SCORE: Maine 63, UAlbany 46
 
LOCATION: The Pit at Memorial Gymnasium - Orono, Maine
 
RECORDS: UAlbany 24-5, 13-3 America East | Maine 21-9, 14-2 America East
 
SHORT STORY: Battling throughout 40 minutes of action, the Great Danes fell to Maine in their final regular-season contest, Saturday.
 
COACH COLLEEN MULLEN: "Unfortunately, we weren't able to get the outcome we wanted today. Every time we made a push, Maine had an answer. I'm incredibly proud of our team's fight and competitive spirit until the end. This team does not quit. We've had an incredible regular season and we will use this as a growth opportunity as we head into playoffs."
 
KEY STATS

• Senior Kayla Cooper led the Great Danes with 22 points and 10 rebounds.
• Junior Lilly Phillips followed on offense with 11 points while freshman Deja Evans followed on defense with eight rebounds.
• Phillips and graduate student Helene Haegerstrand notched a team-high four assists each.
• Junior Meghan Huerter led with two blocks while Haegerstrand and junior Abby Ray shared the lead with two steals.
• As a team, the Great Danes outrebounded the Black Bears, 34-31, including a 15-8 advantage in offensive rebounds.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Trading baskets throughout the first quarter, there were three lead changes and three ties in just over six minutes of play.
• After about 90 scoreless seconds, the Great Danes took a one-possession lead to close the first quarter, 11-9.
• The Black Bears came out of the break strong with an 11-0 scoring run that lasted just under four minutes.
• Closing the gap, UAlbany's Lilly Phillips hit two consecutive baskets.
• The Great Danes worked to close the Maine lead to three at 3:12 but a 7-0 scoring run to close the first half gave Maine a lead they would not relinquish.
• In a defensive start to the second half, the Black Bears extended their lead to 36-20 with 6:05 on the clock.
• UAlbany gradually scraped away the deficit outscoring Maine, 12-6, throughout the next five minutes.
• The Black Bears regained their double-digit point margin with a layup and the 66-second mark.
• Similar to the rest of the game, UAlbany and Maine went back and forth to start the final quarter.
• Nearing the end of the game, the Black Bears extended their lead to 20 with several free throws and a layup.
• Down, 61-41, at 1:43, the Great Danes battled, including hitting four free throws, but it was not enough to overcome the second-quarter loss.

 
NEXT: The Great Danes will prepare for the America East Tournament as they are set to host a quarterfinal game on Friday, March 8. With the loss in Orono, UAlbany has secured the two seed and will host NJIT on Friday.
 
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