ALBANY, N.Y. - The UAlbany women's basketball team returns home to host Maine and New Hampshire.
After hosting Maine for a Faculty Appreciation game on Thursday (Jan. 25), the Great Danes will host New Hampshire for a special National Girls & Women in Sports Day contest on Saturday (Jan. 27).
GAME INFORMATION
Maine at UAlbany
DATE: Thursday, January 25
TIME: 7:00 PM
SITE: Broadview Center - Albany, N.Y.
RECORDS: UAlbany 16-2, 5-0 America East | Maine 12-7, 5-0 America East
SERIES RECORDS: 31-22, Maine leads
STATS:
UAlbanySports.com
STREAM:
ESPN+
INT'L STREAM:
AE.TV
TICKETS:
UAlbanySports.com
New Hampshire at UAlbany
DATE: Saturday, January 27
TIME: 2:00 PM
SITE: Broadview Center - Albany, N.Y.
RECORDS: UAlbany 16-2, 5-0 America East | New Hampshire 8-11, 2-4 America East
SERIES RECORDS: 31-18, UAlbany leads
STATS:
UAlbanySports.com
STREAM:
ESPN+
INT'L STREAM:
AE.TV
TICKETS:
UAlbanySports.com
UAlbany game notes (Maine) |
Maine game notes |
UAlbany game notes (New Hampshire) |
New Hampshire game notes
All UAlbany students are welcome to enjoy all UAlbany Athletics events for FREE with their student ID. Come out and support the Great Danes with the scan of a card - tactile or mobile.
*records as of January 23
A WEEK IN REVIEW
- Last week, the Great Danes took to the road to take on UMass Lowell and Bryant.
- UAlbany secured their fourth conference victory by defeating UMass Lowell, 65-49, on Thursday.
- Senior Kayla Cooper led the way with 22 points and nine rebounds.
- The Great Danes narrowly defeated Bryant, 64-62, on Saturday for their 12th consecutive win.
- Cooper recorded 26 points, her third-straight 20+ point performance, and 12 rebounds.
- Graduate student Helene Haegerstrand tallied a career-best five blocks.
GREAT DANE REWIND
- Just two weeks after entering the CollegeInsider Mid-Major Top-25 Poll, UAlbany has increased its ranking from an original #22 to #21 and now, a 19th-ranking.
- Five games into conference play, the Great Danes hold a 16-2 record with five America East wins.
- Going 4-2 in November, UAlbany found victories over Merrimack (11.6), Sarah Lawrence (11.13), St. Bonaventure (11.16), and Cornell (11.22) with losses to Fordham (11.10) and Stanford (11.26).
- Meeting a goal to go undefeated in December, the Great Danes added wins over Siena (12.2), CCSU (12.6), Marist (12.9), Dartmouth (12.12), Stonehill (12.16), UMass (12.20) and Navy (12.30).
- After beating conference opponents Bryant (1.4) and NJIT (1.6) at home, the Great Danes went on the road to defeat Binghamton (1.13), UMass Lowell (1.18), and Bryant (1.20).
- Kayla Cooper leads the Great Danes with 16.6 points per game, 28 steals, and 7.6 rebounds per game.
- Freshman Deja Evans is a staple on defense with 7.5 rebounds per game and a team-high 20 blocks.
- Graduate student Sarah Karpell serves as the team's playmaker with 56 assists.
- Two shooters hold three-point field goal percentages over 40% - junior Meghan Huerter (49.4%) and junior Lilly Phillips (45.1%).
UNDEFEATED DECEMBER
- The Great Danes powered through December without one loss.
- Seeing seven opponents, five at home, UAlbany was able to defeat each one by at least 10 points.
- Working as a team in each game, the Great Danes worked for several accomplishments throughout December.
- Four student-athletes earned double-digit points in two different contests:
- Four of the remaining five games had three student-athletes with double-digit points:
- CCSU (Dec. 6) - Cooper (14), Haegerstrand (14), Huerter (10)
- Dartmouth (Dec. 12) - Huerter (20), Haegerstrand (18), Cooper (16)
- Stonehill (Dec. 16) - Cooper (16), Evans (13), Huerter (11)
- Navy (Dec. 30) - Evans (26), Cooper (23), Haegerstrand (12)
- Three Great Danes tallied 20-point performances - Cooper (23 vs Marist (12.9) & 23 vs Navy) & Evans (26 vs Navy)
- Cooper has compiled three double-doubles (14 points & 12 rebounds against CCSU; 23 points & 13 rebounds against Marist; 16 points & 11 rebounds against Stonehill) while Evans added one in the final game of 2023 (26 points & 17 rebounds).
