THE BASICS:
 
RESULT: Hartford 78, UMass Lowell 56
RECORDS: Hartford (13-8, 5-3 AE); UMass Lowell (3-18; 0-8 AE)
LOCATION: Chase Arena at Reich Family Pavilion (West Hartford, Conn.)
PHOTO GALLERY
 
THE LEAD:
 
Senior Janelle Harrison scored a game-high 21 points on Saturday to lead the University of Hartford women's basketball team to a 78-56 win against visiting UMass Lowell. The Hawks were solid defensively, scoring 42 points off of 33 River Hawks' turnovers to coast to the triumph. 

Junior Lindsey Abed had a solid game for the Hawks, registering 19 points to go along with eight rebounds, five steals and four assists. For UMass Lowell, which has lost each of its past 12, Brianna Rudolph led the way with 18 points.


 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 

• Both sides traded buckets to open the game with UMass Lowell taking a 5-3 edge within the first minute. But an Abed layup at the 6:51 mark ignited a commanding, 12-0 run that put Hartford up by a 15-5 count with 2:39 left. Five unanswered points from the River Hawks would cut the Hawks' lead in half, but junior Kelly Douglass ended the quarter with a three-pointer to put Hartford up, 18-10.
• A stifling defensive effort in the second quarter led to the Hawks taking a 21-point lead into the break. Hartford created 11 UMass Lowell turnovers during that stretch, turning those miscues into 19 points. The Hawks went on to end the half with a 15-5 run and behind a buzzer-beating three-pointer from Harrison, they took a 42-21 lead at halftime.
• Hartford quickly extended the lead to 34 in the opening minutes of the second half, using a 13-0 run highlighted by six Harrison points to take its largest lead of the game with 6:47 left in the third. The Hawks conceded nine-straight points to allow UMass Lowell to close the gap to 25 (55-30), but a strong finish put Hartford back up by 32 (64-32) at the end of the quarter.
• Knocking down a trio of three-pointers in the final stanza, the River Hawks managed to put a dent in their deficit. UMass Lowell pulled within 23 in the final minutes, and a Rudolph triple in the final seconds provided the final score of 78-56.

 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE & NOTES:
 

• Senior Darby Lee (14 points) and junior transfer Alexia Douglas (11) also finished in double figures for the Hawks.
• The Hawks scored a season-high 42 points off of UMass Lowell's turnovers.
• UMass Lowell's 33 miscues marked the second-most forced by Hartford in a game this season.
• Douglass came away with a game- and career-high seven steals as the Hawks finished with 23, a season-high. Hartford also registered a season-best effort in assists with 21, led by five from Douglass.
• Hartford limited UMass Lowell to 20 points in the paint and outscored the River Hawks by 16 points in the category.
• The River Hawks finished with a hot hand from three, going 50 percent from behind the arc at 7-of-14.
• The win marked the 30th of second-year head coach Kim McNeill.

 
NEXT ON TAP:
The Hawks' homestand continues on Wednesday night with a visit from New Hampshire. Tipoff from Reich Family Pavilion is set for 7 p.m. with Jeff Dooley and Katie Roth on the call for ESPN3.

Tickets can be purchased by calling 860-768-HAWK or by visiting the Malcolm and Brenda Berman Athletics Ticket Office, located inside of the Reich Family Pavilion. Fans can also buy tickets online by clicking here.