SCORE: UAlbany 59, Maine 51
 
LOCATION: McDonough Sports Complex (HVCC) - Troy, N.Y.
 
RECORDS: #2 UAlbany 21-10, 14-2 America East | #7 UMass Lowell 5-22, 4-12 America East

COACH COLLEEN MULLEN: "UMass Lowell played a great game on both ends. Their physicality kept us off balance offensively and they made us play defense for 30 seconds every possession. I'm so proud of how we stuck together and relied on our defense to propel our offense. Our pressure defense created turnovers and players made plays down the stretch. We are still learning how to play together and building chemistry after only having our entire roster since January."
 
SHORT STORY: In what proved to be a close contest through three quarters, the Great Danes pulled ahead in the fourth for a 59-51 victory over seventh-seeded UMass Lowell. With the win, UAlbany will advance and host Maine in a semifinal contest.
  
KEY STATS

• Junior Kayla Cooper led the Great Danes with 13 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and two blocks.
• Graduate student Ellen Hahne followed with 12 points and seven rebounds. Senior Helene Haegerstrand also totaled seven rebounds.
• Sophomore Lilly Phillips tied the team-high with three assists.
• Redshirt-junior Morgan Haney notched a game-high three steals.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Helene Haegerstrand scored the first layup but two field goals from the River Hawks put the Great Danes at a 5-2 deficit.
• Despite tallying more field goals than UMass Lowell, UAlbany was unable to score a three-pointer, while allowing two from UML, and finished the first quarter down, 10-8.
• The Great Danes came out of the break to score five points and take the lead, 13-10.
• UML added four points to take a slight lead but Morgan Haney added a three-pointer to answer at 6:52.
• With a 16-14 UAlbany lead, both teams continued back-and-forth play with the largest lead being three points in the second. 
• After two field goals from the River Hawks and two free throws from the Great Danes, halftime began with a tied score, 25-25.
• UAlbany opened the second half with five unanswered points to take the multi-possession lead.
• Forcing a Great Dane timeout, UML went on an 8-0 scoring run.
• In the close matchup, two field goals from Kayla Cooper and Haney helped UAlbany regain the lead, 35-33, at 5:45.
• As the team continued to trade points, the River Hawks slowly worked towards tying the score at 39 with 1:40 remaining.
• Two final field goals, including a buzzer-beater from Cooper, gave the Great Danes a multi-possession lead, 43-39, to head into the final quarter.
• UAlbany extended their lead to 46-39 before allowing the River Hawks to score five points in less than a minute.
• Ellen Hahne, assisted by Lilly Phillips, hit two three-pointers in a row and changed the momentum of the game before Cooper added a field goal for a double-digit advantage, 54-44, at 3:35.
• As the River Hawks worked to cut the lead, the Great Dane defense held true to win the game, 59-51.

 
NEXT: With the win today, the Great Danes will advance to the and host an America East semifinal. They will host Maine on Sunday (March 5) at 3 pm.

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