Box score

HARTFORD, Conn. – UMBC women's basketball senior guard Brittany Crowell (Brandywine, Md./Gwynn Park/James Madison) scored 17 of her game-high 18 points in the second half, while junior center Dana Lewis (Brodhead, Wis./Brodhead) notched her first-career double-double, but Hartford outscored the Retrievers 20-7 over the final 7:00 to hang on for the 51-44 victory in Wednesday afternoon's America East contest at Chase Arena.

UMBC received 40 of its 44 points from three players and failed to score a field goal in the final 4:02 of the contest, while Hartford's Katie Roth scored all 12 of her second half points in the final 6:15 of the contest. Roth ended the afternoon with a team-best 16 points to earn America East Player of the Game honors for the Hawks, while Crowell earned the recognition for the Retrievers.

Lewis shot five-of-eight from the floor and finished with career-highs in both points (12) and rebounds (13), while senior guard Raven Harris (Virginia Beach, Va./Princess Anne/American) chipped in 10 points, her fifth-straight game with double-digit points, to go with eight assists and seven rebounds. The loss is the third-straight for the Retrievers (5-13, 1-4 AE), while the victory is Hartford's (12-6, 3-2 AE) third consecutive.

The two teams struggled in the early going, combining for one basket in their first seven shots. Hartford proved to be active on the offensive glass, grabbing four of its first five rebounds on the offensive end, and jumping out to a 9-2 lead. Lewis kept the Retrievers in the game, connecting on three-of-five from the floor, bringing UMBC back within four, 14-10.

The Retrievers and the Hawks combined for nine points in the final 10 minutes of the opening half, each going scoreless for 6:36. Lewis broke the drought with an open layup under the basket with 1:15 to go in the period, to bring UMBC within a bucket, 14-12. Crowell hit one-of-two free throws on the ensuing possession to pull within one, but Roth got off a short jumper with two seconds to go to give the Hawks a three-point edge at the break, 16-13.

Crowell scored the Retrievers' first four points of the second half and followed with a steal that resulted in a layup from Harris, giving UMBC its first lead of the contest, 19-18, with 16:27 to go. The teams traded baskets until UMBC used a 9-2 run, sparked by Crowell and Harris, to gain its largest lead of the afternoon, 37-31, at the 7:22 mark.

Roth sparked Hartford's final run, as Crowell tried desperately to respond for the Retrievers, but Crowell and the Retrievers ran out of gas down the stretch, with UMBC connecting on just two of its last 11 shots from the field.    

Hartford shot 46.4 percent from the floor in the second half, after shooting 25 percent in the opening stanza. Roth shot 7-for-10 from the field, including a perfect two-for-two from beyond the arc. Sophomore guard Amber Bepko added 11 points in her first game back since Dec. 16.

UMBC takes a break over the weekend and returns to the court and Wednesday, Jan. 23 to take on Stony Brook, in the Retrievers annual Midday Madness event. Tip is set for noon, with all the action broadcasting live on ESPN3.    

Dawg Notes:

-Hartford leads the all-time series 17-5, while UMBC moves to 0-9 on the road this season.

-Lewis' double-double is the first for the Retrievers since Lauren Chase and Brittany Crowell each recorded on against Coppin State on Nov. 14, 2012