Mary Silvia - News from Hartford

Hartford vs. LSU in NCAA First Round Action at Duke - Noon Saturday on ESPN2

2010-03-17T22:09:00.006-04:00

FULL NCAA TOURNAMENT BRACKET

West Hartford, CT – The University of Hartford women’s basketball has punched a ticket to the 2010 NCAA Tournament after a successful 2009-10 season with its 27-4 overall record. Hartford, who earns its first ever at-large bid into the NCAA Touranment, will take on the LSU Tigers (20-9 overall) in the opening round as a 10 seed in the Memphis regional bracket at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, NC on Saturday at 12:06 pm on ESPN2.

As member’s of the team, coaching staff and fans gathered at the Hawks Nest in the University Commons on campus, the Hawks learned their postseason fate advancing to play in the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in program history. The at-large selection is the third in the history of the America East since the NCAA Tournament took its current 64 team format. The most recent at-large bids for the America East were awarded to Maine in the 1999 and 2000 seasons.

This is also the third time the America East has had two teams in the NCAA Tournament and the fourth time three conference teams will play in the postseason as Boston University will accept the America East’s automatic bid into the postseason WNIT.

Hartford Advances to AE Championship Saturday at 8:00 PM on Comcast Sports Net (CSN)

2010-03-10T22:05:00.004-05:00

HARTFORD, CT- The Hartford Hawks knocked off the Stony Brook Seawolves, 65-43, in the America East Championship Semi-Final game. The Hawks, 18-0, 27-3 overall meet Vermont for the championship next Saturday, March 13th at Hartford. The game will be televised in New England on Comcast Sports Net (CSN) at 8:00 p.m. Saturday night.

The Seawolves got Hartford star Diana Delva in early foul trouble, causing her to miss most of the first half. With Delva out, Stony Brook focused their defensive attention on Erica Beverly, who was held to eight points on 3-of-11 shooting.

Fortunately for Hartford, Mary Silvia was able to pick up the offensive slack, scoring 17 points on 5-of-7 shooting (4-of-5 from deep.)

"What gives their post players such good looks is that their guards can really knock down shots," Stony Brook Head Coach Michele Cherry said. "With Hartford you have to pick your poison. We chose to guard the post and Silvia and the other guards made us pay."

Hartford's defense was also key down the stretch when they pulled away for good. Stony Brook was held to 34.6 percent from the field on 18-of-52 shooting.

Kirsten Jeter and Misha Horsey led the way offensively for the Seawolves, but they had little help putting up points. Hartford's bench outscored Stony Brook's 44-0.

Hartford is currently ranked #19 nationally in the ESPN coaches poll and #21 in the AP Writers Poll.

Women's Basketball All-Academic Team Announced At Awards Reception

2010-03-04T23:27:00.001-05:00

West Hartford, Conn.-- Five women's basketball players were named to the 2010 Women's Basketball All-Academic Team Thursday afternoon at the annual awards banquet on the University of Hartford campus. These student athletes, who excel both academically as well as athletically, represent the best of the America East Conference.

Highlighting the academic squad was three all-conference performers, led by first-team selection and two-time Women's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year, May Kotsopoulos of University of Vermont. UMBC's Carlee Cassidy and University of Hartford's Jackie Smith were both also honored on an all-conference team as well as the all-academic team. Rounding out the five-member all-academic team was University of Maine's Kristin Baker and Hartford's Mary Silvia.

Silvia recorded the highest cumulative grade point average (GPA) with a 3.90 in entrepreneurial studies. Kotsopoulos, a business adminstration major with a 3.66 GPA was named an ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American last month.

The All-Academic squads are a product of the June 2005 Athletics Directors meeting where faculty representatives and athletics directors from each of the conference’s nine member institutions decided to honor the league’s top student-athletes, who excel equally in the classroom as they do on the playing field.

For the second straight year, America East will select the All-Academic teams using CoSIDA’s Academic All-America program as a model. Student-athletes worthy of consideration are nominated by member sports information directors and voted on by a committee of SIDs, academic advisors and faculty representatives from all nine member institutions.

All-Academic squads for team sports are based on the maximum number of athletes that participate in a contest at one time (e.g., 5 on the court in basketball) but can be more if there is a tie in voting. To be nominated for the distinction, student-athletes must be a starter or important reserve for their team and participate in at least 50 percent of their team’s games or competitions. In the classroom, student-athletes must have a 3.30 GPA and have completed at least one calendar year at their institution. Freshmen are not eligible for consideration.

2010 Women's Basketball All-Academic Team
Player School Class GPA Major Hometown/High School
Kristin Baker Maine Sr. 3.61 Kinesiology & physical education Bingham, Maine/Bingham
Carlee Cassidy UMBC Sr. 3.35 Sociology/New media & comm. Syracuse, N.Y./Westhill
May Kotsopoulos Vermont Sr. 3.66 Business admin. (Marketing) Waterloo, Ontario/Waterloo Coll.
Mary Silvia Hartford Jr. 3.90 Entrepreneurial studies Reading, Mass./Reading Memorial
Jackie Smith Hartford Jr. 3.61 Elementary & special education Westfield, Mass./Holyoke

Hartford Finishes 16-0 in Conference - Ranked at #21

2010-03-02T23:31:00.003-05:00

Hartford finished their regular season at 25-3 overall, 16-0 in conference and with an 18 game winning streak going into the America East tournament this weekend. Hartford clinched the conference championship at Albany last week, then followed that with a start-to-finish win over #2 seed Vermont to end the season.

