UAlbany Women's Basketball Stays Red Hot With an 85-41 Win Over UMBC

ALBANY, N.Y. - Shereesha Richards totaled a game-high 22 points to go along with six rebounds, five steals, and two assists, en route to leading undefeated UAlbany to an 85-41 win over UMBC in America East Conference women's basketball action on Wednesday evening at SEFCU Arena. The Great Danes extend their win streak to 11 straight and move to 19-3 overall, with a 10-0 mark in league play.

UMBC scored first, but UAlbany responded, as Sarah Royals recorded a steal at half court and hit a basket at the other end.  Julie Forster grabbed a defensive rebound and turned it into two points, giving the Great Danes a 4-2 lead at 18:18. After Raven Harris tied the game at 4-4 for UMBC, UAlbany went on a 12-0 run that put the Great Danes up, 16-4, with 6:56 left to play in the first. The Retrievers ended the UAlbany run at 6:49 on a basket by Harris.

However, the Great Danes then went on another run, this one extending to 12-0 before it was ended at 2:41 by a Liz McNaughton 3-pointer. UAlbany didn't take long to respond, as Ebone Henry passed a ball up and over the defense to Megan Craig, who hit a layup to give the Great Danes a 30-10 lead with just over two minutes to play. Henry wrapped up the scoring in the first half with a long range shot, giving UAlbany a 36-11 advantage heading into the locker room.

Lowrie kicked off the second half with a bang, nailing a 3-pointer from the far right corner less than 30 seconds into play and drained a second on the next possession, following a Sarah Royals steal. The Great Danes continued to roll, outscoring UMBC 27-5 before the under-12 minute media timeout, to hold a 63-16 advantage with 11:24 left to play.

With all of the Great Dane reserves getting action in the final half of the second stanza, UAlbany didn't show any signs of slowing down. The Great Danes extended their advantage to 47 with two free throws by Richards at 7:24, and then pushed the lead to 48 at 73-25 on a jumper by Keyontae Williams at 5:21. UMBC's Bria White hit two 3-pointers down the stretch, and a trey by Katrina Hutzell cut the lead to 42 with just over a minute to play, but Richards pulled down an offensive board and muscled it back for two points to set the final score.

Along with Richards, UAlbany got double-digit scoring total from Craig (19 points), Forster (12 points), Henry (10 points) and Lowrie (10 points), to have five players in double figures for the second time this season. Craig led all players with eight rebounds, while both Henry and Lowrie shot 4-of-8 from the floor. As a team, UAlbany shot 51.7 percent (30-58) from the field, while holding UMBC top 28.0 percent (14-50).

UAlbany  will return to action on Saturday, visiting Maine for a 1 p.m. tip.