Albany, N.Y. - Serena Moore had 22 points and 11 rebounds as Siena outlasted UAlbany, 65-61, in an overtime battle on Saturday, Dec. 5 at the Times Union Center. The contest was the first half of a men's and women's doubleheader between the Capital Region rivals.
     Sarah Fullmer put Siena (1-6) ahead early in the extra session. Fullmer, who had seven of her 10 points in overtime, made a three-point play when she was fouled on a follow shot. She then hit a turnaround on the right baseline for a 56-51 advantage. UAlbany (3-4) clawed their way back into the contest and drew even at 61 apiece on Felicia Johnson's driving layup.
     However, the Great Danes pressed on the inbounds pass and Christina Centeno was fouled in the backcourt. The sophomore guard calmly sank both free throws. After Johnson missed a jumper from right the lane, Siena's Merrick Volpe sealed the outcome with a pair of foul shots.
     The Saints, who shot 63.2 percent in the second half, overcame a six-point halftime deficit to build a 43-36 lead with just over six minutes remaining. Fullmer, a 6-foot-3 senior, followed her own miss in the lane and Moore made both ends of a one-and-one free throw opportunity.
     The Great Danes wiped out that lead behind freshman Ebone Henry, who had 10 points and six rebounds off the bench. Johnson later drilled a 3-pointer from the left wing to tie the contest at 44 apiece. Siena held a 51-48 margin when Volpe made two free throws, but UAlbany's Delaney Cohan forced overtime with a long-range jumper from the top of the arc.
     "Our team played with a lot of heart," UAlbany coach Trina Patterson said. "We were just one play short. When teams play zone against us, we need to have players hit the open shots that are available."
     Both teams suffered from cold shooting in the first half as each hovered around the 20-percent figure. Johnson put the Great Danes ahead, 13-10, on a three-point field goal from the left wing. Siena's Moore later connected on a fastbreak layup that kept her team within one possession. But UAlbany countered when Cohan buried a three-pointer and Keyana Williams made a turnaround from left of the lane. The Great Danes settled for a 22-16 halftime advantage.
    Charity Iromuanya and Felicia Johnson each tallied 14 points for the Great Danes, who have dropped six of seven games since the series was renewed in 2001. Freshman Julie Forster added seven points and a career-high 16 rebounds.
    "We came out jittery because we are a young team," said Johnson, who added three assists and two steals. "We settled down in the second half, but they were getting a lot of offensive rebounds that we could have prevented."