The Hawks have moved up to #21 in ESPN coaches poll and #24 in the AP poll.
Tournament action starts Friday (March 5) with the Hawks hosting the winner of the play-in game Thursday night (UNH or Maine). Game time is 6:00 p.m. The winner plays the winner of the 4/5 seed game on Sunday (March 7) at 1:30, again at Hartford.

Hartford Gets Nationally Ranked at 25 in ESPN Coaches Poll

2010-02-11T23:38:00.003-05:00

The University of Hartford women’s basketball scored enough votes for its first top-25 ranking in school history on Tuesday. The Hawks, who have been receiving votes all season in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, earned 49 votes in the 13th week of the poll, enough to pick up the 25th spot in the poll, one of two teams jumping from unranked to ranked.

The long-awaiting ranking comes as the result of a 21-3 record this year including a 12-0 conference record. Wins include victories over nationally ranked Louisville and an marquis win over Temple. The only losses came to two nationally ranked opponents (UConn and Marist), and a disappointing early-season road loss to Providence.

The string of victories has been marked by impact contributions from 11 players who are regularly rotated through the lineup every night. Particularly impressive this year have been the contributions of a stellar freshman class, which is averaging nearly 20 points per game.

Mary has helped the team to a couple of key wins including a 20 point return performance to stun Temple, and a 16 point second-half effort to come back and beat Binghamton on the road. She has had 7 double-digit games this year is averaging 6.5 points per game off the bench.

In addition to her team contributions, Mary has been getting some air-time on CPTV with several video segments which can be found at the Hawks website under Rizzotti Coaches Show.

Next up is Binghamton at Hartford on Thursday Feb 18, followed by BU, Albany and the season finale vs. Vermont at Hartford. Hartford needs to win 2 of those 4 games to clinch a tie for the conference championship, and 3 games to clinch it outright.

University of Hartford Athletics - Second Half Surge Lifts Hawks to 65-35 Win Over New Hampshire

2010-02-07T23:07:00.001-05:00

University of Hartford Athletics - Second Half Surge Lifts Hawks to 65-35 Win Over New Hampshire

West Hartford, CT – Holding the New Hampshire Wildcats to just eight points in the first 15:13 of the second half led the University of Hartford women’s basketball team to a 65-35 victory at Chase Arena on Saturday.

With the victory the Hawks extend their unbeaten streak to 13 games and remain undefeated in conference play 10-0. The win also pushes the Hawks over the 20-win mark for the sixth-straight season, currently 20-3 overall.

Hartford was led by its senior forward/center Diana Delva, the Nestle Purina ONE America East Player of the Game, who finished with her team leading seventh double double with 14 points and 15 rebounds. The nation’s second best shooter finished the game 6-of-8 from the field and 2-of-4 at the free throw line. Delva’s increases her conference leading field goal percentage to 67.0 percent (132-of-197).

Joining Delva as the only other player in double figures was Mary Silvia who finished with 14 points for her sixth game in double figures this season. Silvia finished the game shooting 6-of-10 from the field including a three pointer, with 10 of her points coming in the second half.

Hartford Upcoming Action on NESN

2010-01-14T22:24:00.003-05:00

The 13-3 (3-0 America East) Hartford Hawks are facing a tough schedule of 5 games over the next 12 days. First off Hartford travels to Binghamton for a NESN televised game on Saturday January 16 and Noon.

Following Binghamton, Maine comes to Hartford on Monday the 18th followed by a visit by the Hawks to BU on Thursday the 21st at 7:00. After that it's Albany at Hartford on Sunday the 24th at 4:00, then the Hawks travel to Vermont for a first place show down with the Catamounts on Wednesday the 26th - again on NESN at 7:00

Mary is hoping to recover from a recent shooting slump after coming back from her wrist injury. It's likely her wrist will be taped again for some extra support and guidance in her shot.

We hope you get a chance to watch one or both of the NESN games, and even better to join us at BU where we always enjoy outnumbering the home team.

Silvia Returns for Career Night Against Temple, Hawks Win 65-54

2009-11-29T20:29:00.002-05:00

BOX SCORE

West Hartford, CT – In her first game back this season, after sustaining a wrist injury, junior guard Mary Silvia led the Hawks, with a career-high 20 points, to a 65-54 victory over the Temple Owls on Saturday afternoon. Hartford improves to 4-1 overall, while handing the Owls their first loss of the season, 5-1.

Along the way to her career-high, Silvia tied a school record for three pointers made in a single game with six, finishing 6-of-9 from long range. She also added a pair of free throws to round out her scoring. Her 20 point outing is the second-straight game the Hawks have had a player hit 20 or more points, the previous was Alex Hall against Dartmouth.

ESPN Article - WEST HARTFORD, Conn. -- With just more than four minutes left on the clock in the first half of Saturday's game against Temple, Hartford's Mary Silvia pulled up on the wing in transition, caught a pass from Daphne Elliott and, and in one smooth motion, drained a 3-pointer that left her one short of the team lead this season.

