the Informer

The women’s basketball team that stood at 6-3 overall before the break, is now 11-9 after the time away from school and going 5-6 over the 11 game stretch.

In their first two games, the Hawks were without leading scorer junior forward Ruthanne Doherty and still managed to pull off victories over Boston College, 54-45, and Dartmouth, 60-42.

Agaisnt the ACC’s Golden Eagles junior guard Daphne Elliot made up for Doherty’s absence with her second 20-point game of the season.

Sound defensive play by the Hawks also contributed to Hartford’s first win of the break as they held BC to 35.3% shooting from the field.

Against Dartmouth and without Doherty again, Senior forward Nikkia Smith led Hartford’s scoring with 14 points and the Hawks’ defense only allowed three second half buckets to take a 60-42 win.

With two wins under their belt the Hawks would go on to lose their next game against Richmond, 69-56.

Despite Doherty’s return to her hometown and on-the-court play, her leading Hawks scoring performance in 12 points, was no match for Richmond’s Genevieve Okoro who led the Spiders scoring with 19 points 10 rebounds.

The experience of defeat wouldn’t linger on the Hawks minds for long as they went back to their winning ways with a victory over Harvard, 72-61.

Nikkia Smith added 25 points to lead the Hawks scoring and marked the most by any Hawk player this season.

Elliot, Doherty and freshman guard Amber Bepko also scored in the double digits to add to the offensive firepower.

The next four games for the Hawks would return to experience of defeats, however with losses to Providence, Albany, New Hampshire and Vermont.

The Hawks averaged only 44.5 points per game in these four games and began their conference play at 0-3 in the America East with the losses to Albany, New Hampshire and Vermont.

Hartford would snap their four game skid and win their first game in conference play by beating Binghamton 63-41.

Smith continued her offensive play by leading the Hawks in scoring with 16 points in addition to having eight rebounds.

Doherty and Elliot added double figures in scoring as well as Hartford in total shot 47.3 percent from the field while also holding the Bearcats to 31.3 percent from the field.

In their next match, having all of Hartford’s starters score in double figures wasn’t enough to overcome UMBC’s hot shooting as they lost 71-59.

The Retrievers were able to shoot 53.6 percent from the floor in the first half and were led by Erin Brown in scoring with 24 points.

The last game of the break ended in a win for Hartford as they beat Maine 64-52.

Elliot and Smith led the way in scoring for the Hawks with 15 points each and the Hawks has a team held Maine to only five buckets in the first half and 23.8 percent shooting from the floor.

The Hawks finished winter break with a 2-4 conference record and they hope the conference play improves as they head to the stretch of the regular season.