THE BASICS:
RESULT: Binghamton 64, Hartford 59
RECORDS: Hartford (11-6, 3-1 AE); Binghamton (11-5, 2-1 AE)
LOCATION: The Events Center (Vestal, N.Y.)
 
THE LEAD:
The University of Hartford women's basketball team dropped its first America East contest of the season at Binghamton, falling 64-59 in Vestal, N.Y., on Saturday afternoon. Binghamton's Imani Watkins led all scorers with 27 points, while senior Darby Lee led the way for the Hawks with 18 points.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The Hawks jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead in the opening three minutes of the game, before Binghamton scored 13 unanswered points as part of a 24-7 run. That rally put the Bearcats up by a 24-11 margin at the end of the first quarter.
• Senior Mary Pattison opened up the second quarter with five-straight points, as the Hawks went on a 19-6 run to tie up the game with 1:28 left in the first half. The Bearcats responded with five points, including a Watkins' half court buzzer beater in the closing minute, to take a 35-30 advantage into halftime.
• Hartford continued to chip away at the Binghamton lead in a back-and-forth third quarter. Lee scored 12 of the Hawks' 16 points of the stanza, including a layup with 28 seconds to go, to bring Hartford back within three at the end of the third quarter, 49-46.
• A Pattison three with 9:32 left in the game brought the game even at 49, before Binghamton regained the lead moments later from a Rebecca Carmondy layup. The Hawks remained within striking distance, and with 5:03 left to play, freshman Jade Young hit a three with to put the Hawks on top, 57-56. Another Carmondy layup sparked an 8-2 Binghamton run in the final 4:30 to give the Bearcats the 64-59 decision.  

INSIDE THE NUMBERS & NOTES:

• The Hawks owned the advantage from the field (25-23), while the Bearcats held a slim edge from behind the arc (8-7). Binghamton also capitalized from the free-throw line, where it outscored Hartford by a 10-2 margin.
• Binghamton outrebounded Hartford (39-32), while the Hawks owned the advantage in steals (17-9).
• Pattison recorded a career high with 13 points, going 5-for-5 from the field and 3-for-3 from behind the arc.
• Lee set a season high with 18 points, extending her double-figure streak to four games.
• Senior Janelle Harrison tied her career-high of five steals and passed Erica Beverly (2005-10) for 10th all-time in program history. 

 
UP NEXT:
The next two games land the Hawks at Reich Family Pavilion. The brief homestand begins on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (Monday, Jan. 15) matchup with UMBC at 1 p.m. on ESPN3 with Jeff Dooley and Katie Roth on the call.
 
Tickets for the contest are still available, and can be purchased by calling 860.768.HAWK, by emailing tickets@hartford.edu or by visiting the Malcolm and Brenda Berman Athletics Ticket Office. Tickets can also be purchased by clicking here.