Not bad for someone whose first minutes this season had come about 14 minutes before that field goal, her fifth of the first half from behind the arc. Not bad for someone who suffered a broken wrist in her shooting hand a month ago. Not bad for someone who practiced for the first time since getting her cast off four days before the game.

Behind Silvia's surprising 20 points, 18 of which came on six 3-pointers to tie a program record, Hartford jumped out early on Temple, expanded its lead to 20 points early in the second half and coasted home with a 65-54 win.

A shooter on a roll is always a winning hand, no matter what an opponent is holding.

"I didn't even know the kid was playing," Temple coach Tonya Cardoza lamented after her team's first loss of the season. "But yes, that right there totally changed the game plan for us because we were actually going to look to let them shoot the ball until she comes in the game and starts knocking in 3's. We were trying to pack it in and now our whole game plan changes."

Silvia isn't going to hit six 3-pointers every game, but her career day does say something about the potential of a team that already has quality wins against Louisville and Temple. The Hawks played the Cardinals without Silvia in any capacity and haven't had fellow guard Ilicia Mathis at full strength yet (although she did chip in with two big 3-pointers of her own Saturday). With those two at full strength alongside point guard Jackie Smith and freshman Alex Hall, Hartford becomes much more than just the sum of whatever Erica Beverly and Diana Delva can provide in the post.

"We spent a lot of time this summer talking about running more things for Ilicia and Mary because we felt like last year we were so post oriented that the focus on the defense was there," Hartford coach Jennifer Rizzotti said. "People were playing behind Diana and Bev, so they weren't able to get as many offensive rebounds. And we needed to run stuff that allowed our guards to attack the basket to get post players to rotate, so now you're freeing up our post players to offensive rebound. So it was kind of like this dual purpose, to get them more shots but to give Bev and Diana a chance to do what they're really good at."

In addition to its annual encounter with Connecticut, Hartford has marquee mid-major games left at Marist and at home against Bowling Green before getting to America East play. If not for a slip on the road last week against Providence (itself not an inherently bad loss against an improved Friars team), Hartford might be looking at top-25 consideration. Regardless, even if they continue to fly under the radar, they Hawks are doing the kind of autumn work that can pay off in a big way in the spring.

"This is the kind of teams we want to play," Rizzotti said. "The really good teams in other mid-major conferences that can challenge us, that can show us our weaknesses and give us a chance to really keep building on a solid foundation."

• Temple looked bad in defeat, but it didn't look hopeless by any stretch. Things fell apart against Hartford's defense and Silvia's hot hand, but the talent that helped the Owls beat Illinois and Auburn en route to a 5-0 start was still there. Marshaling that talent rests in no small part on the shoulders of LaKeisha Eaddy, a gifted scoring guard still making the transition to point. Numerous times Saturday she found herself the target of Cardoza's quite audible wrath, evidence a conversion with its share of high points (including 10 assists and one turnover against Illinois, this season alone) remains a work in progress.

"I'm just looking for her to lead and pay attention a little more," Cardoza said. "A few times, you know, in situations like this, all your players get rattled a little bit. But with her being the point guard out there, she can't get rattled, she can't not pay attention and lose focus. And a couple of times she just did things that, you know, I didn't think she was supposed to do.

"But it's a learning process for her. Playing the point guard position in itself is something new to her; every day is a different experience for her. But hopefully she'll grow because if she wants to play at the next level, she's going to have to play the point guard role."

Hartford over 19th ranked Louisville

2009-11-18T22:16:00.003-05:00

For the 5th consecutive year Hartford has beaten a nationally ranked team, this time Louisville, last years NCAA finals runner-up to UConn. Score was 62-50 and Hartford maintained a 10 - 14 point lead throughout. Once again the freshmen were called upon and came through.

ESPN Story Here -> Louisville is latest to fall against Hartford

In other news Mary got her cast off today and the wrist is looking good. She is now looking at a couple of weeks of rehab and a return to action as early as December 1.

Hartford is now 2 - 0 and travels to Providence to face PC Friday night at 7:00. And yes, that's a Michael Jackson tribute, pre-wrist break.

Hartford Women's Basketball Recognized By The WBCA For One Of The Highest GPAs In The Nation

2009-07-15T23:59:00.003-04:00

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.-- The Women's Basketball Coaches' Association (WBCA) awarded the University of Hartford for its team success in the classroom as part of the annual Academic Top 25 Honor Roll released Thursday afternoon.

The Hawks, the America East regular season runners-up, led all conference squads with a 3.308 team grade-point average (GPA), which ranked 25th in the nation. Eleven members of the women's basketball team recently earned America East Academic Honor Roll status for GPAs of 3.00 or higher, including eight recognized on the Commissioner's Honor Roll for GPAs of at least 3.30.

