Dominating 32-7 First Quarter Paces UAlbany Women's Basketball to 78-52 Win at UNH
Box Score | Box Score (PDF)
Postgame Interviews: Tiana-Jo Carter | Erin Coughlin |
DURHAM, N.H. – The UAlbany women's basketball team outscored New Hampshire 32-7 in the first quarter and cruised to a 78-52 victory in Durham to improve to 3-0 in America East play.
“When we get defensive stops, we're just so much better offensively, and we are really hard to guard,” said UAlbany head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson. “That was always been a key for us, getting defensive stops, and we just ran at them to not let the game slow down.”
UAlbany (12-3, 3-0 AE) began the game against UNH (6-9, 0-2 AE) on a 26-2 sprint and led by at least 22 points the rest of the way. The Great Danes outrebounded the Wildcats 42-25 and shot 54.5% from the field.
“Our key thing in the first quarter was our defense, we were strong there, and defense gets to our offense,” said forward Tiana-Jo Carter. “By getting those stops, we were able to go in transition.”
“We were all on the same page, thinking about the game plan and our scout,” said guard Erin Coughlin. “We were thinking defense is the main priority, and that is what we were doing in the first quarter.”
Four players landed in double figure scoring for UAlbany, led by Shereesha Richards, who recorded her fourth consecutive double-double off 11-for-15 shooting for 26 points and 10 rebounds.
Zakiya Saunders earned her second straight double-double off 12 points and 10 assists, where Carter nearly had a double-double with 14 points off 5-for-8 shooting with eight rebounds. Coughlin hit her first four three-point field goal attempts and finished with 12 points and three assists.
For UNH, Corinne Coia led the team with 13 points, while Carlie Pogue had 12 points and a pair of blocks. Emily Peters went 3-for-4 from three-point range for nine points.
UAlbany faced the UNH zone early and kept the ball mainly around the perimeter to begin. The team scored on its first three possessions, including a pair of threes by Coughlin, for a quick 8-0 lead just 83 seconds in.
UAlbany's pressure defense kept forcing UNH turnovers as Carter dominated in the paint on offense. Carter got open in the paint and forced fouls and hit layups to spark a huge run. Richards added two jumpers, then Coughlin capped the run at 18-0 with her fourth straight three to give UAlbany a 26-2 advantage just over seven-and-a-half minutes in. UAlbany led 32-7 at the end of one quarter.
After Peters hit a corner three to begin the scoring in the second quarter, UAlbany's frontcourt kept the attack up with Richards and Carter earning points and boards in an 8-0 run. The Great Danes led 40-10 just over four minutes into the second.
The team's fouls picked up as UNH tried to chip away at the deficit with threes and free throws. The defenses kept the pressure up as both sides were held to a combined one field goal in the final 5:30 of the 2nd quarter. Free throws by Richards helped UAlbany keep a strong lead as the Great Danes took a 47-22 advantage into the locker room.
Into the third, the UAlbany zone continued to hold off UNH, leading to a quarter-opening 6-0 run started by two more baskets from Richards.
Led by Coia, UNH went on a 7-0 run in a span of two minutes. Imani Tate led the counter with two jumpers to spark a 6-0 sprint to put the lead back at 30 at 59-29 with two minutes left in the 3rd. The teams traded points back and forth in the closing minutes of the 3rd as UAlbany led 63-35.
Following a couple of basket exchanges, Carter hit a pair of baskets in a span of 21 seconds, adding a later free throw to spark a 9-0 UAlbany run. The Great Danes led 76-39 with just under four minutes remaining.
UAlbany's reserves finished out the game as Aubrey Hernandez, Veronika Lavergne, Bailey Hixson and Khara Keane all got into the contest.
UNH hit a trio of threes in the final two minutes and finished the game on an 11-0 run, but UAlbany's lead held true as the Great Danes took the 78-52 victory.
UAlbany comes back home for a game against Maine on ESPN3 at the SEFCU Arena on Saturday, January 16th at noon. This game features last year's America East regular season co-champions.
