SCORE: UAlbany 60, Binghamton 58
LOCATION: Dr. Bai Lee Court - Vestal, N.Y.
RECORDS: UAlbany 14-2, 3-0 America East | Binghamton 5-11, 0-3 America East
SHORT STORY: In what proved to be the game of different quarters, the Great Danes held the slight edge throughout the fourth to secure their 10th consecutive victory, Saturday afternoon.
COACH COLLEEN MULLEN: "This was a gritty road win and I'm extremely proud of how the team found a way to win. Kayla [Cooper] was unstoppable inside and on the glass. Our defense came up with big stops when we needed them. We showed the toughness and fight this team has. They are a special group."
KEY STATS
- Senior Kayla Cooper led the way with 23 points, 14 rebounds, and four assists.
- Going 11-16 (.688) from the field, Cooper was one of two players with shooting percentages over 50%.
- Totaling 16 points, junior Lilly Phillips followed with a 54.5% accuracy from the field.
- As a team, the Great Danes outrebounded the Bearcats, 38-26, including a 13-3 advantage in offensive rebounds.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- UAlbany started the scoring with two straight field goals from Kayla Cooper and Lilly Phillips, respectively.
- As back-and-forth action followed, the first two baskets gave the Great Danes a 13-8 advantage with just over four minutes left in the first quarter.
- Holding UAlbany scoreless for the remainder of the first, Binghamton tallied three baskets to end the quarter with a 14-13 lead.
- The Great Danes came out of the break with a fire. Taking the advantage in the second quarter, UAlbany outscored the Bearcats, 17-5.
- Tallying five points in the first two minutes, the Great Danes allowed a layup before adding four two-point baskets for a 10-point lead, 26-16, with 4:27 on the clock.
- Scoring slowed as UAlbany took a 30-19 advantage into halftime.
- Binghamton opened the second half with a vengeance. Flipping the book on the Great Danes, the Bearcats outscored the visiting team, 17-8, in the third.
- In the first six and a half minutes of the quarter, UAlbany tallied just one layup as Binghamton closed the point gap and tied the score at 32.
- The remaining three and a half minutes saw the team trading baskets with the Great Danes holding a two-point lead as the buzzer marked the end of the third quarter.
- Both Binghamton and UAlbany brought that fighting feeling into the fourth quarter.
- In a true quarter of back-and-forth action, neither team scored consecutive field goals throughout the final 10 minutes of action.
- The Great Danes were able to stay at least one basket ahead of the Bearcats throughout the entirety of the quarter.
- Despite a buzzer-beating three-pointer from Binghamton, UAlbany secured their 10th consecutive victory to remain undefeated in conference play with a final score of 60-58.
NEXT: The Great Danes will continue on the road with two games - UMass Lowell (Jan. 18) and Bryant (Jan. 20) - next week.
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