THE BASICS:
 
RESULT: #6 Hartford 58, #2 UAlbany 56
RECORDS: Hartford (19-12); UAlbany (24-7)
LOCATION: Cross Insurance Arena (Portland, Maine)
PHOTO GALLERY
 
THE LEAD:
 
Less than 24 hours after the University of Hartford women's basketball team used a furious comeback bid to knock off third-seeded Binghamton, the Hawks rallied back from a seven-point deficit to defeat six-time defending champion and second-seeded UAlbany in the semifinals of the America East Championship on Sunday afternoon. The Hawks ended the game on a 9-0 run to punch their ticket to the league's title game for the 10th time in program history, and the first under second-year head coach Kim McNeill.

Sophomore Sierra DaCosta, who netted a team-high 13 points, put the Hawks ahead on a layup off a steal with 53 seconds remaining before three straight stops on consecutive UAlbany inbounds plays allowed Hartford to seal its fourth straight victory.
 
Freshman Jade Young also scored 13 points, while junior Lindsey Abed and senior Janelle Harrison added 12 points apiece.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 

• Trailing by as many as eight in the second quarter and by three at the half, the Hawks stormed back to take their first lead of the game since the opening minute using a 10-2 run to open the third. But UAlbany answered back, delivering an 11-3 rally to regain a lead at 48-43 heading into the final quarter.
• Young knocked down a jumper and Lee made a layup to open the fourth quarter and put the Hawks back on top, 49-48. The lead wouldn't last long, though, as the Great Danes reclaimed a 56-49 advantage with 4:30 to go behind eight unanswered points.
• Back-to-back buckets by Lee cut the Great Danes' lead to a single point with 64 seconds left on the clock before DaCosta gave Hartford a one-point advantage after coming away with a steal and going coast-to-coast 13 seconds later.
• Abed went on to hit one-of-two free throws with five seconds remaining to put Hartford up by two before the defense clamped down to hold UAlbany without a look on three straight inbounds plays to come away with the win.

 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE & NOTES:
 

• Junior transfer Alexia Douglas handed out a career-high seven assists while Young and Abed each came away with four steals.
• The Hawks, who broke the program record in steals set last year in last night's win against Binghamton, came away with 11 to increase its season total to 391.
• Trpcic led all scorers with 16 points, adding seven assists for UAlbany.
• Hartford's championship appearance is the Hawks' first since 2015, when it was the No. 5 seed.

 
NEXT ON TAP:
The sixth-seeded Hawks take on regular-season champion Maine in the America East Championship's title game on Friday, March 8. Tipoff from Bangor's Cross Insurance Center is set for 4 p.m. on ESPNU.