America East Conference Tournament this Weekend on NESN

2009-03-13T00:48:00.003-04:00

Well everyone, here we are again. Conference play is over and the America East Tournament is this coming weekend. Once again, the AE women's tournament is the last conference tournament before NCAA selection Monday. The winner of the tournament automatically goes to the NCAA's with the 2nd place finisher likely relegated to the NIT.
This has been a generally good year for Hartford who posted a 16-2 conference record but finished in second place behind 18 - 0 BU. So we are expecting a Hartford - BU final with the home court advantage hopefully helping us get past our last overtime loss against the Terriers.
The semifinals will be shown on NESN on Saturday the 14th at 6:30 (likely contestants - Hartford & Vermont). The final will also be on NESN on Sunday at 6:00. Hartford has won the tournament 3 of the last 4 years and with their strong bench expects to play to the very end in this grueling 3-game weekend event. We'll be staying in Hartford for the weekend and are hoping to have to scramble to get plane tickets and hotels for the NCAA tourney starting the following weekend.

Hartford vs. BU for First Place - Tuesday at 7:00 on CSN

2009-02-23T22:11:00.004-05:00

The women’s basketball team will open the week with a televised game versus Boston University at Chase Arena at the Reich Family Pavilion on Tuesday night. The Hawks and Terriers will tip off at 7:00 p.m. with the game shown live on CSN (the same channel as the Celtics) as part of the America East Television package. The game will probably have a large impact in the approaching America East Championship. If Hartford were to win against BU and both teams end the season with a 15-1 record in conference play, the Hawks would be the number one seed in the upcoming tournament. If Boston University wins on Tuesday night they would likely be the top seed for the championship. BU is coming off a last-second overtime win at Binghamton, while Hartford has won it's last 2 games by more than 30 points each.

Hartford Takes On Marist Sunday at 1:00 - On ESPN2

2009-02-14T12:31:00.006-05:00

In it's first nationally televised game of the year the Hawks will host Marist at Hartford on Sunday February 15th at 1:00. The game will be televised on ESPN2 but according to ESPN2 they will be broadcasting the "most compelling game" over the course of the afternoon. Most compelling involves regional considerations (i.e. New England/New York) and closeness of game (probably us again). The Marist Red Foxes are a lot like the Hawks.

Both teams have been briefly nationally ranked and both had first round wins in the NCAA Tourney last year. Last year the Hawks broke Marist's 41 game home win streak which was then the longest in the nation. This year the Red Foxes hope to break Hartford's 33 game home winning streak, the second longest in the nation behind UConn.

It's Think Pink week so both teams will be sporting pink uniforms in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Week.

Silvia is AE Player of the Game as Hartford Storms Back to Edge Vermont

2009-02-01T23:23:00.002-05:00

Sophomore Mary Silvia came off the bench to score 13 points and teammates Katie Kelley and Erica Beverly posted double-doubles to lead the Hartford Hawks to a comeback victory over Vermont, 56-52, at Patrick Gymnasium. Trailing by 15 at the 18:01 mark of the second half, the Hawks mounted their comeback effort, rattling off an 18-2 run over seven minutes to erase the deficit and take a 37-36 lead. During the run, Vermont went 0-for-7 from the floor and committed four turnovers. Silvia had key back-to-back three-pointers in the stretch and finished the game 3-for-5 from long range. The Catamounts regained the lead on a lay up by Kelli Poles and stretched their advantage to seven, 44-37, on a lay up by May Kotsopoulos with 8:56 remaining. Hartford responded with a 9-2 spurt to knot the game up 46-46 with 6:42 left in the game. The score would bounce between the two teams over the next four minutes. Poles tied the game up for the final time, 52-52, at the 2:14 mark, but Kelley made a jumper with 58 seconds left to give Hartford a two point lead, 54-52. Vermont missed its next shot, but forced the Hawks into a turnover and had the ball with 21 seconds left. With six seconds left Catamounts turned the ball over and were forced to foul. Beverly made both free throws and Amy Rosenkrantz's three-point attempt at the buzzer was short. After a slow start in the first 10 minutes, the Catamounts heated up from the field. UVM put together a 13-3 run over four minutes to take a 12 point lead at the 5:13 mark of the first half. Vermont would take that advantage into the locker room, leading 29-17 at the break. Vermont and Hartford reversed roles in each half. The Catamounts shot 41.4 percent from the field in the first stanza, while holding Hartford to 7-for-29 from the floor (24.1%). In the second half, the Hawks shot 45.8 percent from the field and Vermont wa 9-for-29 (31%). The Hawks dominated the glass and were finally able to take advantage of their offensive rebounding effort in the second half, scoring 11 of their 15 second chance points in the final 20 minutes.

Hartford at Vermont on NESN Tuesday at 7:00

2009-01-26T22:45:00.004-05:00

The Vermont women's basketball team, the America East preseason pick, hosts Hartford, the defending America East Champions at Patrick Gymnasium on Tuesday (Jan. 27) at 7 p.m. The game will be televised on NESN.

The two teams are tied for second place in the league standings. The Catamounts have won three straight and five of their last six to enter the game with a record of 10-8 (4-1 AE). Hartford stands at 9-8 overall (4-1 AE). The Hawks have won four of their last five and started conference play 3-0.

Vermont is one of two conference opponent to defeat Hartford in back-to-back years and both wins came on the Catamounts' home court. The other is Boston U who defeated the Hawks last season and most recently on Jan. 21.

Hartford at BU Wednesday January 21!

2009-01-15T23:59:00.004-05:00

Freshman Illicia Mathis scores career-high 17 points, sophomore Mary Silvia scores career-high 13 points, senior Lisa Etienne scores 15 points and senior MaryLynne Schaefer scores 11 points as Hawks defeat UMBC, 85-52, on Tuesday, January 13. Click here for game summary and box score. (If you weren't at the game last night, you missed an amazing first half.)

