ALBANY, N.Y. - The UAlbany women's basketball team is set for their final split week with Senior Day on the horizon.
Starting the week with a road contest at Vermont (Feb. 22), the Great Danes will return home to host UMass Lowell on Saturday (Feb. 24) for their Autism Awareness and Senior Day contest.
In honor of the Autism Awareness theme, the UAlbany coaches will be wearing pins as part of Autism Speaks' Coaches Powering Forward movement. On the same day, the Great Dane seniors will be celebrated in a pre-game ceremony.
GAME INFORMATION
UAlbany at Vermont
DATE: Thursday, February 22
TIME: 6:00 PM
SITE: Patrick Gymnasium - Burlington, Vt.
RECORDS: UAlbany 22-3, 11-1 America East | Vermont 18-9, 10-3 America East
SERIES RECORDS: 27-24, UAlbany leads
STATS:
UVMAthletics.com
STREAM:
ESPN+
INT'L STREAM:
AE.TV
TICKETS:
UVMAthletics.com
UMass Lowell at UAlbany
DATE: Saturday, February 24
TIME: 2:00 PM
SITE: Broadview Center - Albany, N.Y.
RECORDS: UAlbany 22-3, 11-1 America East | UMass Lowell 4-20, 4-8 America East
SERIES RECORDS: 21-11, 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.
*records as of February 19
UAlbany game notes (Vermont) |
UAlbany game notes (UML) | UMass Lowell game notes
A WEEK IN REVIEW
- UAlbany squared off against NJIT and UMBC for two hard-fought victories last week.
- The Great Danes held on to defeat the Highlanders, 38-36, on the road, Thursday evening.
- Senior Kayla Cooper led the winning effort with a double-double performance, recording a team-high 19 points and 11 rebounds.
- On defense, freshman Deja Evans locked down the paint tallying four blocks.
- Returning home, UAlbany fought back to take down the Retrievers, 58-56.
- Cooper scored a team-high 16 points, including the game-winning basket, and Evans tallied her second career double-double with 10 points and a team-high 13 rebounds.
- Graduate student Helene Haegerstrand made history by scoring her 1500th career point. She is just the fourth student-athlete to reach this milestone in the history of the program.
GREAT DANE REWIND
- Over a month after entering the CollegeInsider Mid-Major Top-25 Poll, UAlbany has remained in the top 25 for seven weekly polls with five weeks in the top 20.
- Working on defense throughout the entire season, the Great Danes lead the nation while holding their opponents to an average of 51.0 points per game.
- With an "offense comes from defense" mentality, UAlbany adds a top-five national ranking with 39.2% shooting accuracy from three.
- Twelve games into conference play, the Great Danes hold a 22-3 record with 11 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), Binghamton (2.8), NJIT (2.15), and UMBC (2.17).
- Kayla Cooper leads the Great Danes with 16.1 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. The guard also owns a team-high 37 steals.
- Following Cooper with 7.3 rebounds per game, Deja Evans totals a team-high 36 blocks.
- Graduate student Sarah Karpell is the team's playmaker with 85 assists.
- Two shooters hold three-point field goal percentages over 40% - Meghan Huerter (49.0%) and Lilly Phillips (43.3%).
HAPPY AT HOME
- Returning home to continue the second half of the 2023-24 conference season, the Great Danes have gone 12-1 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 underwent its transformational overhaul.
- The Great Danes fell in their first home loss this season to Vermont on February 1.
AUTOMATIC SHOOTING
- UAlbany is ranked fifth in the country in three-point field goal percentage (.392).
- The Great Danes lead the America East in nearly all shooting categories: scoring defense (51.0), scoring margin (13.4), field goal defense (.367), three-point field goal percentage (.392), and three-point field goal defense (.263).
- Two Great Danes are ranked nationally with their respective stats:
- UAlbany has leaders across all the shooting categories:
MILESTONE WATCH
- Helene Haegerstrand recorded her 1500th career point during the win over UMBC.
- Meghan Huerter is two three-pointers away from 100 in her collegiate career.
- Lilly Phillips is 32 points away from 500 career points.
- Haegerstrand is six blocks away from recording her 100th career block.
PLAY AS A TEAM, WIN AS A TEAM
- The Great Danes have utilized great teamwork to fuel their success so far this season.
- In 25 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:
- 51.0 points allowed per game
- 13.4 scoring margin
- .367 opponent FG percentage
- .392 3PT FG percentage
- .263 opponent 3PT FG percentage
- 28.5 opponent rebounds per game
- 6.9 rebounding margin
BETTER BACK-UP
- UAlbany's bench has scored 15 points per game this season (375 total).
- Junior 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 (36) and is tied for fourth in assists with 32.
- Recording 15 steals, seventh on the team, and eight blocks, fourth on the team, sophomore Gabriela Falcão has had an impact on defense.
ABOUT VERMONT
- The Catamounts have gone 18-9 with a 10-3 conference record.
- Beginning the season with victories over Saint Michael's (11.2) and Miami (OH) (11.6) before falling to Providence (11.10).
- Earning victories over Quinnipiac (11.17) and Saint Rose (11.19), Vermont was swept at the Gulf Coast Showcase by #18 North Carolina (11.24), Western Kentucky (11.25), and Delaware (11.26).
