Newark, N.J. - Julie Forster contributed eight points and nine rebounds off the bench and hit two clutch free throws with seven seconds remaining in regulation to lead UAlbany past NJIT, 52-49, in non-conference women's basketball action on Thursday evening at the Fleisher Athletic Center. The Great Danes, who led by as many as 16 points in the second half, held off a furious rally by the Highlanders to win their first game of the season.

            UAlbany (1-1), which went 0-9 in games decided by five points or less last season, was clinging to a 44-42 advantage with under four minutes left. However, senior captain Charity Iromuanya hit two free throws and tipped in a missed shot to put the visitors ahead by six with 3:10 on the clock.

            NJIT (1-2), which never led in the contest, fought right back as it had all evening. Ivana Seric drilled a pair of free throws and took the ball to the hoop for two more points to slash the Great Dane lead to a point at 48-47 with 45 seconds left. On UAlbany's next possession, Melia Basavand drew a foul and nailed the ensuing free throws under pressure to push the lead back up to three with 19 seconds on the clock.

            Kehinde Oyelola's three-point attempt to tie the game and possibly force overtime went off the backboard and to the hands of Forster, who was immediately fouled with only seven ticks remaining. The freshman iced the game by netting both of her free throws before Melanie Griffin made a meaningless layup as the buzzer sounded.

            "We were really upset with the way we played in the second half in the last game," explained Iromuanya, who covered top-scorer Jessica Gerald and held her to seven points, her lowest effort of the young season. "We really wanted to focus on team defense and taking care of the ball when it mattered. Last time we got nervous and made dumb plays, but tonight we took our time and really worked as a team. We are a group that just really works hard and plays well together as a team."

            UAlbany scored the first five points and built up an 8-3 advantage by the midway point of the opening stanza. The Great Danes' suffocating defense forced the Highanders to miss their first 17 shots before Rayven Johnson pulled down an offensive rebound and made a layup with 7:46 left on the clock. Keyana Williams and Forster each blocked a shot during the stretch.

            The Highlanders, which made only three field goals in the first half on just 11.5 percent shooting, came as close as five points when Seric hit a running jumper with 4:49 remaining. However, the Great Danes dominated the rebounding game on both ends to finish the half on a 9-4 run. Tabitha Makopondo, Kim Clements and Felicia Johnson all hit field goals after grabbing offensive boards.

            UAlbany, which led by a 22-12 score at the recess despite shooting just 24 percent from the field, regained its double-digit lead after the Highlanders scored the first four points of the second half. The Great Danes used balanced scoring to build up a 16-point advantage at 36-20 with under 12 minutes left. Six players combined to hit seven field goals, which was capped by Ebone Henry's long two from the right wing.

            NJIT made an attempt to rally by scoring 16 of the next 20 points. After Gerald, who entered the contest averaging 24 points per game, converted her only field goal to close the gap to eight, a four-point play by Taiwo Oyeloa made it 40-36 with 7:19 on the clock. After Forster hit an 18-footer from the perimeter, the Highlanders kept chipping away at the deficit and brought the Great Dane lead down to two points on two occasions before the final media timeout. However, the Great Danes remained composed down the stretch and got clutch shooting in the final minutes to pull out the win.

            Iromuanya led the Great Danes in scoring with 12 points. She also pulled down seven rebounds and had three steals. Johnson added 11 points and four rebounds.

            NJIT was led by Seric's 11 points and nine rebounds. Taiwo Oyelola and Kehinde Oyelola added 10 and nine points respectively.

            The Great Danes outshot the Highlanders, 34.6 percent (18-52) to 27.7 percent (13-47) from the floor, while NJIT outshot UAlbany 18.8 percent (3-16) to 0 percent (0-12) from behind the arc and 71.4 percent (20-28) to 69.6 percent (16-23) at the charity stripe.

           "The character of this team is much stronger than last year," said head coach Trina Patterson. "They just really work. I said at halftime that their effort was good enough to win the game. The key is to work. We want to work our way to the top and work our way to win with good team chemistry and effort. I think that's the real difference that I see in this year's team."