JOHNSON, Vt. – Senior Irene Primo dropped a career-high 21 points on 5-of-11 shooting from beyond the arc as the Hartford women's basketball team took down Northern Vermont-Johnson, 63-53, to earn its first win of the season. The Hawks move to 1-21 overall, while the Badgers dip to 12-10 on the year.
 
HARTFORD 63, NVU-JOHNSON 53
Hartford wasted little time jumping out to an early 4-0 lead after sophomore Ta'Nya Outten and freshman Tatum Forbes got the scoring started in the opening minute. However, Northern Vermont would battle back tying the game up at six apiece with 5:21 remaining in the first. Hartford would utilize an 18-6 run over the final five minutes of the opening quarter to take a commanding 24-12 lead into the first break.
 
After a slow start to the second quarter on both sides, the Badgers began to close the deficit bringing the score to within nine points with 2:21 remaining in the half. However, Primo responded for the Hawks draining back-to-back threes to slow down the NVU momentum. Playing to an even 10-10 score in the second, Hartford would take a 34-22 lead into the halftime break. 
 
NVU got the scoring started coming out into the second half of action after a midrange jumper from Emma Buonanno forced a timeout from Hartford with 9:23 remaining in the third. After the early timeout, the Hawks regained their stride, extending their lead to a season-high 16 points after sophomore Nayeli Dowding found graduate student Jasmine Barnes in the paint for a layup. However, the Badgers would utilize an 11-2 run over the final four minutes of the third to close the gap to 48-41 heading into the fourth.
 
The Badgers kept their momentum going into the final frame, shrinking the deficit to 56-50 in favor of the Hawks. With momentum swinging, Primo answered the call once again, draining her career-high fifth three-point field goal of the contest, silencing the crowd and extending Hartford's lead to 59-50 with 2:35 remaining in regulation. The Hawks would hold off the Badgers from mounting a comeback in the final minutes, as Hartford eventually earned its first win of the season by a score of, 63-53.
 
INSIDE THE BOX & NOTES

• Head coach Polly Thomason earns her first win at the helm of the Hartford women's basketball team
• Primo lit it up from beyond the arc, shooting 5-of-11 to finish with a career-high 21 points
• Freshman Elena Houghton tied her career-high scoring 12 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field
• Freshman Zaiha Minnis added 11 points off the bench
• Dowding notched her 200th career points, finishing with four on the afternoon
• The Hawks as a team tied their season-high, dishing out 14 assists while Forbes led the squad with four of her own
• Northern Vermont-Johnson outrebounded Hartford 45-36
• Paris Atuahene led all scorers, finishing with 26 points for the Badgers

 
NEXT ON TAP
Hartford will be back in action on Wednesday, Feb. 8, battling in-state rival Central Connecticut State. Tipoff between the Hawks and Blue Devils is set for 7 p.m., inside the Detrick Gymnasium.