UAlbany WBB Holds Off Maine in 49-43 Road Victory to Start America East Play
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UAlbany Postgame Press Conference
BANGOR, Maine – Up one with 40 seconds left, UAlbany used free throws from Sarah Royals and Zakiya Saunders and a Shereesha Richards layup, the last of 21 points by her, to earn a 49-43 victory at Maine to begin conference play.
“We did a good job staying poised in a great atmosphere,” said UAlbany coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson. “We were running a different offense to get Shereesha [Richards] running around, and she is there every game we play.
After five-straight points from Anna Heise, UAlbany (8-6, 1-0 AE) led 42-41 over Maine (8-5, 0-1 AE) with 40 seconds left. Out of a timeout, Royals got fouled making a desperation three-point attempt, following by making all three free throw attempts. The other way, Courtney Anderson threw the ball away to Saunders, who converted a pair of free throws to effectively seal it. Two Sigi Koizar free throws and a Richards layup set the 49-43 final score. The victory gave UAlbany its 25th-consecutive America East road win.
Richards moved into 4th all-time in UAlbany scoring with 1,240 points. She had 21 today off 9-14 shooting, adding nine rebounds.
“We had to keep them out of the paint,” said Richards. “My teammates are always trying to get me the ball, and if I am not open, I will kick it back out, and if I have a shot I will take it.
Royals moved up to second all-time in UAlbany assists with 369, earning seven today. She added eight points, including the game-winning free throws.
“We had practiced situations like this the night before,” said Royals. “Coach told us to stay calm and poised, and that we needed to play smart.”
Imani Tate scored 12 points off the bench, while Saunders netted eight points with four boards. As a team, UAlbany shot 48.8% to Maine's 34.8%.
For Maine, Heise went 6-9 from the field with 13 points. Liz Wood scored nine points with six steals, while Koizar also got nine points.
Following a couple of early turnovers by both sides, Liz Wood hit a jumper off the window for the first score of the game. Royals pulled a double team to open Richards for UAlbany's first score, then Richards stole a pass on the wing and took it all the way for a 4-2 Great Danes lead in the first four minutes.
UAlbany had a scoring lull for the next six minutes as a Lauren Bodine wing three and Wood runner put the home team ahead. Around the 10 minute mark, Tate buried a long jumper along the baseline, then Richards earned another steal and score and one to push UAlbany up 9-7.
As the defensive battle continued, Maine fired away from three, hitting one from Bodine in the corner to retake the lead. UAlbany kept attacking Maine's zone, finding Richards for another couple of layups to put the visitors' lead to 13-10. Richards had 11 of the team's first 13 points.
The teams exchanged baskets back and forth the rest of the half. With seven seconds left, Richards was fouled on a loose ball rebound. She hit both free throw attempts, giving UAlbany a 19-17 lead into the half.
The offenses looked fresh out of the locker room as each side hit shots in their first three possessions. Royals hit a jumper and a three in that stretch as UAlbany led 26-24 in the period's first three minutes.
UAlbany's defense held Maine without points for a span of four minutes as the team looked for jumpers along the baseline. Saunders and Tate each hit shots to build the lead, then following a Koizar painter jumper, Richards hit two baskets in a row to build UAlbany's advantage to 34-26 with 12:33 left in the 2nd.
At 38-28, Maine found 6-foot-3 Heise underneath for two layups to pull the home team within six. Tate stopped the mini run with a jumper. Maine went to the paint again, with Wood hitting the layup then Courtney Anderson hitting two free throws after getting fouled in transition, pulling the Black Bears to within four at 40-36 with 4:30 remaining.
UAlbany's zone defense held Maine off the scoreboard for almost three minutes, adding a Tate jumper to make it 42-36. The Black Bears countered with their center, with Haise hitting a corner three then a layup underneath to pull the team within one 42-41 with 40 seconds remaining.
Out of the timeout with the shot clock winding down, Royals got hit throwing up a three with 19 seconds left. With the band and crowd making the arena loud, Royals hit all three free throw attempts to put the team up two possessions. Maine tried to go quickly. Anderson on the corner threw the ball over Haise's head, with Saunders grabbing it and getting fouled. Saunders hit both with 12 seconds remaining. Koizar rebounded a missed three and got fouled, hitting a couple of free throws. Royals inbounded to a running Richards, who hit the wide open layup to finish the game with UAlbany winning 49-43.
UAlbany comes back home for its conference home opener on Wednesday, January 7th, taking on New Hampshire at 7 p.m. at the SEFCU Arena.
