SCORE: Saint Joseph's 69, UAlbany 40
 
LOCATION: Michael J. Hagan Arena - Philadelphia, Pa.
 
RECORDS: UAlbany 26-7, 14-2 America East | Saint Joseph's 24-9, 12-6 Atlantic 10
 
SHORT STORY: Saint Joseph's started the game strong and did not back off as the UAlbany women's basketball season ended in the WBIT, Thursday night.

COACH COLLEEN MULLEN: "This is a tough way to end an incredible season. St. Joe's is a very talented, hard-nosed team. Our players gave everything they had left in their tank. I'm extremely proud of the resilience and hard work the team demonstrated this year. Our seniors and graduates were a center piece to the success this season and their winning mindset contributed to our championship culture. I'm so grateful to have had the privilege to coach such impressive young women."
 
KEY STATS

• Graduate student Kayla Cooper led the team with 22 points, seven rebounds, and four assists.
• Senior Abby Ray tallied a team-high two steals.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Hawks started strong to gain a 15-4 lead in just under five minutes of action.
• After a timeout called by the Great Danes, UAlbany held off Saint Joe's and scored seven consecutive points to close the gap to just four with 1:24 left in the first quarter.
• SJU got the last say in the first with a final field goal.
• The Great Danes scored the first basket of the second quarter - a two-point jumper from senior Abby Ray in the second minute.
• Saint Joseph's answered with a 7-2 scoring run over the next five minutes to gain an eight-point advantage.
• UAlbany put the game within one possession, 24-21, with two consecutive baskets but the Hawks ended the first half with seven unanswered points.
• Saint Joseph's jumped to a 19-point lead, 48-29, in the third quarter.
• The Great Danes scored first, and last, in the quarter but the Hawks went 17-4 in just over five minutes for the double-digit lead.
• SJU went unanswered for the first two and a half minutes in the final quarter. 
• Down 54-29, UAlbany broke the Hawks' scoring streak with a field goal but was held without a field goal until the clock read 6:04 when Kayla Cooper scored on a driving layup.
• Cooper ended up scoring eight points in the fourth, including her first three-pointer in over two years.
• Saint Joe's ended the game without a field goal in the last two minutes for a 69-40 win.

 
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