SCORE: UAlbany 77, NJIT 36
 
LOCATION: Broadview Center - Albany, N.Y.
 
RECORDS: UAlbany 13-2, 2-0 America East | NJIT 8-6, 0-1 America East
 
SHORT STORY: A strong second-quarter performance and accurate three-point shooting by the Great Danes propelled them to their eighth straight victory at home and their second conference victory, Saturday afternoon. 

COACH COLLEEN MULLEN: "I am very happy with our execution on both ends of the floor today. The players have been extremely locked into our process and game preparation. The team's cohesion and chemistry was definitely on display today. We had a tremendous inside-out attack and it was another example of our unselfish play. Our defensive effort and intensity for all four quarters was outstanding."
  
KEY STATS

• Four Great Danes scored double-digit points in the win - graduate student Helene Haegerstrand (15), senior Kayla Cooper (14), junior Meghan Huerter (14), and freshman Deja Evans (11). Graduate student Sarah Karpell and junior Lilly Phillips sat on the bubble with nine points each.
• Evans was a defensive force for UAlbany, leading the team in rebounds with nine while notching a career-high four blocks.
• Three athletes tallied three assists for the team-high - Karpell, junior Abby Ray, and sophomore Gabriela Falcão.
• For the fourth time this season, the Great Danes shot at least .500 from the field and from behind the arc.
• UAlbany won the rebound battle, 34-22, with an 11-9 advantage in offensive boards. 

 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Helene Haegerstrand started the scoring making a turnaround jump shot, assisted by Kayla Cooper. Haegerstrand continued to score the first six Great Dane points to build a 6-2 lead in the opening minutes.
• The Highlanders found their rhythm and broke out on a seven-point run to tie the contest with 2:23 remaining on the clock.
• The first quarter concluded with UAlbany holding a slight advantage, 17-13. Haegerstrand led the charge making all her shots for nine points. 
• It was a defensive battle to begin the second quarter with both sides only able to score a point each in the first two minutes. 
• The Great Danes began finding opportunities in the paint as they built a 12-point lead with 5:41 left on the clock. 
• As the first half wound down, UAlbany scored 12 consecutive points to lead, 40-18, with 1:48 remaining.
• The Great Danes scored 28 points in the second quarter to possess a 45-19 lead at halftime. Meghan Huerter shot 4-4 from behind the arc in the second quarter alone.
• The second half began as a defensive gridlock in the opening two minutes as neither team could find a way to score. 
• UAlbany continued to penetrate the paint as they looked to hold on to their lead, 53-23, with 4:03 remaining in the third quarter.
• NJIT found some momentum late in the quarter as they went on a 7-2 scoring run to dig into the lead with 1:40 on the clock.
• Heading into the fourth quarter, the Great Danes owned a 57-30 advantage. 
• UAlbany wasted no time to start the scoring in the fourth quarter with Lilly Phillips nailing a corner-three on the opening possession. 
• Looking to put the game away, the Great Danes went on an 11-2 scoring run to push their lead to 75-36 with 4:38 remaining in the contest. 
• UAlbany secured their second conference win of the season, defeating the Highlanders, 77-36.
   

NEXT: The Great Danes will head on the road to face Binghamton next week (Sat, Jan. 13).
 
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