Score: Stony Brook 68, UAlbany 52
Location: SEFCU Arena – Albany, N.Y.
Records: UAlbany (11-15, 8-5 AE), Stony Brook (20-6, 9-4)
Short Story: Heather Forster went off for a career-high 22 points but the University at Albany women's basketball team was bested by America East foe Stony Brook on Wednesday night in the program's annual #SpreadRespect game.
Highlights:
- Heather Forster's 22 points are a personal best for the senior. She finished the game with five boards and three steals.
- Alexi Schecter finished the contest with 10 points.
- Stony Brook narrowly won the battle of the boards, 26-25.
- The Great Danes notched 36 points from inside the paint.
Recap: A career-high 22 points from senior Heather Forster was not enough to stop the high scoring offense of Stony Brook.
Following the 68-52 setback, the Great Danes fall to 8-5 in America East action, while Stony Brook improves to 9-4 with the win. The two teams, who are fighting for the three-seed in the conference tournament, spilt the regular season series, 1-1.
UAlbany who averages 29.7 percentage shooting from behind the arc was held to just 1-12 shooting from long range. Stony Brook shot 11-17 from three-point range.
Stony Brook used a 25-0 run to jump out to a 25-2 advatnage midway through the opening stanza. Chyanna Canada would end a five-minute scoring drought for the Great Danes with a jumper at 2:13. UAlbany ended the quarter with back-to-back jumpers from Forster and Alexi Schecter but the Seawolves held a 19-point advantage at the buzzer.
Down 25-6 to start the second quarter, the Great Danes began to chip away at the difference. Stokes would turn defense into offense with steal and a lay-up to sparked a 10-4 scoring run. The home team hit its final six free throws down the stretch to pull within 13 points, 34-21, at the break.
15 third quarter points by the Seaswolves' Shania Johnson spoiled any chance of a Great Dane comeback. Stony Brook went on to outscore their counterparts, 22-18, in the third.
Forster garnered 13 of her 22 points in the fourth quarter. Six straight points by the forward made it a 61-49 score with 3:13 to play. Khepera Stokes would make it an 11-point game on the next possession by completing an and-one, but a Stony Brook triple would make it 64-49.
The Seawolves would hold on their lead for the final 60 seconds as UAlbany suffered its second straight loss at home.
Up Next: The Great Danes hit the road for a two-game road stint beginning on Saturday, February 23 at UMBC. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. and will broadcast on ESPN3.
