THE BASICS:
 
RESULT: UAlbany 58, Hartford 52
RECORDS: Hartford (16-13, 7-9 AE); UAlbany (18-11, 12-4 AE)
LOCATION: Chase Arena at Reich Family Pavilion (West Hartford, Conn.)

THE LEAD:
The University of Hartford women's basketball team came up short to UAlbany, dropping a 58-52 decision to the Great Danes at Reich Family Pavilion on Sunday. Sophomore Lindsey Abed scored 13 points for the Hawks while Tiana-Jo Carter led all scorers with 17 for the Great Danes, who broke open a 47-47 deadlock by ending the game with a 10-5 run.

Deanna Mayza added 11 points for Hartford, which will be the No. 6 seed in the upcoming America East Championship. It was the final home game for Mayza and classmates La'Trice Hall and Alyssa Reaves, as they were honored for Senior Day prior to the contest.

FIRST HALF:
UAlbany took advantage of an early stretch of cold shooting by the Hawks, jumping out to an 11-4 lead with 6:48 left. Hartford quickly clawed its way back, though, with a pair of Darby Lee free throws sparking a 10-2 run. Abed's jumper with 10 seconds left in the quarter capped the rally and put the Hawks up by one (14-13), but Bose Aiyalogbe beat the buzzer with a three to give the Great Danes the two-point advantage at the end of the stanza.

Mayza put the lead back in the hands of the Hawks with a triple in the opening seconds before momentum shifted back in favor of UAlbany. A 7-0 run featuring a Bailey Hixson make from long range made it a 23-17 Great Danes' lead with 6:11 to go. But that advantage that wouldn't last long, as the Hawks ended the half on a tear. Behind six points from Abed, Hartford scored 13 of the final 17 points of the stanza to take a 30-27 lead into the locker rooms
 
SECOND HALF:
A quick exchange of baskets to open the second saw Hartford push its lead to five (34-29) within the first 73 seconds. UAlbany responded by stringing together four-straight layups to go up, 37-34, but a 7-3 rally which included five points from sophomore Kelly Douglass saw the Hawks reclaim the lead at 41-40 with 2:20 to go. A three with 2:10 on the clock from Fequiere forced another lead change, though, as the Great Danes held the 43-41 edge heading into the fourth.

Trailing by four early in the final quarter, Abed knocked down a jumper before freshman Sierra DaCosta drained two free throws to tie up the game at 47-47 with 7:13 left to play. But the Hawks would be held without a field goal until the final minute, receiving just two points during that stretch on a pair of free throws from Lee. Those two makes ended a 6-0 UAlbany spurt and closed the gap to four at 53-49 with 1:20 remaining. Despite a late three from Mayza, Hartford would not come any closer as the Great Danes kept the game out of reach from the free-throw line.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• The Hawks struggled to convert against the Great Danes, shooting 27.7 percent (18-of-65) to the Great Danes' 40.0 percent (22-of-55).
• Slightly edged by UAlbany in rebounding (42-41), Hartford pulled down 18 offensive rebounds, scoring 17 points off second-chance opportunities.
• Hall grabbed nine caroms, a season-high, while Abed added seven.
• Adding eight points, Lee came away with a career-high six steals, matching the Hawks' top individual performance in the category this season. Hartford finished the game with 15 thefts.
• Tate, the America East's leading scorer, was held to just 12 points after netting 33 in her last outing against Vermont. She added nine rebounds and a game-high six assists for the Great Danes.

 
UP NEXT:
The quarterfinals of the America East Championship are up next for Hartford, as the sixth-seeded Hawks are set to face No. 3 UMBC on Saturday, March 4. The Hawks and Retrievers drew the late game, with tip from the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland, Maine, set for 8:30 p.m. During the regular-season, the two squads split a pair of games, with each team winning on the road.