SCORE: UAlbany 69, UMBC 40
 
LOCATION: SEFCU Arena - Albany, N.Y.
 
RECORDS: UAlbany 11-5, 4-1 America East | UMBC 1-13, 0-4 America East
 
SHORT STORY: The Great Danes began with a strong first quarter and continued to dominate to earn a 69-40 victory against UMBC, Wednesday afternoon.
 
COACH COLLEEN MULLEN: "Today was a total team effort. We were excited to get back on the court, and when we have a balanced attack like we did today, it gives us a lot of momentum. I'm so proud of how we responded and it was great to see so many players contribute."
 
KEY STATS

• Junior Helene Haegerstrand and sophomore Kayla Cooper led the team with 14 points each.
• Junior Fatima Lee followed closely with 13 points for a career-high. Going 3-6 from outside the arc, her 50% average led the team.
• Haegerstrand, along with redshirt-sophomore Morgan Haney, led the team on the boards with six each. 
• Haney also owned team-highs with five assists and three offensive rebounds.
• Overall, senior Lucia Decortes led, shooting 80% from the field while adding three blocks.
• As a team, the Great Danes scored 24 points off turnovers and 25 points off the bench.
• Every player eligible to play saw minutes on the court against UMBC.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Great Danes opened the game with a three-pointer from Helene Haegerstrand.
• After UMBC followed with a jumper, UAlbany went on an 18-0 scoring run to grab a 21-2 lead before five minutes had passed.
• The Great Danes and the Retrievers continued to trade baskets before the first quarter closed with a UAlbany 25-10 advantage.
• The Great Danes held UMBC to just seven points in the second quarter.
• After tallying 11 points in the second, including two quarter-opening three-pointers, UAlbany entered halftime up, 36-17.
• Compiling an 8-0 scoring run in four minutes, the Great Danes made it to a 27-point lead before the third-quarter clock hit 6:00.
• The Retrievers made their way back through the second portion of the third quarter but  UAlbany made it to the final quarter with a 49-29 lead.
• The fourth quarter was led by the Great Danes' bench players. Of the 20 points tallied, Fatima Lee (10), freshman Koi Sims (3), and redshirt-sophomore Abby Robinson (3) combined for 16 points.
• UAlbany closed the early afternoon contest with a 29-point victory.

 
NEXT: The Great Danes head back on the road to face Stony Brook for an afternoon game on Saturday, January 22.
 
For more information on the University at Albany women's basketball team, follow the squad's official social media accounts shown below.
Twitter - @ualbanywbb
Instagram - @ualbanywbb
Facebook – facebook.com/UAlbanyWBB