SCORE: UAlbany 65, New Hampshire 52
 
LOCATION: McDonough Sports Complex (HVCC) - Troy, N.Y.
 
RECORDS: UAlbany 14-8, 8-0 America East | New Hampshire 5-14, 0-7 America East
 
SHORT STORY: After a strong start, New Hampshire held the advantage for most of the contest. Gradually closing the point gap and playing a close game, UAlbany took the lead and extended it into a double-digit win, Wednesday night.
 
COACH COLLEEN MULLEN: "UNH came out strong in the first quarter and controlled the tempo in the first half. They attacked our pressure which led to some easy baskets. I am so proud of how the team responded defensively in the second half. Players made huge plays down the stretch, hit clutch shots, got second-chance opportunities, and capitalized at the free-throw line."
 
KEY STATS

• Four Great Danes tallied double-digit points. Senior Helene Haegerstrand led the team with 19 points while junior Kayla Cooper (14), senior Grace Heeps (12), and graduate student Ellen Hahne (11) followed.
• Hahne led on defense with 10 rebounds. Cooper followed closely with nine, including a team-high four offensive rebounds.
• Hahne (two steals), Haegerstrand (three blocks), and Heeps (seven assists) all tallied game-highs with their respective stats.
• Heeps' seven assists broke her previous career record of four.
• Hahne notched her third career double-double (first on the season).
• As a team, the Great Danes scored 20 points in the final quarter while holding the Wildcats to just five.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• New Hampshire started the game with seven unanswered points before redshirt-junior Morgan Haney made a successful layup for UAlbany's first basket at 8:00.
• Two-straight baskets from the Great Danes put the game within one possession, 15-12, with 4:22 on the clock.
• Trading points, the first quarter ended with a one-possession lead for UNH, 23-20, after Grace Heeps scored a buzzer-beating three-pointer.
• Compared to the first, the second quarter was low-scoring for both teams. 
• In the first five minutes of second-quarter action, both teams had seen just two baskets - a free throw and a layup for UAlbany with two field goals for New Hampshire.
• The Great Danes began a 7-0 scoring run at 5:32 to take their first lead, 28-27, of the contest with 2:11 remaining in the half.
• The Wildcats proceeded to gain a 9-1 scoring run to enter halftime with a 36-29 advantage.
• UAlbany came out of the break and put up nine points, while allowing two, to tie the game at 38 with 6:25 on the third-quarter clock.
• Putting together five points with two free throws and a three-pointer, New Hampshire took a five-point lead, 45-40, at 4:48.
• The Great Danes close the gap and finish out the quarter with a two-point deficit, 47-45.
• Two quarter-opening three-pointers from Heeps changed the momentum of the contest and gave UAlbany a 51-47 lead at 7:48.
• Continuing its offensive prowess, the Great Danes added two three-pointers from Ellen Hahne and a layup from Helene Haegerstrand to force a UNH timeout at 4:35 with a seven-point lead, 59-52.
• Completing what turned out to be an 11-0 scoring run, the Great Danes closed the contest with a double-digit win, 65-52. 

 
NEXT: UAlbany returns to the road for Maine on Saturday, January 28.
 
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