WEST HARTFORD, Conn. — Senior
Nina Farkic led the Hawks with 13 points, eight rebounds and four assists as the Hartford women's basketball team narrowly fell to Maine, 52-49, inside the Reich Family Pavilion on Wednesday afternoon. With the loss Hartford falls to 0-2 in the America East, while the Black Bears improved to 5-0 on the season and 2-0 in conference-play.
PHOTO GALLERY
MAINE 52, HARTFORD 49
Hartford used the opening 5:48 of the contest to go on an 11-2 run, holding Maine to 1-of-9 from the floor during the stretch. The Black Bears dug in defensively to close the gap by holding the Hawks to two points the rest of the period, however, Hartford carried a 13-9 lead into the second.
After the Black Bears trimmed the Hawks' lead to one point, Hartford responded with a 6-0 run to push its lead to 22-15 with 3:51 left before the break. Maine followed with a 7-2 run of its own to cut Hartford's lead to two, before Breyenne Bellerand knocked down a three-pointer before the break to push the Hawks' lead to 27-22 at the half.
Hartford was able to push its lead up to eight two minutes into the third quarter, before an 11-3 run by Maine knotted the game at 36-36 with 2:51 to go in the period. Farkic snapped the Black Bear run, scoring through traffic, drawing the foul and knocking down the free throw to push the Hawks up three. However, Maine outscored Hartford 6-2 in the final two minutes of the period to take a slim 42-41 lead into the fourth.
Trailing 47-43, Jordan McLemore nailed a jumper to cut the Hartford deficit to two with 2:41 left in regulation. Maine's Dor Saar drilled a deep three to push the Black Bears' lead to five, forcing a Hartford timeout with 2:41 to go. Trailing by one with three seconds left, the Hawks turned the ball over and fouled Saar. Saar nailed the free throws and left Hartford a chance to tie the contest at the buzzer, however, the Hawks came up short in the 52-49 defeat.
INSIDE THE BOX AND NOTES
- Farkic led the Hawks with 13 points, eight rebounds and four assists
- Bellerand added 12 points and went 3-for-3 from beyond the arc
- Charlette Leurs tallied three blocks, tying her career-high
- Hartford outrebounded Maine 35-30
- Blanca Millan recorded 22 points and six rebounds to lead Maine
NEXT ON TAP
The Hawks will be back in action Sunday, Dec. 27 when they open a two-game set against New Hampshire inside Reich Family Pavilion. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. on ESPN+.
For an inside look at Hartford women's basketball, stay with HartfordHawks.com for updates and follow the team on social media: Twitter |
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