BALTIMORE, Md. –Hartford pulled away from UMBC in the fourth quarter to win its second straight America East game to start conference play, topping the Retrievers, 66-52, Wednesday night.
 
Senior Alexia Douglas scored a season-high 11 points, as the Hawks win their fourth straight game to move to 9-7 on the year and 2-0 in the America East. Janee'a Summers had a game high 19 points, as UMBC falls to 7-8 overall and 0-2 in conference play.
 
HARTFORD 66 UMBC 52
After a slow start to the first quarter, sophomore Jabria Ingram got the Hawks on the board as she took advantage of an UMBC turnover for the easy layup with just over six minutes left in the opening period. After the Retrievers answered with a three pointer, Hartford went on an 11-6 run to wrap up the opening quarter with the 13-9 lead. The Hawks pushed their lead to seven with 4:13 remaining in the second quarter, as Douglas knocked down her second three of the first half, giving Hartford the 23-16 advantage. The Retrievers, however, cut into the Hawks' lead at the end of the period, making it a one possession game heading into the second half, 28-25, in favor of Hartford.
 
The Hawks pushed their lead back to 10 midway through the third quarter as a layup by junior Lawrencia Moten gave Hartford the 39-29 advantage. UMBC answered once again with a 13-5 run to end the period, making it a three-point game (44-41) heading into the fourth quarter. Hartford, however, closed out the game in the final period, outscoring the Retrievers 22-11, to finish off the 66-52 victory.
 
NEWS AND NOTES

• Hartford's reserves scored 30 or more points for the second time this season, falling just short of matching its season high of 34 points set earlier this year against Morgan State (Nov. 9)
• Freshman Sierra Smith finished with a career-high nine rebounds 
• Hartford registered 11 steals, making it the 10th game this season that the Hawks finished with double-digit steals
• It's the Hawks' fifth consecutive road win of the season. It is the longest winning streak as visitors since Hartford won four straight away from West Hartford during the 2011-12 season

 
NEXT ON TAP
Hartford returns home for its first America East game at Reich Family Pavilion on Saturday against Vermont. Opening tip is 2 p.m. on ESPN3.
 
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