Women’s Basketball Season Comes to an end at the WNIT

Hartford’s Women’s Basketball team travelled to Providence, R.I. Thursday, March 21, to take on the Providence Friars in the first round of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT). Providence got off to a hot start in this one, opening up the first quarter with a 15-2 run, capped by a layup with 5:55 remaining. Hartford responded though with a 13-5 run of their own to finish the first quarter at a tight score of 20-15 in favor of the Friers. With 7:09 remaining in the second quarter, Hartford took its first lead of the contest when Sophomore Jade Young knocked down a three point shot, bringing the score to 23-21. However, Providence would stay hot in the quarter and it would be a back and forth battle right up until halftime, in which the Friars exited up by two with the score at 34-32. Coming out of the intermission, it would be all Providence for the remainder of the game. The third quarter ended with the Hawks down 51-41 after Providence put up a 17-9 advantage during the period. Hartford would only be able to get back as close as eight, before the Friars would run away with this one. Closing with a 14-5 run, Providence defeated Hartford by a final score of 71-54. This loss knocked the Hawks out of the WNIT and ended their impressive season at an overall record of 23-11.

Senior Lindsey Abed led all Hawks with 14 points on the night. With these points, Lindsey ends her outstanding career with a total of 1,397 points, the fourth most in Hartford Women’s Basketball history. Coming to the end of a season is always a bittersweet moment as it gives coaches, players, and fans alike an opportunity to look back at far they have come. The 2018-2019 season was certainly a memorable one for this program. Hartford racked up over 20 wins for the first time since 2013, and the team’s 23 wins are the most since the 2009-2010 team won 27. Making the WNIT was also a huge feat for the team as it is only their fifth appearance in program history, now with a WNIT record of 1-5. Stay tuned during the

offseason to what changes and improvements the Hartford Women’s Basketball team makes as they try to reload and come back next year for the 2019-2020 season.