Season ends for UAlbany women's basketball in opening round of WNIT

HAMILTON, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The UAlbany women's basketball team allowed 39 first-half points to Colgate in the opening round of the WNIT Thursday - the second-most points the Great Danes have allowed in the first half of a game this season. Colgate built a 14-point halftime advantage that UAlbany ultimately could not battle back from. The Danes ultimately fell 64-50, bringing a close to an overall stellar, 25-win campaign.

COACH COLLEEN MULLEN: "The players worked extremely hard to earn a postseason bid to the WNIT. Although we came up short, I'm extremely proud of our second-half effort tonight. The fight and pride our team showed tonight is the fight and pride they exhibited all season long. It has been an incredible journey with so much success despite having only 10 players, being riddled with injuries along with a tremendous amount of adversity. They have so much to be proud of and I am extremely grateful to coach such impressive and talented young women."

KEY STATS

• Senior Kayla Cooper led the Great Danes with 23 points, from 11 field goals and one free throw, and eight rebounds.
• Graduate student Sarah Karpell and junior Meghan Huerter followed with 12 and 11 points, respectively.
• Freshman Deja Evans (7) and Huerter (6) were close behind Cooper with their respective rebound numbers.
• Junior Lilly Phillips led with five assists and three steals. 
• Evans tallied a team-high two blocks.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Deja Evans opened the game with a layup but Colgate followed with two baskets to take a 5-2 early lead.
• The Great Danes put it within one three minutes into the game but a 6-0 scoring run from the Raiders extended the lead to 11-4 with six minutes on the clock.
• The teams went back and forth in the remaining minutes as Colgate ended the quarter with a 20-14 lead.
• Just past the five-minute mark in the second quarter, the Raiders completed an 8-0 scoring run to take a 32-20 lead.
• After Colgate extended the point gap to 39-22 with less than one minute remaining, Kayla Cooper ended the first half with a three-point play.
• The Raiders opened the third quarter with an 8-2 scoring run.
• UAlbany answered with 10 consecutive points including two three pointers from Meghan Huerter.
• Colgate regained the momentum with a 5-2 scoring run in the final two minutes of the third.
• The Great Danes closed the point gap with a 9-4 scoring run through six minutes of action in the final quarter.
• Locking down their defense, the Raiders only allowed one UAlbany basket throughout the remainder of the game and took the 64-50 win.