SCORE: UAlbany 66, St. Bonaventure 56
 
LOCATION: Reilly Center - St. Bonaventure, N.Y.

RECORDS: UAlbany 3-1, 0-0 America East | St. Bonaventure 1-2, 0-0 Atlantic-10
 
SHORT STORY: The Great Danes gained a significant lead with a strong defense in the first quarter. Continuing to outscore the Bonnies, UAlbany closed its 40 minutes of action with a 10-point victory over its host, St. Bonaventure, Thursday night.
 
COACH COLLEEN MULLEN: "This was a solid road win over a quality A-10 opponent. I was extremely proud of how the team responded defensively in the fourth quarter. We were locked into controlling the boards and got key stops down the stretch. Kayla Cooper was tremendous on both ends."
 
KEY STATS

• Totaling a career-high 12 rebounds, freshman Deja Evans led the team on defense.
• Senior Kayla Cooper earned a team-high 21 points for her ninth career game with at least 20 points.
• Earning three three-pointers, two Great Danes followed with double-digit point totals - junior Lilly Phillips and graduate student Fatima Lee.
• Lee added a team-high four steals as UAlbany totaled nine steals.
• Evans and Phillips notched two blocks each.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• For the fourth consecutive contest, Deja Evans won the tip for the Great Danes.
• In a defensive first quarter, the first field goal belonged to a layup from St. Bonaventure in the third minute of action.
• UAlbany answered with 10 straight points throughout the next six minutes of action.
• Holding the Bonnies to just six points in the first quarter, the Great Danes held an 11-point advantage after 10 minutes of play.
• As offense increased, UAlbany tallied a 6-0 scoring run for a 16-point lead two minutes into the second quarter.
• The Bonnies gradually closed the lead to seven but two consecutive three-pointers from junior Meghan Huerter and Fatima Lee gave the Great Danes a 13-point advantage at the half.
• St. Bonaventure tallied three consecutive possessions with field goals to close the point gap to eight with just over seven minutes remaining in the third quarter.
• Back-and-forth scoring occurred throughout the next five minutes but the Bonnies were able to close the Great Danes' lead to six with about two and a half minutes on the third-quarter clock.
• UAlbany entered the final quarter with a five-point lead after St. Bonaventure finished the quarter with five unanswered points.
• Returning to the defensive action of the first quarter, the Great Danes held the Bonnies to less than 10 points in the fourth quarter to secure their victory.
• After just seven total points in the top five minutes (4-3, Great Danes), UAlbany regained a double-digit lead with two consecutive baskets from Kayla Cooper.
• Each team added two field goals as they both went scoreless in the final minute of action and the Great Danes secured the 66-56 win.

 
NEXT: UAlbany will continue on the road at Cornell (November 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 & Threads - @ualbanywbb
Facebook – facebook.com/UAlbanyWBB