Next up, Hawks will travel to take on conference rival Boston Univ. on Wednesday, January 21. Game time 7:00 pm. Click here for driving directions to Case Athletic Center. This will be be a doozie. Both teams are undefeated and tied for first place and in general do not like each other very much. BU will be looking for revenge after Hartford's win in last years AE Conference Championship, and Hartford will be looking to avenge the half-court buzzer-beater that cost them their season opener last year in the Cage.

We're hoping to pack the house with Hartford fans make even more noise than we did last year.

Mary's Tour of the Locker Room on NESN

2008-12-19T15:29:00.004-05:00

This is important stuff! If you missed the coaches show on NESN this week (and who didn't) you missed a chance to see Mary giving a tour of the Hawks new state-of-the-art locker room, or as they would say, the team suite.

Click here to view the video.

More Glamor as UHA Travels to Bowling Green in the Snow

2008-12-19T15:21:00.002-05:00

After finishing finals today, the girls left for Bowling Green for a weekend game against the BG Falcons. It's been a long layoff so let's hope the girls are fresh and the rims in Ohio are not too tight. For those of you who wonder where Bowling Green is, well, you drive West for about 14 hours then turn left at Toledo.

After the game Sunday, the team heads home for a brief Christmas break with their families. They will return to campus on the 26th followed by a New Year's Eve showdown at the XL Center against their minor-league cross-town rivals, UConn.

I'm thinking we'll see alot of this on New Year's Eve.

Hawks Come Home - Finally!

2008-12-19T14:54:00.006-05:00

After an exhausting 10 day road trip which saw the Hawks defeat #5 Duke followed by some let-down losses to GW and Quinnipiac, the Hawks are finally home again. On Saturday the team responded by scoring a season high 80 points against St. Joseph's winning the matchup 80 - 56. The last point of the game came with 11 seconds left when Mary sank her sixth consecutive free throw of the night. The pressure was on though - fans win a free burrito when the team scores 80 points or more - OLE Mary!

As usual Diana Delva kept up her torrid shooting. Joining Delva in leading the team was MaryLynne Schaefer with a season-high 17 points, Erica Beverly with 12 points, Lisa Etienne with 11 points and Mary Silvia with 10 points. Beverly and Katie Kelley finished with five rebounds a piece, while Silvia grabbed four. Kelley also finished with a game-high and career-high five assists, tying Delva.

The Hawks now move on to another tough road game against #12 Louisville followed by a 9 day break for finals.

Catch Mary on NESN Twice Next Week!

2008-11-28T22:18:00.004-05:00

Hartford returns from a 10 day road trip to face the Quinnipiac Bobcats at Quinnipiac on Wednesday December 3rd at 8:00 p.m. The game will be broadcast on NESN along with Hartford's next home game vs. A10 Power St. Joseph's on Saturday Dec 6th at 1:00 p.m.

The girls are looking forward to getting home and sleeping in their own beds. Practicing at home should help the the team get back on track with their offensive execution. With all the long-range shooters in a mini-slump the Hawks have had to step up their defense to keep up their winning ways. We're hoping for an offensive explosion in the next few days although winning on the road is always tough, even just up the road at Quinnipiac.

Hawks Close Out 10 day Road Trip at GWU Saturday

2008-11-28T21:30:00.003-05:00

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times....

After an amazing upset victory over Duke in the first round of the DePaul Invitational Tournament an exhausted and beat up Hartford lost the championship game to a well-rested DePaul on their home court.

Friday's win over Duke (ranked #5 nationally) was all heart and hard work as the Hawks held Duke to only 4 points over the first ten minutes, and 17 points in the first half. Duke never led in the battle coming closest in the final seconds. The final score was 53-51 Hartford, only the second time in two years that Duke has scored less than 52 points. They currently average 87.5 points per game. The large contingent of Duke fans in attendance watched the game in stunned silence while all 15 Hartford fans made McGrath arena sound like the Cameron Field House.

After Hartford's win, Duke dropped to #13 in the polls while Hartford received 27 Top 25 votes.
A win in the championship game on DePaul's home court would surely have propelled Hartford into the top 25. It was not to be however. DePaul's coach made it clear that his team (coming off a 40 point romp over Southern in the first round) was well-rested and would run all night. Hartford was able to keep up for 36 minutes but ultimately ran out of steam at the end giving DePaul an 70 - 61 victory.

It's unfortunate that the girls didn't have much time to savor the Duke win. After the game it was right back to the hotel to watch DePaul film followed by an early shoot-around and pre-game meal before the championship game. Following the DePaul loss, the girls were dejected, but we hope as time goes by that they will once again be able to appreciate and savor the Duke upset.

Following the DePaul game, it was off to Ohio State to play another ranked team (#18) on their home court. The Buckeyes were hungry after losing to #20 Auburn in their last game and took it out on the Hawks. Ohio State's size advantage in the post was the story of the night as the Hawks fell 83-65.

