UAlbany WBB Nearly Comes Back Down 20, Falls Just Short in 61-58 Defeat at Marist

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POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – The UAlbany women's basketball team nearly pulled off a 20-point comeback in the second half, pulling within one possession, but came up short to fall at Marist 61-58 on Wednesday night.

With UAlbany (4-3) down 53-33 to Marist (4-5) with 9:55 left, the Great Danes outscored the Red Foxes 22-4 in the following 8:10 to pull within two at 57-55.  UAlbany could not get closer as Marist free throws extended the lead towards the end.  An Erin Coughlin three at the buzzer brought UAlbany back within one possession, but the game finished at 61-58.

“Our second half was tremendous, and our press was very good in a great college environment,” said UAlbany coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson.

Imani Tate led UAlbany with 17 points, including 12 in the second half, and six rebounds.  Shereesha Richards finished with her third double-double of the year with 15 points and 12 rebounds, while Tiana-Jo Carter tallied eight points and 12 boards.  Coughlin scored 12 points, shooting 4-for-7 for three in the second half.

For Marist, Tori Jarosz had a double-double off the bench with 16 points and 10 rebounds.  Sydney Coffey and Madeline Blais each scored 15 points.

UAlbany started defending with a 2-3 zone while Marist went with the man-to-man defense.  Richards hit a long jumper on UAlbany's first possession.  The UAlbany zone kept forcing long Marist shots as UAlbany worked its way into the paint, starting the game on a 8-0 run after adding baskets from Carter, Richards and Tate as the Great Danes held the Red Foxes off the scoreboard in the opening 7:07.

Marist, led by some long threes by Blais, broke its streak and went on a 10-2 run to tie the game at 10-10 with under 10 minutes in the half.  Margarita Rosario buried a wing three to push UAlbany back ahead.  Marist, which switched to a zone defense, followed with another spurt, finding space in the paint for baskets.  The spurt went to 16-2 over the next six minutes as Marist took a 26-15 lead.

Attacking the paint, Sarah Royals and Tate hit late baskets to chip away at the deficit.  Despite outrebounding its opponent 27-12 in the first period, UAlbany went into the locker room down 28-20.

UAlbany continued to go to the hoop into the second half, drawing contact for trips to the line.  Marist also focused on the paint, hitting the first four baskets of the period, adding four free throws to extend the lead to 40-23 after four minutes elapsed in the second half.

Getting some turnovers in the halfcourt, the Great Danes got three quick baskets on layups, including two from Richards, to pull within 45-31.  The home team rebuilt the lead with a 6-0 run, eventually leading 53-33.

UAlbany got Coughlin open in the corner for a couple of threes.  The defense forced a couple of turnovers in the halfcourt, contributing to a 10-0 run to pull within 10.  Following a Jarosz layup, Coughlin hit another corner three, followed by Richards hitting a jumper in traffic.  The defense held and the offense kept getting chances, with no points being scored until the final media timeout..  Richards added two free throws, followed by Tate hitting a layup to make it 55-52 Marist with just over three minutes left.

Marist hit a couple of free throws on the next possession, which was countered by a Tate layup the other way.  Tate rebounded a Marist miss, then Royals got fouled going for a layup, hitting the front end to make it 57-55 with 1:45 left.  That is as close as UAlbany got, with free throws by Coffey and Blais pushing the lead to 61-55.  UAlbany got up a couple of late threes, with Coughlin hitting one at the buzzer, finishing the game at 61-58 in favor of Marist.

The Great Danes continue their road swing on Saturday, returning to the Capital District to defend the Albany Cup against Siena at the Times Union Center at 5 p.m.