SCORE: UAlbany 87, Navy 56
 
LOCATION: Broadview Center - Albany, N.Y.
 
RECORDS: UAlbany 11-2, 0-0 America East | Navy 4-7, 0-0 Patriot League
 
SHORT STORY: For the first time in nearly a year, two Great Danes led the team with 20-point performances on the way to a 30-point victory over Navy, Saturday afternoon.
 
COACH COLLEEN MULLEN: "I am so happy with our team's effort today. Kayla and Deja were both unstoppable and we had great bench contributions. I was very pleased with our second-half execution on both ends of the floor. I was thrilled for Kayla [Cooper] that she scored 1000 points in a home win. This is a great way to close out 2023!"
 
KEY STATS

• Freshman Deja Evans led the team with 26 points and 17 rebounds while adding two assists, two steals, and one block.
• Senior Kayla Cooper notched 23 points, including her 1000th career point.
• Both Cooper and Evans shot over 60% from the field.
• Graduate student Helene Haegerstrand made it a third player with double-digit points with 12, including two three-pointers.
• Graduate student Sarah Karpell tallied a team-high four assists.
• All 10 dressed players contributed at least one major stat. Of the two who did not score a basket, freshman Hailee Ford made two steals and junior Lilly Phillips added three rebounds and two assists.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Scoring a combined 19 points in the first five minutes of the game, both Navy and UAlbany came out of the gates with a fire.
• Kayla Cooper hit her 1000th career point on the first Great Dane possession.
• After trading a couple of baskets, UAlbany tallied a 6-0 scoring run to take an 11-6 lead at 5:34.
• With both teams honing in on defense, the score remained at 11-8 for over three minutes before the Great Danes ended the first with two consecutive baskets for the 15-8 first-quarter lead.
• The Mids closed the gap with a 6-1 scoring run to open the second quarter.
• After four three-pointers (three UAlbany, one Navy) in just over a minute of action, the Great Danes held a 25-17 advantage at 6:13.
• Continuing what proved to be eight unanswered points, UAlbany earned a double-digit advantage with a free throw before ending the run on a jumper at 5:31.
• The Midshipmen gradually closed the scoring gap throughout the remainder of the quarter but it was the Great Danes entering halftime with a 39-31 advantage.
• Navy scored the first basket of the second half but it was UAlbany notching the first scoring run with nine consecutive points in two minutes.
• Closing what was a 17-point lead for UAlbany, the Mids tallied a scoring run to bring it down to a 10-point deficit.
• Helene Haegerstrand closed the quarter with a three-pointer at 43 seconds.
• Throughout the final quarter, the two teams combined for __ free throws.
• With a few jumpers and layups sprinkled in, the Great Danes were able to extend the point gap to make it a 30-point contest.
• As the seconds ticked down in the final minute, sophomore Gabriela Falcão helped the team surpass the 30-point difference with a three-pointer.

 
NEXT: The Great Danes are set to continue at home as they begin the conference season against Bryant on Thursday (Jan. 4).
 
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