SCORE: UMass 73, UAlbany 48
 
LOCATION: Mullins Center - Amherst, Mass.
 
RECORDS: UAlbany 22-12, 14-2 America East | UMass 27-6, 14-2 Atlantic 10
 
SHORT STORY: The Great Danes came out of the gate strong but were unable to hold on as the Minutewomen offense exploded in the second half, 
  
COACH COLLEEN MULLEN: "It is an amazing accomplishment for our seniors and this team to make back-to-back postseason appearances. This group has worked extremely hard since the summer and I could not be more proud of their selflessness, work ethic, and resiliency. They have competed all season with no home court, traveling to practices, numerous injuries, 11 non-conference road games but they never quit! Instead, we won 22 games, a regular-season championship, and made a WNIT appearance. Our seniors are fearless leaders and I am so thankful for the opportunity to coach each one of them. Their character and commitment to one another created our program's championship culture, and culture always wins!"
 
KEY STATS

• Junior Kayla Cooper led the Great Danes with 18 points and 11 rebounds for a double-double.
• Senior Helene Haegerstrand followed on offense with nine points while redshirt-junior Morgan Haney followed on defense with seven rebounds.
• Nine Great Danes notched at least one assist with graduate student Ellen Hahne adding a second.
• All 14 student-athletes saw time in the final game of the 2022-23 season.
• Freshman Taylor Moffat scored her first basket as a Great Dane to end the contest.
• As a team, UAlbany compiled five steals and two blocks.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Minutewomen scored the first basket of the game but UAlbany put together two-straight baskets to take a 5-2 lead at 8:16.
• After trading free throws for two minutes, it was a tied game at six.
• The Great Danes earned the first field goal to come out of the free throw streak but nine unanswered UMass points led to a 17-11 deficit with just over three minutes left in the quarter.
• Scoring back-and-forth to close the first, UAlbany held the Minutewomen to a five-point lead, 23-18.
• The teams spent seven minutes in the second quarter trading baskets while UMass maintained their lead.
• Three-straight Minutewomen baskets, in two minutes, extended their lead to 36-24 with just over a minute left in the half.
• UAlbany got the final say with a layup from Kayla Cooper and entered halftime down, 36-26.
• After two free throws from Cooper, UMass extended their advantage with a 10-0 scoring run.
• Scoring all of UAlbany's third-quarter points, except four free throws, Cooper notched both UAlbany field goals during the third.
• The Great Danes scored early in the fourth quarter but a mid-quarter scoring run gave UMass a 73-43 lead with just under two minutes left in the game.
• UAlbany closed out the contest with the final five points. Scoring her first basket as a Great Dane, Taylor Moffat dumped the final basket, a three-pointer, at 0:25.

 
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