After their whirlwind tour of Columbus, Ohio the girls then boarded yet another flight to Washington DC for the George Washington Invitational Tournament on Friday 11/28. In a must-win game the Hawks beat Big South champion Liberty 45 - 35 in one of the uglier offensive games you will ever see. But in true Rizzotti fashion, the win proved once again that great defense can win games even when the offense isn't there.

Hartford moves on to the championship game Saturday at 5:30 against the winner of the George Washington/U Southern Alabama first rounder. Normally the home team in these tournaments arranges it so they are in the final so we assume we'll be playing GWU tomorrow.

After GWU it's a 6 hour late-night bus ride home, but as far as these girls are concerned, they can't get on that bus soon enough. Unlike last year's Hawaii road trip, this one was about 50 degrees colder with no time for surfing or late-night luaus.

Trip Summary -

Game 1 at DePaul - Hartford 53 Duke 51 Game Story & Box Score
Game 2 at DePaul - DePaul 80 Hartford 71 Game Story & Box Score
Game 3 at Ohio State - Ohio State 63 Hartford 45 Game Story & Box Score
Game 4 at GWU - Hartford 45 Liberty 35 Game Story & Box Score

Hawks Headed to Chicago to Face Duke

2008-11-19T22:46:00.004-05:00

After a second straight pummeling of a visiting opponent (Hartford 69 - Providence 50), the Hawks are off on a 10 day road trip to face some slightly better competition. The team leaves Thursday at 10:00 a.m. and arrives in Chicago around 1:00, just in time for lunch on the bus then a practice at DePaul. Friday at 5:00 the Hawks face #6 ranked Duke followed by a second round game on Saturday against either DePaul or Southern.

Shortly after the 2nd game, the team leaves for Big Ten country to face #18 Ohio State on Tuesday November 25th at 6:30 p.m. The game can be seen on the Big Ten Network (for those of view who have FiOS or subscribe via Comcast.

Then the girls jet off to Washington DC for Thanksgiving and a second tournament at George Washington University. Complete schedule and media coverage can be found here.

This is an unprecedented string of 5 road games in 8 days against nationally-ranked opposition.

Sue and I will be travelling with the team to Chicago and will stay an extra day for sightseeing. If anyone has any restaurant recommendations, I'm all ears.

Old Friends (Continued)

2008-11-16T22:04:00.002-05:00

Former NE Breeze teammate and Winchester High School standout Jenni Bandi is playing basketball at the US Air Force Academy.We can't imagine where she finds the time to play Division 1 basketball, keep up with classes and handle all the demands of a service academy, but if anyone can do it it's Bandi.

You can follow AFA basketball using the link at the right.

Hawks Romp in Season Opener

2008-11-16T21:55:00.002-05:00

Hartford WOMEN 73, Dartmouth 40

Hartford Opens With A Rout

By LORI RILEY |Courant Staff Writer

November 16, 2008

Diana Delva said the Hartford post players worked hard to contest Dartmouth's shots Saturday afternoon. Dartmouth made only three shots in the first half. "I guess we did a pretty good job," Delva said.

Coach Jen Rizzotti agreed. She called her team's defense tremendous after the Hartford defeated Dartmouth 73-40 in the season opener in front of 1,522 at Chase Arena. It was the Hawks' 27th consecutive win at home, the longest streak in the country.

"Our defense set the tone for the game," Rizzotti said. "At this point in the year, I feel that this is probably the best defensively we've ever been."

Hartford led the America East Conference in defense last year, allowing 53.9 points a game, so that's no surprise. What was a little surprising was how much offense the Hawks generated after losing top scorer Danielle Hood.

Delva, a junior center, led the way with 15 points on 7-for-10 shooting and played only 18 minutes. Sophomore guard Mary Silvia shot 6-for-8 and had a career-high 12 points in 19 minutes. Hartford, which shot 31 percent from the three-point line last season, hit seven three-pointers. None came from top three-point shooter MaryLynne Schaefer (0-for-3).

"The biggest difference in our offense this year is that we have more weapons," Rizzotti said. "Last year, Amanda and Mary were freshmen and they had limited opportunities. We really pounded the ball in the post. "This year, we tried to be more balanced. We can score on the blocks but we're going to be much more dangerous from the perimeter."

Hartford led 15-9 early before blowing the game open with a 13-0 run midway through the first half. Dartmouth, led by Brittney Smith's 11 points, trailed 40-14 at halftime, and shot 3-for-18 (16.7 percent) in the first half. The percentage improved to 28.6 (8-for-28) in the second half, when Rizzotti cleared her bench. Dartmouth also had 27 turnovers.

"We've been working on our defense a lot in practice," said Etienne, who had 10 points and four assists. "I think we were just so excited about playing, all of that just came together today."

Hawks Open Season Saturday 11/15

2008-11-13T23:54:00.007-05:00

Hello again everyone. UHA opens this Saturday at 2:00 at home against Dartmouth. We are expecting a challenging 08-09 season with games against 3 of the top 10 teams in the country (UConn, Duke and Louisville) and 3 more top 25 teams. The Hawks are feeling the disrespect having been picked to finish 2nd in the America East Conference after 4 consecutive first place finishes. In the preseason coaches poll Vermont was picked to finish first, but they'll still have to come to Chase Arena for the America East Championship in 2009.

