WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – Hartford women's hoops ran out to a 38-point lead in the first half, as the Hawks rolled to its ninth-straight win, 82-35, over UAlbany Saturday afternoon.
 
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Graduate student Ella Awobajo scored a game-high 24 points, while sophomore Jade Young finished with 12 points and 13 rebounds for her first career double-double, as the Hawks improve to 14-7 on the year and stay perfect in the America East at 7-0. Junior Alexi Schecter and sophomore Patricia Conroy each scored a team-high eight points, as the Great Danes fall to 7-13 overall and 4-3 in conference play.
 
HARTFORD 82 UALBANY 35
Hartford absolutely dominated from the jump, scoring the most points in an opening half this season to head into the locker room with a 49-11 lead. Awobajo had 18 of her 24 points in the first half while junior Sierra DaCosta scored 14 points and added three steals in the opening stanza. The Hawks made 17-38 (.450) from the floor and was .500 (6-12) from three.
 
Hartford put its stamp on the game in the second half, pushing its lead to nearly 50, for its first victory by 40 or more points since the 2009-10 season when the Hawks beat UMBC by 40 (85-45). Hartford once again turned defense into offense, scoring 37 points off of 38 UAlbany turnovers and owned a 42-20 advantage in the paint.
 
NEWS AND NOTES

• Head coach Kim McNeill became the fastest coach in Hartford's 35-year Division I history to reach 50 wins. Her record now sits at 50-34 with 23 America East victories
• Senior Lindsey Abed recorded a game-high six steals for her second-straight game with five or more steals. She is averaging 3.6 steals per game in conference play
• The 11 points by UAlbany in the first half was the fewest points an opponent has scored against the Hawks in any half this season
• It is the third time this season that Hartford has held a team to 40 points or less in a game. The Hawks fell just seven points short of matching the Division I record of 28 points set against Columbia during the 1993-94 season
• Hartford pushes its winning streak to nine games, for its longest rally since the Hawks rattled off 20-straight wins during the 2009-10 season
• Senior Alexia Douglas has teamed up with Abed in America East play to be a menace on the defensive end of the court, recording three steals to bring her conference total to 26. She is averaging 3.7 steals per game in America East games
• The Hawks have been dominant on both ends of the court to start America East play, holding opposing teams to 41.7 points and winning by an average margin of 23.3 points per game through their first seven conference games
• At 7-0, Hartford is off to its best start in conference play since the 2009-10 when the Hawks rattled off 16 straight America East wins to go undefeated in America East play

 
NEXT ON TAP
Hartford is back out on the road to take on Binghamton Wednesday night. Opening tip is at 7 p.m. on ESPN3.