SCORE: UAlbany 59, UMass Lowell 44
 
LOCATION: Broadview Center - Albany, N.Y.
 
RECORDS: UAlbany 20-5, 10-2 America East | UMass Lowell 3-20, 1-10 America East
 
SHORT STORY: The Great Danes gradually built a double-digit lead to remain undefeated at home with a 15-point victory over UMass Lowell, Thursday afternoon.

COACH COLLEEN MULLEN: "Today was a terrific win at home in front of thousands of young students from the Capital Region. UMass Lowell plays a very physical, aggressive style of play. I was very happy with our team's response and our defensive effort."
  
KEY STATS

• Graduate student Kayla Cooper led the team with 19 points, from four field goals and 11 free throws, eight rebounds, and four assists.
• Fellow graduate student Lilly Phillips shot over 50% for 17 points while adding a team-high three steals.
• Freshman Martina Borrellas scored six points while earning a team-high .750 field goal percentage.
• Graduate student Jessica Tomasetti followed Cooper with three assists while sharing the team lead of three steals with Phillips.
• As a team, the Great Danes totaled 16 second-chance points, 12 fastbreak points, and 15 points off turnovers.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The River Hawks opened with two consecutive baskets but the Great Danes answered with five-straight points.
• After nearly two minutes without a made field goal, UML took a 7-5 lead.
• UAlbany gained a six-point advantage, 15-9, with 10 points in just over two minutes before ending the quarter with a 17-11 lead.
• In what proved to be a defensive quarter, the Great Danes earned a double-digit lead, 24-13, throughout the first six minutes of the second.
• UMass Lowell closed the gap with five points in 40 seconds but UAlbany entered halftime with the advantage, 26-18.
• Lilly Phillips scored over half of the Great Danes' points in the second with a layup and a three-pointer.
• The third quarter proved to be a true back-and-forth quarter with both teams scoring 15 points.
• The River Hawks notched the longest scoring run in the quarter with five consecutive points from two field goals and a free throw towards the end of the third.
• UAlbany's Kaci Donovan got the last say with a buzzer-beater layup for the eight-point lead, 41-33.
• In the final quarter, the Great Danes scored seven points while holding UMass Lowell scoreless for over four minutes. 
• Up 15, 48-33, UAlbany extended its lead to 52-36 at 2:02 for the largest lead of the game.
• In the final two minutes, the River Hawks scored two three-pointers and added two free throws but it wasn't enough and the Great Danes won, 59-44.

 
NEXT: The Great Danes are set to head on the road for two contests - Maine (2.20) and New Hampshire (2.22).
 
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