West Hartford, CT – Four players in double figures and a school record 27 assists lead to Hawks 85-45 rout of the UMBC Retrievers on Tuesday at Chase Arena. The Hawks improve to 19-3 overall and 10-0 in conference action, while UMBC falls to 9-13 overall and 3-6 in the America East.

With 38 seconds to play in the game, freshman Alex Hall sent a pass deep into the far corner where Amanda Weaver hoisted a three pointer that swished through, leading to the 27th assist for Hartford, breaking a previous record of 26 assists, set on six different occasions.

For the game, senior Diana Delva, the reigning America East Player of the Week, led the team with 17 points, with two other starters joining her in double figures. Erica Beverly added 13 points, while Ruthanne Doherty closed out the game with 10. Off the bench, Hartford was led by Daphne Elliott who chipped in 15 points, all coming on three point baskets (5-of-7).

Senior Jenna Peterson, the Nestle Purina ONE America East Player of the Game, put up career numbers in the rebounding column with eight rebounds to lead the Hawks to a 45-21 margin on the boards. Peterson added eight points along with two assists and a steal. Leading the team in assists was Jackie Smith who put up a career-best eight, while Hall finished with six.

As a team, the Hawks shot 53.2 percent for the game (33-of-62), including a season high of 57.6 percent in the first half (19-of-33). The Hawks first half point total of 48 was the highest of the season. Defensively, the Hawks held UMBC to 35.4 percent from the field (17-of-48), while forcing 15 turnovers. The Retrievers shooting struggles included a 29.4 percent effort from beyond the arc (5-of-17).

Hartford never trailed in the game, after opening up with the first six points. That lead grew to double digits before seven minutes had been played as Elliott hit a three pointer with 13:01 to play, off a feed from Peterson, giving the Hawks a 19-9 advantage.

The Hawks continued to extend that lead deep into the teens with back-to-back runs of seven and six points. The first run concluded with four points in the paint on layups from Delva and Beverly. The second run allowed the Hawks to extend their lead into the 20 point margin, when Delva connected on a layup, off a pass from Ilicia Mathis, with 5:14 to play in the first half.

The Hawks largest lead of the half came with its final bucket of the stanza, a three pointer from Elliott with 36 seconds remaining. Delva led the team at the break with 11 points, while Beverly added nine.

Coming out of the locker room, the Hawks scored the first 10 points of the half to extend their lead to 39 with 14:13 remaining. That lead quickly grew beyond 40, as Elliott hit her third three pointer of the game with 12:19 remaining, this time off a feed from Hall.

The Hawks largest lead of the game was 47, which came on two occasions. The first came on a three pointer from Mathis with 6:29 to play, while a pair of free throws from Nikkia Smith extended the Hawks back to a 47 point margin with 5:38 to play.

The Hawks will continue a two-game home stand on Saturday when they welcome the New Hampshire Wildcats to Chase Arena. The Hawks and Wildcats will tip off at 4:00 p.m.