ALBANY, N.Y. - The University at Albany women's basketball season begins with two games this weekend.
 
The annual Albany Cup will be hosted by Siena this year. Played at the UHY Center, the Great Danes and the Saints will compete at 1 pm on Sunday, November 13 to find out this year's Albany Cup winners.
 
GAME INFORMATION
 
Merrimack at UAlbany
DATE: Friday, November 11
TIME: 7:00 PM
SITE: McDonough Sports Complex (HVCC) - Troy, N.Y.
RECORDS: UAlbany 0-0, 0-0 America East | Merrimack 0-1, 0-0 NEC
SERIES RECORD: 4-2, Merrimack leads
STATS: UAlbanySports.com
TICKETS: UAlbanySports.com
STREAM: ESPN3
 
UAlbany at Siena
DATE: Sunday, November 13
TIME: 1:00 PM
SITE: UHY Center - Loudonville, N.Y.
RECORDS: UAlbany 0-0, 0-0 America East | Siena 0-0, 0-0 MAAC
SERIES RECORD: UAlbany leads, 12-11
STATS: SienaSaints.com
TICKETS: SienaSaints.com
STREAM: ESPN+
 
All UAlbany students are welcome to enjoy all UAlbany Athletics events for FREE with their student ID. Come out and support the Great Danes with the scan of a card - tactile or mobile.
 
GREAT DANE REWIND

• Advancing to the NCAA Tournament in the 2021-22 season, the Great Danes finished last year with a 23-10 overall record.
• After hosting and defeating New Hampshire and Vermont in the quarter- and semifinals, respectively, the Great Danes found a victory over first-seed Maine in Orono to win the America East Championship.
• UAlbany returns 11 of its 2021-22 13 student-athletes, including all starters and regular reserve players. 
• In the offseason, the Great Danes added three freshmen guards - Taylor Moffat, Karyn Sanford, and Marie Sepp.

 
ABOUT MERRIMACK

• The Warriors opened their season hosting Holy Cross. The Crusaders defeated Merrimack, 67-39, on November 7.
• Finishing their season 9-17 in 2021-22, the Warriors did not make it to the NEC Conference Tournament. 
• Graduating three seniors (or graduate students), Merrimack added one freshman and one graduate transfer. Overall, the Warriors returned just one player from the 2021-22 starting lineup.
• In the contest, Kaylee Thomas leads with a .400 field goal percentage, Marisa Hamilton leads with 11 points, and Ava Owens owns a team-high five rebounds.

 
SERIES AGAINST THE WARRIORS

• Merrimack leads the series, 4-2.
• This meeting will be just the second since UAlbany became a Division I school. The first was a loss last season on the road. The Warriors are currently in the transition process and will become a full Division I school by 2023-24.
• Most recently, Merrimack beat the Great Danes, 65-52, on November 16, 2021.

 
ABOUT SIENA

• The Saints will open the season against New Hampshire on Thursday, November 10, before hosting UAlbany on Sunday, November 13.
• Finishing the 2021-22 season 10-19 overall and 10-10 in conference play, the Saints made an appearance in the MAAC Championship Tournament.
• Going against fourth-seed Niagara, the Saints fell, 60-59, to close their season.
• Graduating seven seniors, Siena added nine freshmen. Overall, the Saints returned three of seven regular starters.

 
SERIES AGAINST THE SAINTS

• The Great Danes hold a slight lead in the series, 12-11.
• The teams' last meeting was in 2021, resulting in a 64-44 victory for UAlbany. 
• Under head coach Colleen Mullen, the Great Danes and the Saints are 1-1. In addition to last season's win, UAlbany fell to Siena, 52-46, in 2019.

 
AROUND THE AMERICA EAST

• The reigning conference champions, UAlbany is the lone team to have not started their season yet.
• Binghamton, Bryant, Maine, New Hampshire, NJIT, and UMBC all began with victories.
• UMass Lowell and Vermont opened their season with a loss.

 
AMERICA EAST CONTESTS THIS WEEK

• Monday
  • Bryant 70, Dartmouth 63
  • New Hampshire 83, Colby-Sawyer 24
  • Boston College 81, UMass Lowell 53
  • Binghamton 63, Bloomsburg 46
  • Maine 60, James Madison 58
  • NJIT 68, Rider 60
• Tuesday
  • Indiana 86, Vermont 49
  • UMBC 79, Gettysburg 77
• Thursday
  • UMBC at Virginia, 7 pm
  • Army at Binghamton, 7 pm
  • New Hampshire at Siena, 7 pm
• Friday
  • Vermont at Miami (Ohio), 10:15 am
  • UMass Lowell at Indiana, 7 pm
  • Merrimack at UAlbany, 7 pm
  • Lafayette at NJIT, 7 pm
• Saturday
  • Emerson at Bryant, 6 pm
• Sunday
  • UMBC at Loyola (Md), 12 pm
  • UAlbany at Siena, 1 pm
  • NJIT at Rutgers, 2 pm
  • New Hampshire at Dartmouth, 2 pm

 
WHAT'S UP, PRESEASON

• With seven first-place votes and 59 total points, the Great Dane women's basketball team was picked to finish first in the conference in the preseason coaches' poll. Maine was just behind them with 54 points while Vermont came in third with 46 points and one first-place vote.
• Last season's offensive and defensive leaders, respectively, Helene Haegerstrand and Kayla Cooper were named to the America East Preseason All-Conference Team.
• UAlbany added three new players to the roster for the 2022-23 season - Taylor Moffat, Karyn Sanford, and Marie Sepp.

 
DRIVE THE LANE WITH UALBANY HOOPS

• UAlbany has expanded its partnership with ESPN Radio 104.5 The Team and City Line Bar & Grill.
• Coaches Colleen Mullen and Dwayne Killings, along with select student-athletes, will join ESPN Radio 104.5 The Team's Charlie Voelker and Dan Bahl every Monday from 6-7 pm live from City Line Bar & Grill for a weekly segment entitled 'Drive the Lane with UAlbany Hoops'.
• Fans are invited to come out to City Line Bar & Grill to join Coach Mullen, Coach Kills, the student-athletes, and the ESPN Radio 104.5 The Team crew. 
• Food and drink specials will be available on a weekly basis as the teams embark on their new seasons and talk hoops every Monday.

 
UP NEXT

• The Great Danes will head to Maryland to face Navy before returning home to host Colgate.

 
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