ALBANY, N.Y. - The UAlbany women's basketball team will be ready for a split weekend as they take on NJIT and UMBC.
Starting the week with a road contest against NJIT (Feb. 15), the Great Danes will return home to host UMBC on Saturday (Feb. 17) for their Breast Cancer Awareness and Alumni Day contest. UAlbany is set to welcome and honor a group of former women's basketball players during halftime.
In honor of their Breast Cancer Awareness contest, the Great Danes will host an official Play4Kay game with the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. Along with the game, UAlbany is hosting a fundraiser for the organization.
To learn more about the Kay Yow Cancer Fund,
click here.
To make a donation,
click here.
GAME INFORMATION
UAlbany at NJIT
DATE: Thursday, February 15
TIME: 7:00 PM
SITE: Bloom Wellness & Events Center - Newark, N.J.
RECORDS: UAlbany 20-3, 9-1 America East | NJIT 9-14, 1-9 America East
SERIES RECORDS: 8-1, UAlbany leads
STATS:
NJITHighlanders.com
STREAM:
ESPN+
INT'L STREAM:
AE.TV
TICKETS:
NJITHighlanders.com
UMBC at UAlbany
DATE: Saturday, February 17
TIME: 7:00 PM
SITE: Broadview Center - Albany, N.Y.
RECORDS: UAlbany 20-3, 9-1 America East | UMBC 8-15, 4-5 America East
SERIES RECORDS: 29-14, UAlbany leads
STATS:
UAlbanySports.com
STREAM:
ESPN+
INT'L STREAM:
AE.TV
TICKETS:
UAlbanySports.com
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.
UAlbany game notes (NJIT) |
UAlbany game notes (UMBC) |
UMBC game notes
*records as of February 12
A WEEK IN REVIEW
- UAlbany hosted Binghamton for their lone matchup of the week.
- The Great Danes rallied to defeat the Bearcats, 60-52, following a strong third-quarter performance.
- Junior Lilly Phillips led the winning effort with a career-high 19 points.
- On defense, senior Kayla Cooper owned a team-best eight rebounds while also tallying two steals.
- Graduate students Helene Haegerstrand and Sarah Karpell shared the role of floor general as they recorded a team-high in assists with three.
- As a team, the Great Danes won the rebound battle, 32-25.
GREAT DANE REWIND
- Over a month after entering the CollegeInsider Mid-Major Top-25 Poll, UAlbany has remained in the top 25 for six weekly polls with four weeks in the top 20.
- Working on defense throughout the entire season, the Great Danes are second in the nation while holding their opponents to an average of 51.5 points per game.
- With an "offense comes from defense" mentality, UAlbany adds a top-five national ranking with 40.2% shooting accuracy from three.
- Ten games into conference play, the Great Danes hold a 19-3 record with nine America East wins.
- Seeing just two losses during non-conference play, UAlbany went undefeated in December. The Great Danes saw victories over Merrimack (11.6), Sarah Lawrence (11.13), St. Bonaventure (11.16), Cornell (11.22), Siena (12.2), CCSU (12.6), Marist (12.9), Dartmouth (12.12), Stonehill (12.16), UMass (12.20) and Navy (12.30) with losses to Fordham (11.10) and Stanford (11.26) throughout the first half of the season.
- In the first month of conference action, UAlbany continued to go unbeaten with games against Bryant (1.4), NJIT (1.6), Binghamton (1.13), UMass Lowell (1.18), Bryant (1.20), Maine (1.25), and New Hampshire (1.27).
- The Great Danes fell in their first conference contest to Vermont (2.1) before bouncing back to defeat UMBC (2.3) and Binghamton (2.8).
- Kayla Cooper leads the Great Danes with 16 points per game and 7.8 rebounds per game. The guard also owns a team-high 34 steals.
- Following Cooper with 7.2 rebounds per game, Deja Evans totals a team-high 30 blocks.
