PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Hartford women's basketball team dropped a 60-30 decision at Providence College in the opening game of the Friar Thanksgiving Classic on Friday. The Hawks fell to 0-5 on the year, while the Friars improved to 4-2 on the young season.
 
PROVIDENCE 60, HARTFORD 30
Providence, which led wire-to-wire, used a 17-0 run capped by a Kylee Sheppard layup to take a 23-4 lead after the first quarter. The two teams battled back-and-forth to open up the second, trading baskets before freshman Tatum Forbes drew a foul to ignite the Hawk bench. Freshman Elena Houghton followed two Forbes free throws with a big block on the defensive end of the floor before going coast-to-coast converting a layup to close the gap to 29-15 with 3:54 remaining in the half. Providence regained its momentum closing out the half on a 10-2 run to take a 37-17 lead into the break.
 
Both teams were quiet coming out of halftime, with neither scoring a point until the 7:33 mark when Hawks freshman Zaiha Minnis hit nothing but net from three-point range. The Friars quickly regained their momentum from the first half though, closing out the third quarter on a 10-0 run. Providence held on to claim the 60-30 victory over Hartford in the opening game of the Friar Thanksgiving Classic.
 
INSIDE THE BOX & NOTES

• Forbes led the Hawks with six points and two steals
• Houghton grabbed a game-high nine rebounds, with four coming on the offensive end of the floor
• Freshman Paige Loughman and Minnis each added five points off the bench
• Olivia Olsen led all scorers with 17 points for Providence
• The Friars outrebounded the Hawks 51-33
• Hartford forced Providence to commit 18 turnovers throughout the contests, good for a plus-four turnover margin

NEXT ON TAP
Hartford will be back in action Saturday afternoon for the second game of the Friar Thanksgiving Classic against Bryant. Tipoff between the Hawks and Bulldogs is set for 1 p.m.