SCORE: Vermont 38, UAlbany 36
LOCATION: Patrick Gym - Burlington, Vermont
RECORDS: UAlbany 22-11, 14-2 America East | Vermont 25-6, 14-2 America East
SHORT STORY: A defensive battle throughout, the Great Danes fought back from a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter but it was not enough as Vermont took the championship crown, Friday night.
KEY STATS
- Junior Kayla Cooper led on both sides of the court with 12 points and nine rebounds.
- Senior Helene Haegerstrand followed with 10 points and five rebounds.
- Graduate student Ellen Hahne tallied a team-high two assists and two steals.
- Cooper, Haegerstrand, and graduate student Lucia Decortes shared the team-high with two steals.
- On shot defense, Decortes and senior Grace Heeps notched two blocks each.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- In a defensive first quarter, the Catamounts scored the first basket at 7:30.
- After Vermont added a second layup, the Great Danes tied the score with two layups in just over a minute.
- Seeing just four layups in the first, the game entered the first break tied at four.
- Ellen Hahne notched a three-pointer to open the second quarter and give the Great Danes a one-possession lead at 8:50.
- Using the next seven minutes, Vermont went on a 13-0 scoring run to earn a double-digit advantage, 17-7, with one minute remaining on the first-half clock.
- The Great Danes closed the half with a three-point play from Kayla Cooper to enter halftime down, 17-10.
- In a third defensive quarter, the Catamounts outscored UAlbany, 13-7.
- Vermont worked for a 12-point advantage at 5:24.
- Despite four points from the Great Danes, the Catamounts extended their lead by one to enter the final quarter with a 30-17 advantage.
- UAlbany grabbed the first four points of the fourth but Vermont answered with four points of their own.
- Two steals and seven unanswered points, in less than 30 seconds of action, put the Great Danes back in the game with a five-point deficit at 4:31.
- UAlbany continued what proved to be a nine-point scoring run to cut Vermont's lead to three points.
- Throughout the entirety of the fourth quarter, the Great Danes held the Catamounts to just two field goals as they cut the lead to one, 37-36, with nine seconds remaining.
- Vermont held on to defend against UAlbany's final shot and take the win, 38-36.
ALL-CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT TEAM
NEXT: As co-regular season champions, the Great Danes' season is not over. Earning an automatic bid, they will be part of the tournament field, revealed on Sunday, for the WNIT. Tune in on Monday for the release of the full bracket.
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
