THE BASICS:
 
RESULT: Vermont 76, Hartford 60 (2ot)
RECORDS: Hartford (14-8, 5-4 AE); Vermont (7-15, 4-6 AE)
LOCATION: Patrick Gymnasium (Burlington, Vt.)

THE LEAD:

The University of Hartford women's basketball team dropped a 76-70 decision at Vermont, falling in double-overtime to the Catamounts inside of Patrick Gymnasium on Saturday. Vermont, which shot 54.2 percent on the afternoon, kept the Hawks off the scoreboard for the final 4:39 of the second overtime, sealed the win by scoring the game's final seven points. Senior Deanna Mayza paced four Hawks in double figures with 18 points in the defeat.

Hanna Crymble compiled a game-best 20 points behind 7-of-9 shooting from the field and a 6-of-7 effort from the free-throw line. She came away with a double-double, leading all rebounders with 13 caroms. Junior Janelle Harrison added 16 points for Hartford, while freshman Sierra DaCosta (14 points) and sophomore Lindsey Abed (13) rounded out the Hawks' double-figure scorers.

FIRST HALF:
The Hawks and Catamounts exchanged points during the first two minutes as the squads were tied up at 5-5 early on. Harrison finished with a layup to put Hartford in front by two, but Vermont strung together a 14-3 run to go up by nine (19-10) with 1:58 left. Sydney Smith and Kylie Butler each contributed threes to that run as the Catamounts got off to a 3-for-4 from long range. Abed, who provided the Hawks' lone points of that stretch, closed the gap to 19-12 with a pair of makes in the final minute.

The deficit grew to nine in the opening minute of the second, but the Hawks used some hot shooting from long range to claw back in the game. Converting on its next three attempts from behind the arc, Hartford took the lead at 25-23 with a 13-2 run. The lead wouldn't last long, though, as the Catamounts tied things up at 27-27 before scoring eight of the last nine points of the half to take a 33-28 edge into the break.
 
SECOND HALF:
Within the first minute of the third, the Hawks reclaimed the advantage as DaCosta and Abed went back-to-back from long range to make it a one-point Hartford edge (34-33). But with the game tied for the fourth time at 36-all, the scoring would slow down for the Hawks, as they were held to just two field goals for the remainder of the stanza. Taking the lead on a Kristina White layup, Vermont went on to push ahead by seven (43-36) with 3:55 left using a 7-0 spurt. A three-point play by DaCosta and a long two by Abed allowed Hartford to close the gap to four at 45-41 by the end of the quarter.
 
Facing a 51-46 deficit with 8:13 to go, the Hawks stormed back and grasped a one-point edge with a 6-0 run. Vermont returned the favor, though, and used six-unanswered points of its own to reclaim the advantage at 57-52. Despite the Hawks tying the game back up, Smith broke the deadlock with a pair of free throws before an empty offensive possession by Hartford put the ball back in the hands of the Catamounts with less than a minute left. But Harrison came away with a pivotal steal for the Hawks, and after a timeout, she converted on a layup with 3.3 seconds left to tie up the game and force overtime.
 
OVERTIME:
Hartford struck first in overtime, with Mayza making it a 61-59 game with a jumper. The Catamounts answered, using a 5-0 run to take a three-point edge, but Mayza put Hartford back on top by a point (65-64) using a personal 4-0 run before Harrison extended the lead to four on the next possession with a three-point play. But Vermont refused to back down, as the Catamounts quickly tied up the score a Candice Wright layup and two Crymble free throws.  Following two missed field goals by Hartford, the Catamounts advanced the ball with a timeout with two seconds let, but their baseline shot at the buzzer rimmed out to force another overtime session.
 
DOUBLE OVERTIME:
Mayza again delivered the first blow of the session with a long jumper, but that proved to be the Hawks' final strike. With 3:40 left, Smith tied up the game with a layup before Wright ended a two and a half minute scoring drought for both sides with a pair of free throws. With Hartford unable to find the equalizer on its next possession, Crymble put the Catamounts up by four (74-70) with 16 seconds left after making a layup through contact. With the Hawks unable to close the gap on a pair of misses in their next possession, Katie Lavelle sealed the win with five seconds left with a pair of free throws.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• UVM shot 57.1 percent from the field in the first (12-of-21) to Hartford's 32.3 (10-of-31). The Catamounts went on to shoot 54.2 percent (26-of-48) in the contest, the highest mark for a Hawks' opponent this season, while holding Hartford to a season-low 30.9 percent (25-of-81) clip from the field.
• Both teams shot well from the free-throw line, with Vermont cashing in on 18-of-22 attempts (81.8%). The Hawks made 14 trips from the line, making 11 shots for 78.6 percent.
• The Hawks held a +15.0 advantage in turnovers, netting 27 points off 29 Vermont turnovers.
• Hartford's nine makes from long range (9-of-31; 29%) were the most since Jan. 11 at UMBC (10). The Hawks averaged just over four three-pointers in their last six outings.
• The Catamounts landed four players in double figures as White (16), Smith (12) and Wright (11) joined Crymble in leading the squad.

NEWS & NOTES:

• Handing out a team-best five assists, Mayza moved into second-place in Hartford's record books in the category (433).
• The defeat snapped Hartford's 11-game win streak against the Catamounts. Vermont holds a 37-33 edge in the series.
• Hartford was 2-0 in overtime games this season prior to Saturday with wins against Hofstra and Binghamton. The defeat marks the Hawks' first in overtime since falling at Quinnipiac on Nov. 19, 2015.

 
UP NEXT:
The turnaround will be quick for the Hawks, as they return home to host Maine on Monday, Feb. 6. The Hawks and Black Bears are slated for a 7 p.m. tip from Reich Family Pavilion.