- Graduate student Sarah Karpell is the team's playmaker with 77 assists.
- Two shooters hold three-point field goal percentages over 40% - Meghan Huerter (49.0%) and Lilly Phillips (43.5%).
HAPPY AT HOME
- Returning home to continue the second half of the 2023-24 conference season, the Great Danes have gone 11-1 at home.
- After a record-breaking home opener against Sarah Lawrence at the "home away from home" Daniel P. Nolan Gymnasium, UAlbany defeated its first 10 home opponents during the 2023-24 season.
- The Great Danes have lost just four 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 of the 2021-22 season.
- 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 fell in their first home loss this season to Vermont on February 1.
AUTOMATIC SHOOTING
- UAlbany is ranked fourth in the country in three-point field goal percentage (.402).
- The Great Danes lead the America East in nearly all shooting categories: scoring offense (65.9), scoring defense (51.5), scoring margin (14.4), field goal percentage (.446), field goal defense (.368), three-point field goal percentage (.402), three-point field goal defense (.269), and free-throw percentage (.745).
- Two Great Danes are ranked nationally with their respective stats:
- UAlbany has leaders across all the shooting categories:
MILESTONE WATCH
PLAY AS A TEAM, WIN AS A TEAM
- The Great Danes have utilized great teamwork to fuel their success so far this season.
- In 23 contests, the Great Danes have had six different players lead the team in points.
- As a team, UAlbany ranks first in the conference in 11 stats:
- 65.9 points per game
- 51.5 points allowed per game
- 14.4 scoring margin
- .446 team FG percentage
- .368 opponent FG percentage
- .402 3PT FG percentage
- .269 opponent 3PT FG percentage
- .745 free-throw percentage
- 28.3 opponent rebounds per game
- 7.3 rebounding margin
BETTER BACK-UP
- UAlbany's bench has scored 15.9 points per game this season (365 total).
- Meghan Huerter leads the way, shooting .490 for three (first on the team) with a top-five 8.5 points per game and 3.2 rebounds per game.
- Fellow junior Abby Ray is third on the team in offensive rebounds (34) and is fourth in assists with 32.
- Recording 13 steals, seventh on the team, and five blocks, tied for fifth on the team, sophomore Gabriela Falcão has had an impact on defense.
ABOUT NJIT
- The Highlanders have gone 9-14 with a 1-9 conference record.
- NJIT began the season with victories over Army (11.6) and Merrimack (11.10) before falling to #10 Notre Dame (11.12).
- After bouncing back with wins over Rider (11.15) and Wagner (11.18), the Highlanders fell on the road against Lafayette (11.21) and Hofstra (11.25). NJIT then closed out November with a win against FDU (11.29).
- Beginning December falling to Miami (12.3) and Sacred Heart (12.6), the Highlanders returned home to defeat Saint Peter's (12.12), Saint Francis (12.15), and LIU (12.31) to close out non-conference play.
- NJIT began conference play with losses to UAlbany (1.6), UMass Lowell (1.11), Vermont (1.13), New Hampshire (1.18), Maine (1.20), Bryant (1.25), UMBC (1.27), Binghamton (2.1), and Vermont (2.8).
- Most recently, the Highlanders earned their first conference victory against UMass Lowell (2.10).
- Alejandra Zuniga leads the team with 15.9 points per game and 47 assists.
- Trinity Williams leads NJIT on defense with 7.0 rebounds per game and 37 blocks.
- Kenna Squier has shown active hands while on defense, tallying a team-high 36 steals.
SERIES AGAINST THE HIGHLANDERS
- UAlbany leads the all-time series, 8-1.
- Current head coach, Colleen Mullen, has led the Great Danes to five wins over NJIT.
- The Great Danes and the Highlanders have already squared off once this season with UAlbany coming out on top, 77-36, on January 6.
- Four Great Danes recorded double-digit points in the win - Helene Haegerstrand (15), Kayla Cooper (14), Meghan Huerter (14), and Deja Evans (11).
