SCORE: UMBC 71, UAlbany 59
 
LOCATION: Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena - Baltimore, Md.
 
RECORDS: UAlbany 16-4, 6-1 America East | UMBC 8-9, 1-4 America East
 
SHORT STORY: The Great Danes could not overcome a strong first quarter from the Retrievers, Thursday afternoon.
 
COACH COLLEEN MULLEN: "Credit UMBC for executing a game plan that kept us off balance for the entirety of the game. They were able to capitalize on our defensive miscues that lead to untimely threes, crucial offensive boards, and some easy looks at the rim. Offensively, we weren't able to get into a rhythm and we struggled to find a balanced attack. We will refocus and learn from this game."
 
KEY STATS

• Graduate student Kayla Cooper led with 24 points and 11 rebounds.
• Fellow graduate student Jessica Tomasetti followed with nine points while senior Meghan Huerter totaled eight points.
• Four Great Danes tallied two assists - Cooper, Tomasetti, Huerter, and graduate student Kaci Donovan.
• Freshman Martina Borrellas and graduate student Lilly Phillips led with two steals each.
• Donovan also notched a team-high two blocks.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Retrievers started the game strong with 10 unanswered points.
• Four minutes into the game, the Great Danes got on the board and play continued with back-and-forth scoring but UMBC ended the quarter with a 14-point lead, 23-9.
• UAlbany opened the second quarter with six consecutive points to close the gap.
• For most of the second quarter, the Great Danes and the Retrievers traded points. Most of UAlbany's 18 second-quarter points came from Kayla Cooper (11).
• In the final three minutes before halftime, UMBC finished a 12-2 scoring run to enter the break with a 15-point advantage, 42-27.
• The Retrievers continued their prowess into the third quarter with a 10-2 scoring run through the first four minutes of the second half.
• UAlbany answered with nine consecutive points to cut UMBC's lead to 14, 52-38.
• Though the remainder of the third quarter consisted of back-and-forth scoring, the Retrievers went into the final quarter with a 17-point advantage, 59-42.
• After nearly three minutes without a made basket from either team, UMBC scored at 7:25. It proved to be one of just two field goals from the Retrievers in the fourth.
• UAlbany gradually chipped at the lead but eight free throws kept a double-digit lead for UMBC.
• A last-minute (0:13) three-pointer from freshman Emma Hákonardóttir ended the contest but it was not enough as the Retrievers won, 71-59.

 
NEXT: The Great Danes will continue their road trip at NJIT (Jan. 25).
 
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