ALBANY, N.Y. - The #8 UAlbany women's basketball team is set to visit  #1 Vermont for the quarterfinals of the America East Air Force Reserve Women's Basketball Playoffs.
 
GAME INFORMATION
 
#8 UAlbany at #1 Vermont
DATE: Thursday, March 5
TIME: 6:00 PM
SITE: Patrick Gymnasium - Burlington, Vt.
RECORDS: UAlbany 14-15, 4-12 America East | Vermont 24-7, 13-3 America East
SERIES RECORD: 30-28, Vermont leads
STATS: UVMAthletics.com
STREAM: ESPN+
INT'L STREAM: AmericaEast.TV
TICKETS: EVenue
 
*records as of March 4
 
GREAT DANES IN THE AMERICA EAST

• America East is one of just seven conferences nationally to have at least 75% of its programs with a NET ranking inside the top 200, joining the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC, Big East, and The American.
• Within the conference, Vermont owns the league's best NET ranking at 85, followed by Bryant (139), Maine (144), Binghamton (165), UAlbany (184), NJIT (192), and UMBC (194).
• The Great Danes wrapped up the America East regular season with a 4-12 conference record, facing one of the toughest defensive leagues in the country.
• UAlbany opened conference play against Vermont on January 1 before picking up its first league victory two days later with a 74-62 win over UMass Lowell.
• The Great Danes earned a key road victory at NJIT on January 29, defeating the Highlanders, 71-54, before picking up two home wins in February against Binghamton (52-41) and UMBC (69-63).
• Several conference games came down to the final possessions. UAlbany fell by just two points at Binghamton (63-61) and suffered a one-point loss at Maine (60-59).
• The Great Danes' defense remained consistent throughout conference play, allowing 58.5 points per game in league contests while holding opponents to 40.9% shooting from the field.

 
HOT START

• UAlbany opened the 2025-26 campaign with a strong non-conference showing before entering America East play.
• The Great Danes posted a 10-3 record in non-conference games, highlighted by wins over Dartmouth, Siena, Boston University, Hofstra, and Bucknell.
• UAlbany also earned road victories at Sacred Heart, Colgate, and St. Bonaventure during the stretch.
• The Great Danes were ranked #24 in the women's mid-major top 25 for the fourth consecutive year on December 16.
• Amaya Stewart was named America East Rookie of the Week twice during the non-conference season.

 
GREATNESS RANKED

• Defense has been the identity of the Great Danes throughout the 2025-26 season.
• UAlbany ranks ninth nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 55.2 points per game this season. 
• The Great Dane offense adds national top-100 numbers with a .340 three-point percentage (61st) and a .434 field goal percentage (80th).
• The Purple and Gold rank among the top teams in the America East in these categories:
  • 3PT Defense: 2nd (29.3%)
  • Turnover Margin: 2nd (+2.31)
  • Blocks Per Game: 3rd (3.4)
  • Steals Per Game: 3rd (8.3)
  • Free Throw Percentage: 3rd (75.9%) 
• Thursday's matchup will feature two of the nation's top defensive teams. Vermont ranks fourth nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 51.8 points per game, while holding opponents to 37.3% shooting from the field and 25.2% from three-point range.

 
LEADING THE WAY

• Several Great Danes have paced the team statistically throughout the season.
• Delanie Hill leads the team in scoring with 13.9 points per game, knocking down 59 three-pointers and shooting 89.2% from the free-throw line.
• Amaya Stewart ranks first on the team with a .481 shooting mark and second with 12.3 points per game while adding 5.1 rebounds per game.
• Martina Borrellas leads the team on the glass, averaging 6.7 rebounds per game while contributing 10.0 points per game.
• Gabriela Falcão anchors the interior with 4.3 rebounds per game while adding team-highs with 78 assists and 22 blocks this season.
• Júlia Palomo Vicente leads the team in steals with 39 while shooting 38.2% from three-point range.

 
ABOUT #1 VERMONT

• Vermont enters the America East Tournament as the top seed after finishing the regular season 24-7 overall and 13-3 in conference play.
• The Catamounts lead the conference with 66.2 points per game while allowing just 51.8 points per game, the best scoring defense in the league.
• Vermont is shooting 45.6% from the field and 34.7% from three-point range, while holding opponents to 37.3% shooting overall and 25.2% from three-point range.
• Individually, Nikola Priede leads the team with 17.4 points and 7.8 rebounds per game while shooting nearly 60% from the field.
• Keira Hanson adds 14.1 points per game and leads the team with 59 three-pointers, while Jadyn Weltz directs the offense with 128 assists this season.

 
SERIES AGAINST THE CATAMOUNTS

• Vermont leads the all-time series 30-28.
• Current head coach Colleen Mullen owns a 12-6 record against the Catamounts during her time with the Great Danes.
• The two programs have met frequently with postseason implications in recent years, including each of the last three America East Tournaments, with Vermont winning all three matchups and ending the UAlbany season.
• During the 2025-26 regular season, Vermont swept the two-game series. The Catamounts opened conference play with a 72-56 win in Albany on January 1 before earning a 60-49 victory in Burlington on January 17.
• The matchup has become one of the league's most consistent postseason rivalries, with the Great Danes and Catamounts battling for position in the America East standings and tournament play year after year.

 
AMERICA EAST STANDINGS

• Vermont secured the regular-season title and the No. 1 seed with a 13-3 conference record.
• Maine finished second in the league standings at 12-4, followed by Binghamton and UMBC, who each finished 10-6 in conference play.
• NJIT earned the No. 5 seed with a 9-7 conference record, while Bryant finished sixth at 8-8.
• New Hampshire and UAlbany each concluded the regular season at 4-12, with the Wildcats claiming the No. 7 seed and the Great Danes the No. 8 seed.
• UMass Lowell finished ninth in the standings at 2-14 and will not compete in the America East Tournament.

 
AMERICA EAST TOURNAMENT

• Quarterfinals - Thursday, March 5
  • #8 UAlbany at #1 Vermont, 6 pm
  • #7 New Hampshire at #2 Maine, 6 pm
  • #6 Bryant at #3 Binghamton, 6 pm
  • #5 NJIT at # 4 UMBC, 6:30 pm
• Semifinals - Monday, March 9
  • Lowest remaining seed at highest remaining seed
  • Second-lowest remaining seed at second-highest remaining seed
• Championship - Friday, March 13
  • Lowest remaining seed at highest remaining seed

 
ON THE HORIZON

• With a win over Vermont, the Great Danes would advance to the America East semifinals.
• As the No. 8 seed, UAlbany would travel to face the highest remaining seed among the other quarterfinal winners.
• Possible semifinal opponents include No. 2 Maine, No. 3 Binghamton, No. 4 UMBC, or No. 5 NJIT, depending on the results of the other quarterfinal games.
• UAlbany faced each of those teams twice during the regular season. The Great Danes split the season series with UMBC, including a 69-63 victory in Albany on February 21, Binghamton, highlighted by a 52-41 home win on February 14, and NJIT, featuring a 70-point performance for the road win on January 29.
• Against Maine, UAlbany played two close contests, including a one-point game in Orono (60-59) in the final weekend of the regular season in which 2026 Player of the Year Adriana Smith made a last-second putback for the Black Bear win.
• The semifinals and championship will continue to be hosted at the home arena of the highest remaining seed, with the conference champion earning the America East's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

 
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