ABOUT UMBC
- The Retrievers own an 8-15 record this season while going 4-7 in conference play.
- Earning four non-conference wins to start their season, UMBC defeated Gettysburg (11.8), Bryant & Stratton (12.5), American (12.20), and Saint Francis (12.29) with losses to Towson (11.6), Colgate (11.11), Loyola (Md.) (11.15), Oregon State (11.22), Maryland Eastern Shore (11.26), Lafayette (11.29), Manhattan (12.3), and Morgan State (12.9).
- Entering conference play with wins over Binghamton (1.4) and Bryant (1.6), the Retrievers then fell to Vermont (1.11), UMass Lowell (1.13), Maine (1.18), and New Hampshire (1.20).
- UMBC bounced back to defeat NJIT (1.27) and Bryant (2.1) before being bested by UAlbany (2.3), UMass Lowell (2.8), and Vermont (2.10).
- Anna Blount leads the Retrievers on both sides of the court with 13 points per game, 7.1 rebounds per game, and 12 blocks.
- Trinity Palacio has served as UMBC's primary ball-handler, recording a team-best 53 assists.
SERIES AGAINST THE RETRIEVERS
- The Great Danes lead the series, 29-14.
- Current head coach, Colleen Mullen, owns a 7-3 record against UMBC since joining UAlbany.
- Having squared off already this season, the Great Danes won, 69-55, in Baltimore on February 3.
- Kayla Cooper recorded a double-double in the winning effort, notching 18 points and 14 rebounds.
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, three 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).
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
- UAlbany and Maine sit at the top of the table with a 9-1 record.
- Vermont trails closely behind with nine wins in 11 contests.
- Sitting just under .500, Bryant holds a 5-6 conference record.
- In a three-way tie, UMBC, New Hampshire, and UMass Lowell each own a 4-7 record.
- New Hampshire trails with three wins in 11 conference contests
- NJIT rounds out the conference with one conference win.
GUIDE TO THE AMERICA EAST
- The Great Danes have swept two conference rivals so far this season, Bryant and Binghamton, who sit fourth and fifth on the conference ladder, respectively.
- Maine is tied with UAlbany for first in the America East. UAlbany leads the season series, 1-0, and is the only team to defeat Maine so far this season.
- The Great Danes lead the season series, 1-0, against NJIT, UMass Lowell, and New Hampshire.
- Vermont is the only conference opponent that UAlbany has not defeated, falling in their lone matchup so far this season. The Catamounts experienced losses against Maine and Binghamton.
AROUND THE AMERICA EAST
- Anne Simon earned Player of the Week honors on Monday for the 6th time this year.
- Simon finished with 33 points and 6 rebounds in the win over UNH.
- Simon is averaging 18.1 ppg this year, but had averaged just 12.3 ppg over her six previous games.
- UAlbany ranks 2nd in the nation in scoring defense at 51.5 ppg.
- The Great Danes have only allowed four teams to score over 60 points on them this season.
- UAlbany is also 31st in scoring margin at 14.4 points per game.
- UVM's Keira Hanson leads all non-starters in #AEHoops scoring (11.8 ppg).
- Hanson has a league-best 25 threes in #AEHoops, shooting 39.7% from three.
- Hanson averaged just 2.8 ppg in 13 non-conference games this year.
AMERICA EAST CONTESTS THIS WEEK
- Thursday
- Bryant at Maine, 6 pm
- Vermont at New Hampshire, 6 pm
- UAlbany at NJIT, 7 pm
- Binghamton at UMBC, 7 pm
- Saturday
- Bryant at UMass Lowell, 2 pm
- NJIT at Binghamton, 3 pm
- Maine at Vermont, 4 pm
- UMBC at UAlbany, 7 pm
UP NEXT: The Great Danes will prepare for a road game at Vermont (2.22) before hosting UMass Lowell on Saturday (2.24) for Senior Day.
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
