SCORE: UAlbany 59, NJIT 49
 
LOCATION: NJIT Wellness and Events Center - Newark, N.J.
 
RECORDS: UAlbany 20-10, 14-2 America East | NJIT 13-1, 8-8 America East
 
SHORT STORY: The Great Danes grabbed an early lead they would never relinquish as the Highlanders battled throughout the entire contest, Saturday afternoon.
  
COACH COLLEEN MULLEN: "We beat a very talented offensive team today in NJIT because our defensive focus was tremendous for 40 minutes. This team made a goal to be [America East] Regular-Season Champions and they accomplished that! The players have worked so hard and are so bought into one another. This team has face so much adversity - multiple injuries, numerous road games, and traveling for practices and home games. Despite all of those challenges, they never made any excuses. I'm so happy for the players and the momentum we have as we enter the playoffs."

KEY STATS

• Tallying her seventh double-double of the season, junior Kayla Cooper led the team's offensive and defensive efforts with 15 points and 13 rebounds. 
• Graduate student Ellen Hahne (12 pts) and senior Helene Haegerstrand (10 pts, 8 rbs) followed the junior guard with their respective stats.
• Haegerstrand totaled a team-high three blocks and six assists.
• Redshirt-junior Morgan Haney made the lone UAlbany steal.
• All 11 Great Danes who saw action against the Highlanders totaled at least one rebound.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• UAlbany opened up with seven unanswered points in two minutes of action before extending the scoring run to nine.
• The Highlanders scored their first basket at 5:30 before going back and forth with the Great Danes for about two minutes.
• NJIT outscored UAlbany, 8-3, in the final three minutes of the first.
• Starting the second quarter out with an 18-15 deficit, the Highlanders tied the score with their first basket.
• The Great Danes answered with three-straight baskets for a 24-18 advantage.
• Allowing NJIT to score just one field goal after the six-minute mark, UAlbany closed the first half with a 9-4 scoring run for a double-digit lead, 36-26, at halftime.
• The third quarter saw back-and-forth play as the Great Danes slowly extended their lead from 10 points at halftime to 14 points at the end of the quarter.
• Allowing just two field goals from the Highlanders, UAlbany outscored NJIT, 15-11, in the third quarter.
• The final quarter proved to be the most defensive for both teams while the Highlanders outscored the Great Danes.
• NJIT got within 10 points, 55-45, at 5:53 after a 5-0 scoring run.
• The final five minutes saw just three total field goals. With defense strong on both sides, UAlbany held its 10-point lead until the final buzzer to win a share of the America East Regular-Season Title with a 59-49 victory over NJIT.

 
NEXT: With the close of the regular season, the Great Danes are set to host the Jersey Mike's America East Quarterfinals on March 1.

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