Albany,
N.Y. - Lindsey Lowrie recorded a career-high 26 points on 11-of-14 shooting to
lead UAlbany to a 64-54 win over Sacred Heart in non-conference women's
basketball on Sunday afternoon at SEFCU Arena. Lowrie, who recorded four of the
Great Danes' five 3-pointers in the game, helped UAlbany improve to 6-4
overall, while Sacred Heart dropped to 9-3.
After Callan Taylor scored the
game's first points for Sacred Heart, UAlbany went on an 8-0 run, getting six
of those from Lowrie. The Pioneers ended the Great Dane run with a 3-pointer by
Blair Koniszewski, and continued to cut into the lead, pulling to within two,
19-17, with 8:42 left to play on a jumper by Morgan Merriman. A second jumper
by Merriman tied the game for the third time at 21-21, and the teams battled
for the rest of the half.
Lowrie drained a jumper at 4:28 to
give UAlbany a 27-23 advantage, but a free throw shot by Ericka Norman followed
by a trey by Katie Shepard knotted the score back up at 27-27 with just under
two minutes to play. Taylor nailed a shot from downtown to give Sacred Heart a
late lead, but Ebone Henry converted a layup with just 37 ticks on the clock to
pull within one, 30-29, before the teams headed to the locker rooms.
After exchanging points for two more
ties early in the second half, UAlbany took a 39-36 lead on a long-range basket
by Lowrie to take the lead for the final time. The Great Danes used a hot
offense and a relentless defense to build up an 11-point advantage, 51-40, with
8:32 left to play. UAlbany took its largest lead of the game, 58-43, on a free
throw by Tabitha Makopondo with just under five minutes to go. Sacred Heart
would attempt a late rally, getting one-of-two from the charity stripe from
Taylor to pull within 10, but it was too late. Strong free throw shooting by
the Great Danes down the stretch sealed the victory, as Cassandra Callaway and
Megan Craig went 4-for-4 from the line, while Makopondo added a point with 15
seconds to go.
Taylor, who leads active NCAA
Division I players in career double-doubles, recorded her 44th,
scoring 13 points and grabbing a game-high 12 rebounds. Gabrielle Washington
also scored 13 points, while Merriman netted 10. Sacred Heart (9-3) shot 33.3
percent (22-66) from the floor, and was held to 25.0 percent (7-28) from behind
the 3-point arc.
Lowrie's hot hand helped UAlbany
shoot 37.3 (22-59) from the floor, while the defense recorded 10 steals against
the Pioneers. Kate Cronin pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds, while Henry
added eight points, nine rebounds and six assists. Makopondo also filled the
boxscore with six points, five boards, three assists, three steals and a block.
UAlbany (6-4) will visit Canisius on
Thursday for the final game before Winter Break, taking on the Griffins at 5:15
p.m.
