Women’s Basketball Opens 2022-2023 Season

The Hartford Women’s Basketball team hit the court this past Saturday for the first time this year, opening their 2022-2023 campaign against the Long Island University Sharks. Along with being the season opener for the Hawks, it was also the first game under first-year head coach Polly Thomason.

In the home opener, eight players made their debuts for the Hawks. Among the group of players making their debut, Tatum Forbes, Elena Houghton, Zaiha Minnis, Kymi Nance, and Lanae Johnson-Kleinpeter scored their first-career points in the white and red.

LIU jumped out to an early lead and never looked back for the remainder of the game. Sharks guard Ashley Austin led the team in scoring with 14, followed close behind by Emaia O’Brien with 11. Chasing the scoreboard the whole time, Hartford would try their best to chip away at the gap.

Hartford’s Irene Primo also netted 14 points leading the team and tying Austin for a game-high. Freshman Tatum Forbes followed close behind Primo with 12 points, and not far behind that was Elena Houghton with 10 points. Along with 10 points, Houghton also brought in 10 rebounds recording her first career double-double in the season opener.

Holding a 36-12 edge in the paint, the Sharks would be able to hold the lead the whole time. LIU went on to steal the win on the road with a final score of 70-54 moving their record to 2-1.