UAlbany women championship bound for second straight year

by: Tommy Valentine, Casey Mae Filiaci

Posted: Mar 6, 2023 / 12:12 AM EST

Updated: Mar 6, 2023 / 05:11 AM EST

TROY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — After a first half that saw 13 lead changes, the University at Albany women’s basketball team pulled away in the second half against third-seeded Maine to secure a 72-64 victory in the semifinals of the America East Tournament Sunday evening.

COACH COLLEEN MULLEN: “I am so proud of how this team executed a game plan and competed on both ends for 40 minutes against such a tough opponent in Maine. This team has faced so much adversity all season; they have shown a tremendous amount of resiliency and deserve the opportunity to compete for another championship. Today was a total team effort. Across the board, players made huge plays. A win like this takes every player to buy into their role, and this group has worked so hard to reach this point. I am so happy for this team.”

KEY STATS

Junior Kayla Cooper finished the game with a team-high 23 points and a game-high four assists.
Graduate student Ellen Hahne and senior Helene Haegerstrand added 13 points each.
Haegerstrand led on defense with seven rebounds while Cooper followed with five.
Graduate student Lucia Decortes tallied the lone block and senior Grace Heeps made the only Great Dane steal
As a team, UAlbany shot a season-high 61.7% from the field, besting its previous best of 56.5% at Dartmouth (12/6). The Great Danes added a 62.5% accuracy from outside the arc.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Both UAlbany and UMaine opened the contest with a strong defensive position.
After three minutes with a point from the Great Danes, Kayla Cooper hit an and-one to give UAlbany a 5-4 lead at 6:07.
After back-and-forth scoring that led to multiple lead changes, the game was tied at 16 at the close of the first quarter.
Trading baskets to open the second, senior Fatima Lee grabbed a three-pointer to give the Great Danes a slight one-point edge with 6:13 remaining in the half.
Scoring six unanswered points, Helene Haegerstrand gave UAlbany what proved to be the largest lead of the first half, 31-26, with just over two minutes to play in the quarter.
Despite a tied score at 31, the Great Danes added two field goals to enter halftime with a 36-31 advantage.
UAlbany opened the second half with a 5-0 scoring run to take the first double-digit lead of the contest at 8:17.
Maine put together two scoring runs, including five unanswered points in the final minute, in the third quarter. The Great Danes held strong and entered the fourth quarter with a six-point lead, 55-49, after a buzzer-beating jumper from Lee.
Coming out of the quarter break with a fire, the Black Bears allowed one basket before adding an 8-0 scoring run to tie the game at 57.
Trading baskets for three minutes, it was a three-pointer from Ellen Hahne that gave the Great Danes the 68-64 lead at 2:26.
In true UAlbany style, the Great Danes held their opponent to zero field goals in the final minutes of play as they extended their advantage with successful free throws.
After just under three scoreless minutes for the Black Bears, UAlbany notched the 72-64 semifinal win to advance to the America East Championships.

NEXT: The Great Danes will head to Burlington to face the number one seed and co-regular season champion, Vermont, on Friday, March 10 in the America East Championship.