SCORE: UAlbany 55, Bryant 40
 
LOCATION: Chase Athletic Center - Smithfield, R.I.
 
RECORDS: UAlbany 15-3, 5-0 America East | Bryant 8-9, 1-3 America East
 
SHORT STORY: The Great Danes held on to a strong first quarter to help them to a 15-point victory on the road, Thursday night.

COACH COLLEEN MULLEN: "Tonight was a team defensive effort and our ability to get stops allowed us to control the tempo for 40 minutes. Kayla had a terrific second half and took what the defense gave her in the offensive end. She connected on key shots down the stretch and helped us push the lead. We had terrific bench production from Gabby [Falcao] and Martina [Borrellas] on the defensive end and I am proud of the focus we had to get this road win."
  
KEY STATS

• Graduate student Kayla Cooper led with 17 points. 
• Fellow grad student Jessica Tomasetti hit double-digit points (12) while leading with nine rebounds.
• Junior Gabriela Falcao tallied a game-high three blocks while freshman Martina Borrellas earned a game-high three steals.
• Four Great Danes tabbed two assists - Cooper, Borrellas, Falcao, and graduate student Kaci Donovan.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Great Danes opened the contest with nine unanswered points, including six from Jessica Tomasetti.
• UAlbany's defense closed the first quarter with just four points allowed while the offense scored 15.
• Bryant started the second with a basket to close the scoring gap but Kayla Cooper and Meghan Huerter each added a two-point field goal to bring the lead back to double-digits.
• A 7-0 scoring run from the Great Danes, including five points from Huerter, brought the advantage to nearly 20 points, 26-8, with just under five minutes left in the first half.
• The Bulldogs ended the quarter with a 9-2 scoring run to make it an 11-point game at halftime.
• Out of the break, the two teams traded points but UAlbany extended their lead with an 11-2 scoring run.
• In what turned into a defensive last three minutes of action, only the Bulldogs tallied a field goal to make it a 41-25 game heading into the final quarter.
• Bryant opened the fourth with seven consecutive points and a 10-2 scoring run in just over two minutes.
• The Bulldog defense did not allow a UAlbany field goal until 7:28 when Cooper hit a layup. She followed it with two additional baskets throughout the next two and a half minutes.
• In between Great Dane baskets, Bulldog leader Ali Brigham hit two field goals to make it a 13-point game, 53-40, with about three minutes left in the game.
• Tomasetti scored the final field goal with 28 seconds on the clock for the final score, 55-40.

 
NEXT: The Great Danes will return home to host Binghamton for their annual National Girls and Women in Sport Day contest. There is still time to register for the postgame clinic for those middle-school aged and younger - registration ends on Friday (Jan. 17) at 2 pm. Click here to register.
 
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