SCORE: UAlbany 57, NJIT 42
 
LOCATION: Broadview Center - Albany, N.Y.
 
RECORDS: UAlbany 25-5, 13-3 America East | NJIT 12-18, 4-12 America East
 
SHORT STORY: Holding NJIT to just 15 points in the first half, the Great Danes earned a lead they would not relinquish to advance to the America East semifinal, Friday night.
  
KEY STATS

• Kayla Cooper led all scorers with 14 points with 46.2% shooting from the floor. She scored 12 points from the paint with her other two points coming from the charity stripe. 
• Meghan Huerter and Sarah Karpell followed with 10 and nine points, respectively.
• On defense, Deja Evans tallied a team-high eight boards and two blocks. 
• Three Great Danes recorded three steals in the winning effort - Cooper, Karpell, and Lilly Phillips.
• Phillips earned seven points for her 500th career point.
• As a team, UAlbany totaled 12 steals. 

 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Great Danes built an early advantage with a 5-0 scoring run on the back of strong defensive pressure.
• After the first media timeout, Helene Haegerstrand continued UAlbany's scoring run with two successful free throws. NJIT answered back with a three-pointer, making it 7-3 with 2:30 remaining in the quarter. 
• Attacking the paint, the Highlanders closed the first quarter with consecutive layups to reduce the Great Dane's lead to 9-7.
• Throughout the first quarter, UAlbany held a 5-1 advantage in steals. This proved to be the largest margin the Great Danes held in each quarter. 
• NJIT started the second quarter where they left off, scoring with a driving layup to level the score at 9-9.
• The Highlanders took their first lead of the game with a three-pointer halfway through the quarter but UAlbany answered back through Meghan Huerter to equalize the score just 20 seconds later.
• Coming out of a media timeout, the Great Danes scored seven consecutive points to retake control of the contest as they led 21-14.
• The UAlbany defense held the NJIT offense to one free throw in the last five minutes of the first half. Closing with what turned out to be a 14-1 scoring run, UAlbany entered the break holding a 26-15 advantage.
• The Great Danes continued to extend their lead with a 5-2 scoring run to start the second half.
• NJIT answered back midway through the quarter with accurate shooting from behind the arc as they sought to fight back into the contest. 
• The third quarter finished with the two sides trading baskets as UAlbany held a 40-29 advantage.
• The Great Danes continued to push the pace on offense, starting the final quarter with an 11-1 scoring run to own the first 20-point lead of the contest with 6:31 remaining. 
• Coming out of a media timeout, NJIT proved to be dangerous from range, enjoying what turned out to be an 8-2 scoring run with 2:58 left in the game.
• UAlbany went on to win the contest, 57-42, and advance to the America East Semifinal.

 
NEXT: The Great Danes will continue on to the semifinal round. Earning hosting rights, UAlbany will welcome Vermont for a Monday night contest (March 11 at 7 pm).
 
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