There will be plenty of opportunities to catch the Hawks on television this year, with 5 or more games on NESN, one on CSN and one nationally televised game on ESPN2 with Marist. In addition, every game will be broadcast on WWUH radio. Although their signal is weaker than a walkie-talkie, you can listen live on their web site at http://wwuh.org/

An excellent resource for Hawks info, schedules events and photos is the recently redesigned Hartford Hawks Flight Zone Fan Club site at http://www.flightzone.org/.

And coming up Friday, 11/14 on NESN at 9:00 PM is the always exciting Jen Rizzotti coaches show. Each episode features different players and you can usually get a glimpse of Mary during various segments. Is it worth staying home for or TiVo'ing? Well with outstanding production values and compelling storylines it's quality TV at it's best. So good in fact, it will be repeated several times until both viewers watch it.

Upcoming schedule can be found in the links at left and includes a Tuesday (11/18) night game at home vs. Providence followed by a weekend Tournament in Chicago where the Hawks face Duke (8) in the first round.

While we're at it, let's catch up on some former teammates who have moved on to play college ball. It's hard to believe all these kids played together on the same teams and all have succeeded in moving to the college game. You can follow any of these friends using the college links at left.

First there's our all-time favorite Carolyn Crampton who is entering her second season at Vassar. Carolyn had a great season as a freshman including a 15 point effort against Skidmore where she drained 5 three pointers.

Then there is our old buddy Kristen Finn of the early years at the Melrose Y. Kristen is a freshman at Bates and is playing for Jim Murphy, one of the best coaches around. She'll be joining former Middlesex Stars Val Beckwith of Woburn and Lauren Yanofsky of Belmont on the team. We wish Kristen the best and hope to see Bates at Tufts later this year.

Kristen's baby sister Courtney who also played with us at the Y is a senior at Winthrop High this year and has already committed to play at Bentley next year. She'll be looking go deep in the MIAA tournament once again this year.

Then there's our former AAU teammate Becky Bowman now playing at Babson. Becky was always an exciting player to watch and is keeping up the tradition at Babson.

Finally there's former Reading basketball and volleyball standout Meredith Gent, now playing Volleyball for Providence College. Even though this is officially a basketball site, we're cutting some slack here. We saw Meredith at a basketball game last year and she assures me that when she is not practicing or working out she is spending all her time in the Library.

We are still trying to track down Ashley Rivera who we know is playing somewhere.

Hawks Host Second Annual Fan Fest

2008-11-04T00:26:00.003-05:00

The University of Hartford hosted the second annual Fan Fest for men’s and women’s basketball on Sunday. The Department of Athletics opened the doors to more than 500 people for a chance to interact with members of the team’s.

The men’s and women’s basketball teams open their home schedules on November 14 and 15. The men’s team hosts in-state rival Quinnipiac on Friday, November 14 at 7:00 p.m., while the women host Dartmouth on Saturday, November 15 at 2:00 p.m. Prior to the women’s home opener the Hawks will honor the success of the 2007-08 team by raising a banner to the rafters. Fans can purchase season tickets or individual game tickets by calling the Athletics Box Office at (860) 768-HAWK (4-2-9-5).

Hawks Upset Syracuse in First Round NCAA Action at LSU

2008-07-17T00:25:00.002-04:00

Hawks leaving hotel for LSU to play Syracuse.
Hartford later defeated Syracuse 58-55 to move on play #2 seed Texas A & M

Hawks Heading for New Orleans!

2008-03-17T20:37:00.005-04:00

Hartford received a 10 seed in the Oklahoma City bracket and will play their first game against 7th seed Syracuse at LSU. If they win, they go on to play the winner of Texas A&M (2 seed) and Texas San Antonio (15). Think UPSET! ESPN picked Hartford in this one!

America East Champions!!

2008-03-17T17:14:00.003-04:00

Hartford won the AE championship with three straight double-digit wins over Stony Brook, Albany and BU. Now they await their NCAA first round selection bracket.

Video Spot about Mary on NESN

2008-02-26T00:16:00.006-05:00

This video feature is from Coach Rizzotti's show on NESN. The segment features Mary as the Coca-Cola scholar athlete.

Click Here to View the Video
(If the link doesn't work you can right-click on it and save it to your desktop)

Hawks Over Binghamton on the Road

2008-02-22T00:55:00.004-05:00

Vestal, NY – The Hartford women’s basketball team picked up a road victory at the Binghamton University Events Center over the Bearcats, 71-63, on Wednesday night. Hartford was led by a pair of post players, Danielle Hood and Erica Beverly who both finished in double figures, 14 and 12 points respectively. Hartford improves to 20-5 overall and 10-2 in America East play.

Other leading scorers for Hartford included Jamie McCabe who added 10, Diana Delva who finished with nine, Mary Silvia who scored seven and MaryLynne Schaefer who finished with six. Hartford trailed at the break, 34-27, just the sixth time the Hawks have trailed at the half, and the fourth time they have come back from a halftime deficit to win. Hartford rallied in the second half to outscore the Bearcats 44-29.

The Hawks shot 46.6 percent for the game, 27-of-58, with Hood leading the way, going 6-of-11 from the field. Beverly missed just four of her nine attempts in the game, while Delva (4-of-6) and Silvia (3-of-6) also posted top shooting efforts.

