BOSTON, Mass. - The Hawks women's basketball improved to 7-7 in Conference of New England (CNE) play on Saturday defeating Wentworth Institute of Technology by a 60-46 final.
Rapid Recap:
- Sophomore Ella Marchesani (Saddle Brook, N.J.) kicked off the game for the Hawks netting a three, but the Leopards answered to even the score at 3-3. The Hawks took the early control using a 8-2 run over the next stretch four more points for Marchesani and another bucket by sophomore Ava Naszimento (Secacus, N.J.). Wentworth battled back closing the quarter with seven-straight points to hold a 12-11 lead into the second quarter.
- Marchesani and freshman Maya Okoro (Frisco, Texas) each scored buckets in the early going of the second quarter as the score was knotted at 17-17. Sophomore Lauren Sabia (Simsbury, Conn.) pushed the Hawks back in front with a finish followed by an old fashioned three-pointer by Naszimento to extend the lead to five points with five minutes to play. The Leopards tied the game up at 24-24, but Naszimento and Sabia teamed up again scoring seven points combined part of a closing 10-0 run as the Hawks led at halftime 34-24.
- Freshman Maddie MacCannell (Portsmouth, N.H.) kick started another Hartford run with back-to-back buckets part of a 8-3 run in the opening six minutes of the third quarter. Wentworth scored five-consecutive points to trim the deficit to 42-32, but Sabia drilled a closing second three to get the lead to 13 headed into the fourth.
- Okoro provided the offense in the early going of the fourth quarter as the Hawks held a 49-36 lead with 7:22 to play. Another and-one by Naszimento pushed the lead to 15 points with 6:03 to play. Wentworth would try and make a late run, but the Hawks would hold a double-digit lead the rest of the way through pulling out the 60-46 win.
Post Game Press:
"This win was great for us", said sophomore
Ava Naszimento (Secaucus, N.J.). "We know playing on the road is difficult, with the other team having a home advantage, but we didn't let that stop us. The guards gave us some great passes inside and we really took advantage of our size. Overall, it was just a great win and we're all excited."
Inside the Numbers:
- Naszimento led the Hawks to the win with her fifth double-double of the year. Ava ended the game with 17 points (6-11 FG, 5-7 FT), 10 rebounds and two assists. Sabia netted 12 points (3-5 FG, 1-2 3PT, 5-5 FT) to go with seven boards. Okoro had a good showing off the bench with 10 points (5-7 FG), five rebounds, two blocks and a pair of assists. Marchesani added 10 points (4-8 FG, 1-4 3PT, 1-2 FT) and a pair of assists.
- Maddy Foster led the Leopards with 19 points (5-16 FG, 3-8 3PT, 6-9 FT) to go with eight rebounds. Gabby Amoddio added 12 points (4-9 FG, 2-4 3PT, 2-4 FT) and four rebounds.
- The Hawks dominated the paint with 40 points compared to just 12 for the Leopards. Hartford's reserves also were crucial again outscoring Wentworth's bench 22-7 in the win.
Up Next:
The Hawks will stay on the road to take on Roger Williams University on February 11th with a 5:30 PM start.
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