the Informer

The Hartford women’s basketball team knows all about dominating opponents defensively, but Saturday LSU gave the Hawks a taste of their own medicine.

The team’s historic season came to a close at Cameron Indoor Stadium at Duke University in the first round of the NCAA tournament. After earning the first at large invitation to the big dance in school history, the 10th seeded Hawks couldn’t find enough offense to overcome a talented seventh-seeded LSU team out of the SEC, as they fell 60-39.

“It’s tough to simulate a team like LSU and what they can do defensively,” said Hartford coach Jen Rizzotti. “We worked pretty hard in practice this week to try and get them to understand what it is going to be like. Sometimes it really takes that real game experience.”

The Hawks, who upset seventh-seeded Syracuse in the first round of the NCAA tournament two years ago, looked like they could pull off another upset early as they quickly built a 4-0 lead over the Tigers in the opening minutes. America East Player of the Year Diana Delva scored in the low post, then passed it out of a double team on the next possession to find freshman Ruthanne Doherty open from the high post as she knocked down the jumper.

The Tigers would take over from there, using their SEC-leading defense to go on a 17-0 run while holding the Hawks scoreless for nearly eight minutes. The two teams would exchange scores for the remainder of the half and a jumper by freshman Nikkia Smith would pull the Hawks to within 29-15 at halftime.

“They got out into a lot of passing lanes and stole some passes and were able to get going in transition,” said Delva, “that gave them some momentum for the game and their athleticism and defensive intensity, definitely.”

LSU quickly extended their lead to 34-17 on a jumper from Lasondra Barret with 17:44 remaining in the second half.

Hartford responded with a four-point play from sophomore guard Ilicia Mathis, who hit a three and got fouled to make it 34-21 while giving the Hawks some hope of a comeback. The Tigers then answered right back, going on another 13-0 run while scoring mostly off of offensive rebounds to put the game out of reach.

Though Hartford was never able to seriously threaten in the second half, they showed some of the defensive tenacity that helped them rattle off a school-record 20-game winning streak earlier in the season. After LSU guard Allison Hightower scored a jumper with 12:11 left, Hartford would go on to hold LSU without a field goal for the remainder of the game.

The Hawks finished the game shooting 29 percent from the floor and were led by Delva, who finished with 12 points.

The Tigers got a game-high 20 points from Barret and 10 from Hightower. In a game which saw LSU make only two more field goals than Hartford, it was the 30-7 free throw attempt differential in favor of LSU that contributed to the lopsided score. Hartford was called for 11 more fouls than its opponent.

Hartford coach Jen Rizzotti, the America East Coach of the Year, was clearly frustrated with Hartford’s offensive struggles as well as the officiating. She was ejected late in the second half after committing her second technical foul.

The Hawks played without senior forward Erica Beverly, the America East Defensive Player of the Year, who tore her ACL in the America East semifinals.

“You’re talking about a fifth-year senior who’s played in more NCAA Tournament games than anybody we have,” Rizzotti said of Beverly. “This is a game where we needed her.”

“She doesn’t even have to score, but knowing that she’s out there and knowing that she’s going to rebound and defend. She would’ve been matched up with LaSondra Barrett if she played; it would’ve been a little bit different dynamic.”

The Hawks made a lot of noise this season starting when they beat a ranked team in Louisville for the fifth straight year. Then, they went undefeated in the America East regular season to win a regular season conference championship and in doing so earned their first national ranking in school history. At one point, the Hawks were ranked as high as No. 19 in the ESPN/USA Today poll and No. 21 in the AP poll. Despite graduating four seniors, a talented young nucleolus remains and they aren’t satisfied.

“LSU’s players have all played in the NCAA Tournament other than their freshmen, and they all came in the tournament with an expectation to win,” added Rizzotti. “After today, I have 9 or 10 others, so maybe to have an understanding of what it means to be in the NCAA Tournament and how you play, carry yourself and take each possession. Hopefully our young guys learned that today, and we’ll come back next year and be a little more prepared.”