The Hartford women's basketball team lost to Russell Sage College 64-50 on the road in Albany, N.Y. A dominant fourth quarter by the Gators sealed the victory after a competitive first half. Hartford led entering the final period but was outscored 25-7.
The game began with Hartford taking an early lead as freshman Allie Shenloogian scored a layup for the Hawks' first basket. Russell Sage responded with nine of the next 11 points to lead 9-4 after six minutes. Senior Paige Loughman answered with a layup, and freshman Gabrielle Matthews added an old-fashioned three-point play to narrow the gap to 11-9. The Gators held a 13-10 edge at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Sage opened with six straight points for a nine-point lead. Junior Ava Naszimento sparked a six-point run for Hartford, cutting the deficit to 19-16 with 4:35 left. After two Sage buckets, junior Sidnee Bowden hit a key three-pointer to tie the score at 23-23. The Gators led 26-25 at halftime.
Hartford seized the lead in the third as Naszimento scored on back-to-back possessions in the paint. The score tied at 31-31 before the Hawks went on a 6-0 run, capped by a jumper from junior Ella Marchesani. Entering the fourth, Hartford held a 43-39 advantage.
Junior Taryn Blevins kept Hartford ahead with a three-pointer for a 46-44 lead at 8:55. However, Sage mounted a 19-2 run over the next nine minutes. Matthews scored a jumper with 20 seconds left, but the Gators won 64-50.
Naszimento led Hartford with 17 points on 6-of-14 shooting and 5-of-6 free throws, plus nine rebounds and three steals. Matthews added nine points on 4-of-12 shooting. Shenloogian contributed four points, five steals, three assists, and two rebounds. For Sage, Layla Acosta scored 14 points with eight rebounds, while Kallie Hopkins had 13 points, eight rebounds, and three assists. Hartford shot 29.7% (19-of-64) from the field, compared to Sage's 44.4% (24-of-54).