Fourth-quarter burst lifts UAlbany women to semis

by: Griffin Haas, Casey Mae Filiaci

Posted: Mar 2, 2023 / 12:13 AM EST

Updated: Mar 2, 2023 / 05:14 AM EST

TROY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — In what proved to be a close contest through three quarters, the Great Danes pulled ahead in the fourth for a 59-51 victory over seventh-seeded UMass Lowell. With the win, UAlbany will advance and host Maine in a semifinal contest.

KEY STATS

Junior Kayla Cooper led the Great Danes with 13 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and two blocks.
Graduate student Ellen Hahne followed with 12 points and seven rebounds. Senior Helene Haegerstrand also totaled seven rebounds.
Sophomore Lilly Phillips tied the team-high with three assists.
Redshirt-junior Morgan Haney notched a game-high three steals.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Helene Haegerstrand scored the first layup but two field goals from the River Hawks put the Great Danes at a 5-2 deficit.
Despite tallying more field goals than UMass Lowell, UAlbany was unable to score a three-pointer, while allowing two from UML, and finished the first quarter down, 10-8.
The Great Danes came out of the break to score five points and take the lead, 13-10.
UML added four points to take a slight lead but Morgan Haney added a three-pointer to answer at 6:52.
With a 16-14 UAlbany lead, both teams continued back-and-forth play with the largest lead being three points in the second.
After two field goals from the River Hawks and two free throws from the Great Danes, halftime began with a tied score, 25-25.
UAlbany opened the second half with five unanswered points to take the multi-possession lead.
Forcing a Great Dane timeout, UML went on an 8-0 scoring run.
In the close matchup, two field goals from Kayla Cooper and Haney helped UAlbany regain the lead, 35-33, at 5:45.
As the team continued to trade points, the River Hawks slowly worked towards tying the score at 39 with 1:40 remaining.
Two final field goals, including a buzzer-beater from Cooper, gave the Great Danes a multi-possession lead, 43-39, to head into the final quarter.
UAlbany extended their lead to 46-39 before allowing the River Hawks to score five points in less than a minute.
Ellen Hahne, assisted by Lilly Phillips, hit two three-pointers in a row and changed the momentum of the game before Cooper added a field goal for a double-digit advantage, 54-44, at 3:35.
As the River Hawks worked to cut the lead, the Great Dane defense held true to win the game, 59-51.