NORTHAMPTON, Mass. - The Hartford women's basketball team kicked off the Tyler Tip-Off Tournament hosted by #5 Smith College on Saturday dropping their opening contest of 2026-27 to St. Lawrence University by a 67-63 final.
Rapid Recap:
- The Hawks would jump ahead 7-2 on twp early layups for senior Ava Naszimento (Secaucus, N.J.). The Saints would use most of the first quarter to slowly catch up cutting the deficit to 12-11, but a late free throw by sophomore Lily Soller (Cresco, Pa.) saw Hartford leading 13-11 after one.
- Sophomore Allie Shenloogian (Park Ridge, N.J.) would finish an old fashioned three-point play followed by another pair of paint finishes for Naszimento as the Hawks opened up the second quarter leading 20-16. St. Lawrence would go on a six-point spurt to even the score later in the quarter, but a late three by Soller helped the Hawks hold on leading 27-24 into the break.
- The Saints would score a 13-6 run out of halftime to lead by a 37-33 score with 6:28 to play. Sophomore Gabrielle Matthews (Raleigh, N.C.) and Naszimento would each score buckets, but the Saints held on to a lead. Freshman Kaylee Saucier (Woodstock, Conn.) would get her first collegiate basket with 43 seconds left in the quarter but a late three by Norah Niesz had St. Lawrence leading by five with 10 minutes to play.
- Naszimento and Matthews would combine for seven of the first 10 points of the fourth quarter as the score was evened at 50-50. The Saints would counter with an 8-2 run. Shenloogian and sophomore Jordyn Bay-Kent (Norwich, Conn.) each scored buckets but Hartford still trailed 64-59 with 2:12 to play. The Hawks would hit four more free throws to trail by one point, but the Saints would win by the 67-63 margin after making a free throw and then a layup as time expired.
Inside the Numbers:
- Naszimento dazzled in the season opener scoring a game-high 22 points (8-12 FG, 0-1 3PT, 6-12 FT) to go with six rebounds. Matthews totaled 12 points (5-15 FG, 0-1 3PT, 2-5 FT) to go with three boards. Shenloogian tallied eight points (3-10 FG, 0-1 3PT, 2-3 FT), five rebounds, two assists and two steals, while senior Taryn Blevins (St. Louis, Mo.) added seven points (2-4 FG, 0-2 3PT, 3-3 FT), four assists and two rebounds.
- Elizabeth Flynn paced the Saints with 17 points (7-14 FG, 0-3 3PT, 3-4 FT), nine boards and two assists. Mia Tartaglia added 12 points (4-5 FG, 1-1 3PT, 3-4 FT) off the bench in the win.
- The Hawks scored a 36-26 advantage in the painted area, while the Saints had a 21-10 bench points advantage.
Up Next:
The Hawks will conclude the Tyler Tip-Off against Immaculata University at 2:00 PM tomorrow in Northampton.
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