as Hartford took an 8-7 edge behind a Sierra DaCosta putback with 3:41 to go. But the Hawks would struggle to convert from the field in the final minutes, allowing Binghamton to take a 12-8 edge at the end of the quarter following a Jasmine Sina three and a pair of Kai Moon free throws.
 
Some hot shooting to start the second quarter put the lead back in the hands of the Hawks. Hartford, which opened the stanza by making 6-of-7 from the field, used a 13-4 run to push ahead by five (21-16) with 5:09 to go before the break. Binghamton closed the gap to three with a triple from Watkins, but Mayza nailed a three and Abed knocked down a jumper in the final minute to extend Hartford's advantage to eight, 30-22, at halftime.
 
SECOND HALF:
Binghamton wasted little time to cut into its deficit in the third. The Bearcats opened the session with six unanswered points to close the gap to two before using a 5-2 spurt to pull ahead, 33-32, with 7:38 left. That would be the first of six lead changes in the quarter, as a Mayza jumper at the 5:11 mark put Hartford in front, 40-39. That bucket sparked another 13-4 run for the Hawks that made it a 51-43 lead, but Watkins trimmed the Bearcats' deficit to five at the buzzer with a three-pointer from well beyond the arc.

Behind a pair of three-points from Hall, the Hawks opened up their largest lead of the game – a nine point spread at 59-50 – with 7:21 to go. But Hartford was unable to maintain that advantage, as the Bearcats mounted a comeback by scoring the final 10 points of the contest. A pair of free throws from Moon made it a one possession game at 59-57 with 2:40 left before Boland's three with 66 seconds left proved to be the final blow. The Hawks, who misfired on each of their last five shots of the game including two inside of the final minute, were unable to muster up the go-ahead basket.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Hall made each of her first six shots of the game to finish with a career high in scoring. She finished the contest 6-of-8 from the field, including 3-of-4 from long range.
• Mayza added five assists and four rebounds to her team-high 18 points, while Lee led the way on the boards with seven.
• Binghamton went 9-of-10 from the line, including a 6-of-6 effort from Moon. The Hawks went 4-of-4 from the charity stripe, with Lee accounting for each of the team's attempts.

 
UP NEXT:
The Hawks play host to UAlbany on Sunday, Feb. 26, for their 2016-17 regular-season finale. Prior to the 2 p.m. tip, Hartford's three seniors (Hall, Mayza and Alyssa Reaves) will be honored in a Senior Day Ceremony. Fans who can't make the game can catch the broadcast online on ESPN3.