UAlbany WBB Eight-Game Winning Streak Snapped After 52-44 Defeat to Maine
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ALBANY, N.Y. – In a defensive struggle at the SEFCU Arena, the UAlbany women's basketball team fell in its first conference game of the year in a 52-44 home defeat to Maine.
UAlbany (15-7, 8-1 AE) was down by nine midway through the second half to Maine (16-6, 8-1 AE). UAlbany fought back to within a possession a couple of times with the press and the free throw line, but Maine did not trail in the final minutes and used free throws to seal the game.
“Both teams were playing zone, and it is hard to score off that,” said UAlbany coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson. “In the second half, we did not give Shereesha [Richards] the ball enough. We could not get those steals.”
UAlbany, which had its eight-game conference winning streak snapped, and Maine are now tied for first place in the America East with an 8-1 league record.
Shereesha Richards nearly had a double-double, scoring 15 points and eight rebounds. Sarah Royals and Imani Tate each netted ten points, with the latter adding six boards.
For Maine, Sigi Koizar finished with 17 points, six rebounds and four assists. Chantel Charles scored 16 off the bench, while Anna Heise got 10 points and six rebounds.
Both sides had strong defense, with each playing zone and forcing action on the perimieter. Tate broke the stalemate with a jumper off the inbounds nearly four minutes in for a 2-0 UAlbany.
The teams went back and forth as each looked to break the defense. UAlbany went for mid-range jumpers while Maine looked to the paint. At 6-6, Charles hit a corner three to push Maine ahead. Richards got a putback layup the other way, which was countered by a Heise jumper to make it 11-8 Maine with 9:35 left in the first.
The sides kept shooting without many falling. Maine built its lead to six at 16-10 following a Koizar wing three with 6:06 remaining.
UAlbany's defense held Maine without points the rest of the period. The team finished the half on a 6-0 run with Zakiya Saunders free throws, a Tiana-Jo Carter putback layup and a Richards layup through a double team with 43 seconds remaining. The teams went into the locker room tied at 16.
At 18-17, Richards again stepped through a double team for a layup to get UAlbany back ahead. Maine countered with a 6-0 run, including Charles hitting a wing three and a layup to make it 24-19.
UAlbany got to the paint for a couple of baskets, but at 27-24, Maine hit a couple of quick jumpers from Koizar and Heise. Later, the team added another Heise layup to build the visitor advantage to 33-24 with 11:42 remaining.
Changing tactics and going for the paint, UAlbany started to claw back. Saunders hit a jumper on the next possession, and a minute later, Royals drew contact and hit a pair of free throws to bring the home team down five 33-28 with 10:10 left.
With the team down 37-30, Royals again took up the charge, hitting a layup down the lane, then taking a Tate steal to the paint and getting fouled, hitting free throws to bring UAlbany within a possession a 37-34 Maine with seven minutes left.
Back and forth the teams went as Maine hit jumpers to stay ahead. With 4:15 left and UAlbany down five, Tate hit a jumper in transition to make it a three-point game. UAlbany forced two turnovers on Koizar, with Richards hitting two free throws to make it 44-43 Maine with just under three minutes left.
UAlbany kept causing turnovers but did not score a field goal in the rest of the game. Following a Charles jumper from the charity stripe, Royals hit a free throw with 1:39 left to pull UAlbany within two at 46-44. The Great Danes did not get closer, with Koizar and Heise hitting free throws down the stretch to seal the game 52-44.
The Great Danes hit the road to Durham on Wednesday, February 4th, taking on New Hampshire at 7 p.m.