- Consistently improving from outside the arc, four Great Danes have shot 50% or above on multiple occasions:
- Meghan Huerter (5) - .500 (2-4) vs Siena, .750 (6-8) vs Dartmouth, .500 (3-6) vs Stonehill, .714 (5-7) at UMass, .500 (2-4) vs Navy
- Lilly Phillips (3) - .667 (2-3) at CCSU, .600 (3-5) vs Stonehill, .667 (4-6) at UMass
- Helene Haegerstrand (3) - .600 (3-5) vs Marist, .500 (4-8) vs Dartmouth, .500 (2-4) vs Navy
- As a team, UAlbany has shot at least 50% in four contests (Siena, Dartmouth, Stonehill, and UMass) with three games shooting 50% or higher from outside the arc (Dartmouth, Stonehill, and UMass).
HAPPY AT HOME
- Returning home from the first conference road stretch of 2023-24, the Great Danes have yet to be defeated at home.
- After a record-breaking home opener against Sarah Lawrence at the "home away from home" Daniel P. Nolan Gymnasium, UAlbany has defeated all of its opponents in Broadview Center.
- The Great Danes have lost just three games at home since the start of the 2021-22 season.
- Going undefeated at home in non-conference play, Maine took the second-to-last regular-season home game in February 2022.
- Flipping the book for the 2022-23 season, UAlbany fell to Colgate and Cornell at "home" (Saint Rose and HVCC, respectively) while Broadview Center was undergoing its transformational overhaul.
- The Great Danes have not fallen in a home contest since December 3, 2022 (Cornell).
AUTOMATIC SHOOTING
- The Great Danes lead the America East in scoring offense (67.7), scoring defense (51.1), scoring margin (16.6), field goal percentage (.447), field goal defense (.367), three-point field goal percentage (.397), and three-point field goal defense (.262).
- UAlbany has leaders across all the shooting categories:
MILESTONE WATCH
- Kayla Cooper is eight assists away from 150 career assists.
- Meghan Huerter is 11 three-pointers away from 100 in her collegiate career.
- Helene Haegerstrand is 51 points away from 1500 career points.
- Haegerstrand is also 20 rebounds away from 500 total career rebounds.
PLAY AS A TEAM, WIN AS A TEAM
- The Great Danes have utilized great teamwork to fuel their success so far this season.
- In 18 contests, the Great Danes have had six different players lead the team in points.
- As a team, UAlbany ranks first in the conference in 10 stats:
- 67.7 points per game
- 51.1 points allowed per game
- 16.6 scoring margin
- .447 team FG percentage
- .367 opponent FG percentage
- .397 3PT FG percentage
- .262 opponent 3PT FG percentage
- 28.5 opponent rebounds per game
- 7.3 rebounding margin
- 2.33 turnover margin
BETTER BACK-UP
- UAlbany's bench has scored 16.8 points per game this season (302 total).
- Meghan Huerter leads the way, averaging 8.6 points (fourth on the team) and ranking third in rebounds with 3.4 per game. A knock-down shooter, she leads the team, and the conference, with a .494 percentage from outside the arc.
- Fellow junior Abby Ray is third on the team in offensive rebounds (29) and is fifth in assists with 25.
- Recording 13 steals and four blocks, fourth on the team in both, Gabriela Falcão has had an impact on defense.
ABOUT MAINE
- The Black Bears have gone 12-7 this season and are undefeated through five conference games.
- Starting the season with a loss at Quinnipiac (11.6), Maine rebounded with wins against La Salle (11.9), UMass (11.12), and Rhode Island (11.14) before falling to Richmond (11.24).
- Following a victory over Louisiana Tech (11.25), the Black Bears lost to Drake (11.26) and #17 Indiana (11.30).
- Earning back-to-back victories against Fordham (12.2) and Harvard (12.6), Maine then fell to James Madison (12.17).
- The Black Bears split games at the Tulane Holiday Tournament, beating Duquesne (12.20) before falling to the host, Tulane (12.21).
- Falling to UPenn (12.30), Maine entered conference play with victories over UMass Lowell (1.4), Vermont (1.6), New Hampshire (1.11), UMBC (1.18), and NJIT (1.20).
- Anne Simon leads the team and the conference with 18.4 points per game while also recording 48 steals.
- Adrianna Smith leads on defense with 10.9 rebounds per game and 13 blocks while also recording a team-high 83 assists.
- The trio of Simon, Smith, and Caroline Borneman rank in the top-three of the team in points per game, rebounds per game, total assists, and total steals. Along with Sarah Talon, the trio ranks in the top-four.
SERIES AGAINST THE BLACK BEARS
- Maine leads the all-time series, 31-22.
- Current head coach, Colleen Mullen, owns a 3-11 record against Maine during her time with UAlbany.
- The Black Bears and the Great Danes met three times throughout the 2022-23 season.
- Splitting with Maine in the regular season, each team won their home contests.
