UAlbany women notch first conference win against Bryant

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A strong defensive effort in the first half and accurate shooting paved the way for the Great Danes to win their first conference matchup of the season over Bryant, on Thursday night.

COACH COLLEEN MULLEN: “I’m very happy for our players. They have worked extremely hard and were very focused on this game plan. It feels great to open up conference play, 1-0. Bryant is a talented offensive team, and I am happy with our defensive effort tonight. Offensively, we executed well and had a terrific inside-out attack.

KEY STATS

• Three Great Danes notched double-digit points in the winning effort - senior Kayla Cooper (18), freshman Deja Evans (12), and junior Lilly Phillips (11).
• Evans also recorded a team-high in rebounds with seven. 
• Graduate student Helene Haegerstand finished with a team-best four assists.
• As a team, UAlbany shot 51.9% from the field and led in bench points, 19-2. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• After winning the opening tip-off, Kayla Cooper scored the first conference points of the season with a layup assisted by Lilly Phillips. 
• The Bulldogs responded with seven consecutive points to build an early 7-2 lead in the first quarter. 
• Making an immediate impact off the bench, junior Meghan Huerter and sophomore Gabriela Falcão teamed up to score six straight points to retake the lead, 12-9, at 3:01.
• After what ended up being a 14-1 scoring run, the Great Danes closed out the first quarter holding an 18-10 advantage. Cooper led the way with 10 points in 10 minutes of action.
• While the second quarter began as a defensive battle, two three-pointers from Huerter pushed UAlbany to their first double-digit lead, 26-14, at 5:54. 
• Finishing the first half with a 33-17 lead, the Great Danes defense held the Bulldogs to only seven points in the second quarter and scoreless from behind the arc. 
• UAlbany picked up right where they left off, starting the third quarter with seven consecutive points to grow their lead.
• Battling back midway through the third, Bryant went on a 7-2 scoring run to cut into the deficit and make it an 18-point game, 44-26, at 5:23.
• Adding five straight points to end the third quarter, UAlbany held a 58-32 advantage.
• The Bulldogs came out firing in the fourth quarter, outscoring UAlbany, 15-5, as they looked to fight back into the contest.
• Turning the momentum, freshman Hailee Ford contributed to six consecutive points after coming off the bench as the Great Danes looked to hold off the resurgent Bulldogs.
• Bryant finished the scoring with three free throws in the final two minutes of action but UAlbany was able to hold off for the 19-point America East victory.

NEXT: The Great Danes will continue the conference season at home against NJIT on Saturday (Jan. 6).