BOSTON, Mass. - The Hartford women's basketball team cruised to a dominant 68-37 victory over Wentworth Institute of Technology this Saturday. The women's stats improved to 7-2 in Conference of New England (CNE) play, continuing their strong run against tough opponents.

Rapid Recap:

• Hartford jumped out to a strong start in the opening quarter, scoring the first eight unanswered points of the game to establish early control. Junior Kendall Rieman (Chicago, Ill.) dropped the first points with a layup inside before junior Ava Naszimento (Secaucus, N.J.) took over in the paint, accounting for six straight points as the Hawks built up their 8-0 lead five minutes into the first. Hartford's defense set the tone early, forcing multiple turnovers limiting the Leopards' scoring opportunities. Junior Ella Marchesani (Saddle Brook, N.J.) knocked down a pair of triples to extend the Hawks' advantage. The Hawks ran out of this quarter well ahead 20-5 over WIT. 
• Hartford continued to control the game in the second quarter. Senior Madison Baird (Wentzville, Mo.) started this second quarter making her first appearance since returning from injury, making a long-awaited moment since her last appearance in 2024. The Hawks' maintained their momentum with balanced scoring and strong defensive effort. The only points the Leopards could gather were with a few trips to the free-throw line. On the other end junior Lauren Sabia (Simsbury, Conn.) added eight points in the paint this quarter keeping WIT at bay and carrying the Hawks out of this quarter with a dominating lead 36-14.
• The Hawks continued to pull away in the third, keeping WIT largely off the scoreboard for stretches and forcing the visitors to rely mostly on free throws. Naszimento continued to set the rhythm with drives up the lane. From the perimeter junior Sidnee Bowden (Canton, Ohio) and sophomore Mackenzie Hohulin (Plymouth, Mass.) put away key three-pointers to keep the Hawks comfortably ahead. The Hawks pushed their commanding lead to 53-29 moving into the final quarter.
• The Hawks finished the game strong, keeping WIT off balance and working the ball to let the clock carry them out of this quarter. Baird made her return to the court heard with a big three-pointer to make this win even more special. Sabia kept the offense flowing and Hohulin capped the scoring in the paint as the Hawks drove away with a 68-37 win, improving to 7-2 in the conference.

Post Game Press:
"Today's win was definitely a team effort," said junior Lauren Sabia (Simsbury, Conn.). "Shots were falling for us and we're sharing the ball very well. I was super happy to see every person play a part in this win. We have a lot to look forward to."

Inside The Numbers:

• Sabia led the Hawks in their victory this afternoon putting up 13 points (6-9 FG, 1-1 3PT, 0-1 FT) with contributions at the glass pulling down five rebounds, adding five assists, and two steals. Next to lead was Naszimento with 10 points (4-6 FG, 2-2 FT) along with four rebounds, three assists, and one steal. In Baird's return to play she played seven minutes and made her first three pointer and forced one steal from the Leopards' hands
• For the Leopards their leader was Luna Mia Zayas with 17 points (4-9 FG, 3-6 3PT, 6-9 FT) along with four boards and one assist.
• The Hawks dominated in the paint this afternoon with going 38-14 compared to WIT and capitalizing off of turnovers with 13 points to the Leopards' two.

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