- UAlbany hosted the Black Bears for a semifinal contest on March 5, 2023. The Great Danes won, 72-64.
- Prior to the 2022-23 season, UAlbany broke an 11-game win streak from Maine with the America East Championship win in 2022.
ABOUT NEW HAMPSHIRE
- The Wildcats own an 8-11 record while going 2-4 in conference play.
- Trading results to start the season, New Hampshire tallied wins over New Hampshire (11.6) and Howard (11.12) with losses to Boston U (11.10) and Colorado State (11.15).
- Finishing what proved to be four consecutive losses, the Wildcats added games against UNLV (11.18), Utah Tech (11.22), and Dartmouth (11.26).
- Making their non-conference record 6-7, New Hampshire went 3-2 in December after a 10-point victory over Northeastern (11.29).
- Seeing common opponents CCSU and Stonehill, the Wildcats defeated both teams with double-digit point margins.
- Losing their first four conference matches against Vermont (1.4), UMass Lowell (1.6), Maine (1.11), and Bryant (1.13), New Hampshire has won its last two contests - NJIT (1.18) and UMBC (1.20).
- Adara Groman leads the team on offense with 7.6 points per game. Avery O'Connor is close behind with 7.5 points per game.
- On defense, Clara Gomez has recorded 6.1 rebounds per game with a team-best 35 steals and 10 blocks.
- Breezie Williams has been New Hampshires' main facilitator with 44 assists.
SERIES AGAINST THE WILDCATS
- The Great Danes lead the series, 31-18.
- Current head coach, Colleen Mullen, owns a 10-2 record against New Hampshire during her time with UAlbany.
- The Great Danes swept the Wildcats in the 2022-23 season.
- On January 1, 2023, UAlbany traveled to New Hampshire for a 71-46 victory. On January 25, 2023, the Great Danes hosted the Wildcats and earned a 65-52 win.
PAST CONNECTIONS
- Head coach Colleen Mullen both attended and graduated from New Hampshire.
- Following two years of play at Rhode Island, Mullen concluded her collegiate career as a two-year captain for the Wildcats. Within just two seasons, she achieved the 14th-highest mark in program history with 218 assists as a Wildcat.
DRIVE THE LANE WITH UALBANY HOOPS
- UAlbany will continue its partnership with ESPN Radio 104.5 The Team and City Line Bar & Grill for the third consecutive year.
- Coaches Colleen Mullen and Dwayne Killings, along with select student-athletes, will join ESPN Radio 104.5 The Team's Dan Bahl every Monday from 6-7 pm live from City Line Bar & Grill for a weekly segment entitled 'Drive the Lane with UAlbany Hoops'.
- Fans are invited to come to City Line Bar & Grill to join Coach Mullen, Coach Kills, the student-athletes, and the ESPN Radio 104.5 The Team crew.
- Food and drink specials will be available on a weekly basis as the teams embark on their new seasons and talk hoops every Monday.
AMERICA EAST STANDINGS
- After three weeks of conference play, UAlbany and Maine are the only undefeated teams.
- Vermont trails close behind with four wins in five contests.
- UMass Lowell and Bryant both have three losses. The River Hawks hold the advantage with three wins compared to the Bulldogs' two.
- New Hampshire and UMBC sit tied with two wins and four losses. While Binghamton is right behind them with one victory in five games.
- NJIT rounds out the conference still looking for their first conference win.
AROUND THE AMERICA EAST
- UAlbany has won 12 straight games, tied for the 3rd longest win streak in the nation.
- UAlbany has also won 18 straight home games and its last home defeat was 12/3/2022 to Cornell.
- UAlbany is 2nd nationally in scoring defense (51.1) and 4th in 3 point percentage (39.7).
- Maine started 5-0 in #AEHoops action for the first time since 2004.
- In conference play, the Black Bears are outscoring opponents by 24.2 points per game.
- Maine also leads the league in both scoring offense (70.0) and scoring defense (45.8).
- Vermont has won 12 consecutive home conference games.
- The Catamounts haven't lost since a 58-57 defeat by UMBC on Jan. 1, 2023.
- Overall UVM is 20-3 at home in #AEHoops action since the start of the 2021-22 season.
AMERICA EAST CONTESTS THIS WEEK
- Thursday
- UMass Lowell at Vermont, 11 am
- NJIT at Bryant, 6 pm
- New Hampshire at Binghamton, 6 pm
- Maine at UAlbany, 7 pm
- Saturday
- Maine at Binghamton, 2 pm
- New Hampshire at UAlbany, 2 pm
- Bryant at Vermont, 2 pm
- UMBC at NJIT, 3 pm
UP NEXT: The Great Danes will host Vermont for the Spread Respect/International Players' Night (Feb. 1) before traveling to take on UMBC (Feb. 3).
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
