SCORE: Syracuse 87, UAlbany 64
 
LOCATION: JMA Wireless Dome - Syracuse, N.Y.
 
RECORDS: UAlbany 6-8, 0-0 America East | Syracuse 10-2, 1-0 ACC
 
SHORT STORY: The Great Danes outscored the Orange, 34-32, in the first half but an offensive push in the fourth quarter put the victory out of reach as Syracuse earned the 87-64 win, Tuesday afternoon.
 
COACH COLLEEN MULLEN: "We played an impressive, composed, three quarters of basketball on both sides of the floor. I though we did a tremendous job boxing out, containing drives, and handling their pressure in the first half. Unfortunately, we ran out of steam in the fourth and everything was going their way. Syracuse did a good job switching defenses in the second half which disruptedour flow offensively and gave Syracuse some momentum. They capitalized on offensive rebounds and attacked us harder off the bounce. I'm very proud of how we competed and performed in our last two games against very talented Power 5 opponents."
 
KEY STATS

• Senior Helene Haegerstrand led the team with 19 points and two steals.
• Junior Kayla Cooper added 17 points while leading with seven rebounds.
• Sophomore Freja Werth and redshirt-junior Morgan Haney notched double-digit point totals with 10 points each.
• Haney owned a team-high seven assists.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Great Danes tallied the first point with a free throw from Helene Haegerstrand but the Orange notched the first field goal of the contest.
• UAlbany gained a three-point lead at 6:38 after field goals from Kayla Cooper and Freja Werth.
• The largest lead of the first quarter was held by Syracuse at 4:27, 9-5. A Morgan Haney three-pointer closed the gap 30 seconds later.
• Baskets continued back and forth before Werth added a three-pointer with 13 seconds left in the first quarter to give the Great Danes the lead, 15-13, headed into the break.
• The teams continued to trade baskets into the second quarter. At 5:13, Freja Werth started her 5-0 scoring run to give the Great Danes the largest lead of the first half, 24-19, at 4:29.
• The Orange came back to tie the score at 26 with just over two minutes left in the half. 
• Adding baskets from Grace Heeps and Haegerstrand, UAlbany closed the first half with a 34-32 advantage.
• The Great Danes opened the second half with a three-pointer from Haegerstrand but an 8-0 scoring run from the Orange gave Syracuse the lead, 40-37, at 7:27.
• The Orange extended its lead to 44-38 but UAlbany added baskets from Heeps and Cooper to make it a one-point game.
• The teams continued to trade baskets as Syracuse held a one-possession advantage until the final minute of the quarter. The Orange added five points in 30 seconds before Kayla Cooper closed the third quarter with a three-point play.
• After back-and-forth play for two minutes, Syracuse tallied nine unanswered points to take a 70-56 lead.
• Baskets continued to drop on both sides of the court but the Great Danes were unable to overcome the Orange and take back the lead. After a final quarter that saw Syracuse lead, 30-12, the Orange took the win, 87-64.

 
NEXT: The Great Danes are set to begin conference play at home as Vermont visits on December 29.

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