THE STARTING FIVE
1. The Game
UAlbany visits New Hampshire for the 15th America East Conference game of the season. The Great Danes are the lone undefeated team in league play, having already defeated the Wildcats once this season, a 78-43 rout in Albany. UAlbany has clinched the #1 seed in the conference tournament, and at least a share of the regular season crown.
2. Scouting UAlbany
The Great Danes stand at 23-3 on the season with an unblemished 13-0 league record, after posting a 68-52 win on Sunday on the road against Vermont. UAlbany has now won 15 straight, and is defeating America East opponents by 25.8 points. Two-time defending Defensive Player of the Year Ebone Henry has continued to show why she has earned that title, as she has recorded a team-high 72 steals - including eight against BU - while also scoring at a team-best 14.6 clip. Julie Forster is pulling down a team-best 8.2 caroms per game, while also chipping in with 9.4 points. The Great Danes have a quartet of players averaging double-digit scoring totals, led by Henry, and followed by Lindsey Lowrie (10.6), Megan Craig (10.1), and Shereesha Richards (10.0).
3. Making National News
Not only are the Great Danes tops in the America East, they are also making a splash in thebnational statistics. As of the last release of the national stats on Monday, UAlbany is ranked in the top 15 in eight categories - with their lowest ranking being 13th (steals - 12.1 & winning percentage - 88.5). The Great Danes, in fact, are third in scoring defense (48.7) and fourth in field goal percentage defense (32.7). UAlbany is also sixth in rebound margin (+11.2), ninth in 3-point percentage (37.6) and scoring margin (+19.5) and 12th in field goal percentage (45.0). Individually, Lindsey Lowrie is eighth nationally in 3-point shooting percentage (43.6).
4. Best of the Best
The senior duo of Ebone Henry and Julie Forster have made indelible marks on the UAlbany women's basketball program. Henry scored 21 points against Vermont to become the all-time leading scorer in school history, breaking a record that stood for 27 years. With nine boards against UMBC, Forster became the first player in program history to record 1,000 rebounds, and then netted 10 points against Binghamton to score her 1,000th career point. Henry is also 4th in career rebounds (738) and is second in steals (294).
5. Now Checking In
While the Great Danes have a solid starting five, all of whom could be the game leader on any given night, one of the strengths of the 2012-13 UAlbany team is its depth. Two of the top five scorers come off the bench - freshman Shereesha Richards and sophomore Megan Craig. Sophomore Margarita Rosario is the first reserve point guard off the bench, while forward Tammy Phillip can enter the game and cause the other team fits with her rebounding ability.