Box Score

2008-02-17T21:13:00.004-05:00

Women’s Basketball Coasts Past UNH 74-44 on Saturday

West Hartford, CT - The University of Hartford women’s basketball team returned to the win column with a 74-44 victory over the New Hampshire Wildcats on Saturday afternoon at Chase Arena. The Hawks were led by Diana Delva, the Nestle Purina ONE America East Player of the Game, who finished with 15 points on 6-of-8 from the field. The Hawks improve to 19-5 overall and 9-2 in America East play.

Delva was one of four players in double figures, she also led the Hawks in rebounding with seven boards, tying with rookie Jonyce Hollins, whose seven rebounds set a career high. Joining Delva in double figures was Danielle Hood with 14, MaryLynne Schaefer with 13, all in the first half, and Mary Silvia who set a new career record with 11 points in 12 minutes of play.

Silvia finished the game shooting 3-of-5 from the field, while going a perfect 4-of-4 at the free throw line, besting Framingham's Denise Beliveau in a battle of the frosh. As a team, the Hawks shot 36.9 percent from the field, but held the Wildcats to 25 percent, including 21 percent in the first half as the Hawks quickly build their double digit lead around the hot first half shooting of Schaefer, who finished 4-of-6 from the field in the first 20 minutes, all from beyond the arc.

Box Score

Pregame Meal at the Silvia's

2008-01-16T00:12:00.000-05:00

Slideshow Here

Hartford Over Vermont

2008-01-16T00:00:00.001-05:00

Game Summary

The Hawks finished the game shooting 47 percent from the field (25-of-56). Mary Silvia also shot well for Hartford, going 3-of-4 from the field, setting a career high with eight points. Hartford held the Catamounts to 38 percent for the game, 25-of-67, with Courtnay Pilypaitis, Vermont's America East Player of the Game, leading the team with 17 points.

The Catatmounts won the battle of the boards with a 42-38 advantage in that category. Beverly’s 12 boards led all players, while Alissa Sheftic led Vermont with eight. Beverly also added three blocks, a season best for her, while the Hawks picked up five overall.

The Hawks wasted no time building their lead into double digits, extending their lead to 11 with 10:26 remaining in the first half on a three pointer from Silvia. Silvia’s three was part of a 7-1 run for Hartford, who ended that streak with a 13 point advantage.

Action Shot vs. UConn

2007-12-30T22:55:00.000-05:00

Hard to believe, but here is Mary on floor against UConn at the Hartford Civic Center.

Silvia's First Action Shots vs. Columbia

2007-11-20T00:43:00.000-05:00

Mary's Page from the Media Guide - Great Pic

2007-11-13T13:11:00.001-05:00

Hartford just released their 2007 -2008 media guide. Great pictures of all the girls but of course Mary's is the best. Of course the "Get to Know Mary" section is typically laconic. Click on the image below to see it full size.
Hartford just released their 2007 -2008 media guide. Great pictures of all the girls but of course Mary's is the best.

Silvia does PR at Hartford

2007-11-07T14:44:00.000-05:00

Apparently a big part of the commitment to a D1 basketball program involves public relations. In addition to two scrimmages in the past week,

Mary has participated in the Tip-a-Hawk Dinner and the Hartford Family Fan Fest. (#22 left). The Tip-a-Hawk dinner emceed by Rebecca Lobo was an opportunity for fans of the Hawks to have dinner with a player and to be served dessert by them.

The fan fest was an open gym event for the community where players signed autographs, gave clinics..etc. After this whirlwind week of PR events, the team is off to Kansas for opening night on November 11th, then back to play PC at Providence on the 13th.

Other photos can be found at the Hartford Hawks Flight Zone web site.

Hartford Women's Basketball home page is here.

Silvia Gets Silver in All-State Meet - Qualfiies for New Englands This Weekend

2007-06-05T00:06:00.000-04:00

(From the Woburn Chronicle)

HOLYOKE - For the Reading High girls' outdoor track and field team, this was the "Year of the Javelin".
While the Lady Rockets and every other Middlesex League team struggled in the postseason in most every event, Reading owned that particular field event.
Saturday at Holyoke's Roberts Sports Complex senior Mary Silvia was unable to become a state champion but she did better than everybody else in the local area by finishing second to Lunenberg's Laura Stern in the javelin at the MIAA All State Track & Field Championship.
Silvia didn't match her personal best and school record, but she came close a toss of 128-7, and inch ahead of Lauren Berg of Central Catholic, who won the Division 2 meet last week over Silvia by six inches.
Another Reading senior, first-year performer Heather Crocker, finished fourth in the even with a throw of 123-9.
Sophomore Oliva Dyson didn't medal, but she gave Reading three of the top ten finishers by coming in ninth with a throw of 113-2.
Silvia and Crocker move on to the New Englands this weekend at Fitchburg State College.

Silvia shines in State Meet

2007-05-29T23:50:00.000-04:00

Click on article to read

2005-04-08T23:53:00.000-04:00

Erica - our awesome waitress at RAM

2005-04-08T23:51:00.000-04:00

Mary and Debbie Ryan - Virginia Coach

2005-04-08T23:49:00.000-04:00

Mary and Ruth Riley - too bad about the light, but not much of a height difference...eh?