SCORE: UAlbany 64, Bryant 62
 
LOCATION: Chace Athletic Center - Smithfield, R.I.
 
RECORDS: UAlbany 16-2, 5-0 America East | Bryant 9-9, 2-3 America East
 
SHORT STORY: In what proved to be a back-and-forth contest with a heart-pounding end, the Great Danes found a one-possession, last-minute victory at Bryant, Saturday afternoon.
 
COACH COLLEEN MULLEN: "This was another tough, physical, and gritty road win for our team. The players were locked into each other and demonstrated a tremendous amount of resiliency. It is obvious how connected this team is. We executed down the stretch and our players made big time plays. Kayla Cooper had another outstanding performance and she continues to shine in big moments."

KEY STATS

• Senior Kayla Cooper led with 26 points and 12 rebounds for her 19th career double-double, fifth of the season.
• Junior Lilly Phillips followed with 13 points.
• Graduate student Helene Haegerstrand made it three student-athletes with double-digit point totals having earned 11.
• Notching game-highs with five blocks and four assists, Haegerstrand improved upon her previous career-high of four blocks, a feat that was made against UMass Lowell just two days before this contest.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Bryant jumped ahead to a 5-1 lead after three minutes of action.
• The two teams went back and forth as the Bulldogs gradually gained an advantage before a 5-0 scoring run secured a nine-point lead at 3:16 in the first quarter.
• Coming back, the Great Danes held Bryant scoreless for the remainder of the quarter as they worked to tie the score at 17 and close the first quarter of action.
• UAlbany gained its first lead after a basket from Kayla Cooper at 6:53 in the second quarter.
• With the help of an 8-0 scoring run, including two three-pointers, that followed, the Great Danes were able to maintain the lead through the end of the first half. They held a 34-31 advantage at halftime.
• With three lead changes and plenty of back-and-forth action throughout the third quarter, both teams battled for the advantage heading into the final quarter.
• Bryant gained the lead back with the only two baskets in the first three minutes of the second half.
• Moving back in the Great Danes' favor with four consecutive points, the teams held the score tied at 40 with five minutes on the clock.
• The Bulldogs worked for a three-point advantage however a Kayla Cooper layup with six seconds on the clock made it a one-point game with 10 minutes to play.
• Increasing the amount of lead changes, the fourth quarter saw 11 total.
• Held by UAlbany, the largest lead in the final quarter was four points. The Great Danes earned a four-point lead once and a three-point lead twice while the Bulldogs saw a two-point lead once during the back-and-forth quarter.
• Trading baskets throughout and tied at 59 with 1:05 remaining, it was the final minute that mattered most. 
• Cooper hit a layup with 23 seconds on the clock to put the Great Danes up by two.
• With nothing left to do but foul, the Bulldogs gave UAlbany the chance to expand their lead with two successful free throws. The Great Danes went up, 63-59, with 13 seconds left.
• Bryant's Mia Mancini hit a three-pointer with less than a second remaining to make it 62-61. 
• Despite an immediate foul to attempt to get the ball back, the Bulldogs did not get a shot off and the Great Danes took the heart-pounding victory, 64-62.

NEXT: The Great Danes return home to host both games next week - Maine (Jan. 25) and New Hampshire (Jan. 27). The first game of the week against Maine will make it one final team with an undefeated (in conference play) record.
 
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