- The Catamounts finished their non-conference schedule with victories against Dartmouth (11.30), Holy Cross (12.3), Army (12.6), Duquesne (12.16), and Sacred Heart (12.20) with losses to Manhattan (12.9) and Princeton (12.29).
- In conference play, Vermont has finished the regular-season series with a sweep over New Hampshire, UMBC, and NJIT, a split against Binghamton, and two losses to Maine.
- Three games left in the regular season, the Catamounts fill out the win column with UMass Lowell (1.25), Bryant (1.27), and UAlbany (2.1).
- Emma Utterback leads the team with 14.8 points per game and 112 assists.
- Anna Olson owns holds the team-best in rebounds, averaging 6.1 per game.
- Andjela Matic has been dangerous from range, shooting .461 from behind the arc.
SERIES AGAINST THE CATAMOUNTS
- The Great Danes lead the series, 27-24.
- Current head coach, Colleen Mullen, owns a 5-6 record against Vermont during her time with UAlbany. Until recently, each win had been at home and each loss had been on the road.
- Having squared off already this season, the Great Danes fell, 59-64, at home on February 1.
- Deja Evans scored a team-high 21 points while Helene Haegerstrand recorded three blocks.
- During the 2022-23 season, Vermont and UAlbany met three times. After a split in the regular season, the Great Danes fell in the America East Championship, 38-36.
ABOUT UMASS LOWELL
- The River Hawks own a 4-20 record this season while going 4-8 in conference play.
- Going winless in non-conference play to start their season, UMass Lowell fell to Boston University (11.6), Rhode Island (11.10), Holy Cross (11.13), Le Moyne (11.18), Central Connecticut (11.21), Fordham (11.25), Boston College (12.3), Brown (12.5), UMass (12.10), Dartmouth (12.14), Harvard (12.22), and Colgate (12.29).
- Opening conference play with a loss to Maine (1.4), the River Hawks bounced back to defeat New Hampshire (1.6), NJIT (1.11), and UMBC (1.13).
- Following losses to UAlbany (1.18), Binghamton (1.20), Vermont (1.25), Maine (2.1), and New Hampshire (2.3), UMass Lowell earned their fourth conference win against UMBC (2.8).
- Most recently, the River Hawks fell to NJIT (2.10) and Bryant (2.17).
- Mili Carrera spearheads the team with 9.9 points per game followed by Abbey Lindsey with 8.9.
- On defense, Sydney Watkins leads the way with 5.6 rebounds per game and a team-high 65 steals while owning a team-best 68 assists.
SERIES AGAINST THE RIVER HAWKS
- The Great Danes lead the series, 21-11.
- Current head coach, Colleen Mullen, owns an 8-3 record against UMass Lowell during her time with UAlbany.
- Having squared off already this season, the Great Danes won, 65-49, at Lowell on January 18.
- Kayla Cooper finished just shy of a double-double, recording team-highs in points (22) and rebounds (9).
- Active on both sides of the ball, Helene Haegerstrand recorded a season-best five assists while also tallying four blocks.
- During the 2022-23 season, the Great Danes swept the regular season games before defeating the River Hawks in the AE Quarterfinals.
PAST CONNECTIONS
- Assistant coach Yvonne Hawkins previously coached the River Hawks' assistant coach, Stefanie Murphy-Thorpe (maiden name - Murphy). Hawkins, along with the rest of the coaching staff at Boston College, coached Murphy to win the Eagles' first ACC Rookie of the Year award in 2007.
- Head coach Colleen Mullen grew up near UMass Lowell. She would practice at Costello Athletic Center every day in the summers, attending UMass Lowell for both basketball and volleyball camps. When there wasn't an organized event taking place, the River Hawks coach would open the gym specifically for Mullen. Her family is also well-embedded within the Lowell community. Mullen's grandfather worked at the college for over 30 years while multiple aunts and uncles are alumni of UML. One of her aunts, Gail Beaudoin, is a current professor within the criminal justice department - a retired lieutenant in the Chelmsford police force, she has been teaching there for over 20 years.
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 an 11-1 record with the Great Danes holding the tie-breaker.
- Vermont trails closely behind with 10 wins in 13 contests.
- Sitting just under .500, Bryant and Binghamton hold a 6-7 conference record.
- UMass Lowell and UMBC both have four wins. The River Hawks hold the advantage having only lost eight conference contests compared to the Retrievers' nine.
- New Hampshire trails with three wins in 12 conference contests.
- NJIT rounds out the conference with one league win.
GUIDE TO THE AMERICA EAST
- The Great Danes finished the sweep against NJIT and UMBC last weekend.
- UAlbany has also swept Bryant and Binghamton, who are tied for fourth on the conference ladder.
- 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 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 three losses total - two to Maine and one to Binghamton.
AMERICA EAST CONTESTS THIS WEEK
- Thursday
- UMass Lowell at Binghamton, 6:00 pm
- UAlbany at Vermont, 6:00 pm
- New Hampshire at NJIT, 7:00 pm
- Maine at UMBC, 7:00 pm
- Saturday
- New Hampshire at UMBC, 1:00 pm
- Vermont at Bryant, 2:00 pm
- UMass Lowell at UAlbany, 2:00 pm
- Maine at NJIT, 2:00 pm
UP NEXT: The Great Danes will conclude the regular season with road contests at New Hampshire (2.29) and Maine (3.2).
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
