The UAlbany women’s basketball program is off to a 13-2 start and is 2-0 in America East play. The team’s next game is Jan. 13 at Binghamton.
Click into each link for the team’s roster, schedule and statistics.
Here is a game-by-game recap of the Great Danes’ 2023-24 season.
GAME 15: UALBANY 77, NJIT 36
When & Where: Jan. 6 at Broadview Center
Quick Recap: UAlbany never trailed in the game, and used a 28-6 domination in the second quarter to blow the game wide open for the team’s ninth consecutive win. Helene Haegerstrand led four UAlbany players who scored in double figures with 15 points, Meghan Huerter and Kayla Cooper each scored 14, and Deja Evans scored 11.
Stat To Know: UAlbany scored its 12 double-digit win of the season, and its fifth win by at least 20 points.
Record: 2-0 conference, 13-2 overall
GAME 14: UALBANY 69, BRYANT 50
When & Where: Jan. 4 at Broadview Center
Quick Recap: Kayla Cooper scored 18 points as the Great Danes cruised to a win in their America East Conference opener. The victory was the Great Danes’ eighth in a row. UAlbany led 18-10 after one quarter, 33-17 at halftime and by as many as 26 points in the second half. Deja Evans produced a dozen points and Lilly Phillips had 11. UAlbany out-rebounded Bryant 33-22, and had 16 assists to Bryant’s 11. Mia Mancini led Bryant with 17 points.
Stat To Know: UAlbany led for 34:10 of the game’s 40 minutes.
Record: 1-0 America East, 12-2 overall
GAME 13: UALBANY 87, NAVY 55
When & Where: Dec. 30 at Broadview Center
Quick Recap: Freshman forward Deja Evans had the best performance of her young UAlbany career, dominating the interior with 26 points and 17 rebounds. Kayla Cooper added 23 points and Helene Haegerstrand scored 12 as the Great Danes reeled off their seventh consecutive victory and completed a perfect month of December. UAlbany was up by double digits for nearly the entire second half, and blew the game open in the fourth quarter by outscoring Navy 30-12.
Stat To Know: UAlbany’s 87 points were a season-high against a Division I opponent, buoyed by plenty of trips to the free throw line, where the Great Danes were 27 of 34.
Record: 11-2 overall
GAME 12: UALBANY 74, MASSACHUSETTS 52
When & Where: Dec. 20 at Mullins Center
Quick Recap: UAlbany used torrid 3-point shooting in the first half to take command of the game, then held UMass at bay in the second half for the Great Danes’ sixth straight win. UAlbany made eight of 13 3-pointers while building a 46-29 halftime lead, including a combined 8-for-10 by former Shenendehowa star Meghan Huerter, Lilly Phillips and Sarah Karpell. Huerter finished with 15 points, and Phillips and freshman forward Deja Evans each scored 14.
Stat To Know: Senior forward Kayla Cooper, who was in and out of the game with foul trouble, scored 13 points to bring her within one of reaching 1,000 for her career.
Record: 10-2 overall
GAME 11: UALBANY 77, STONEHILL 38
When & Where: Dec. 16 at Broadview Center
Quick Recap: The Great Danes blew past their winless opponent. UAlbany led 24-9 after one quarter and outscored Stonehill by at least seven points in each period. Six Great Danes scored at least seven points, while Kayla Cooper led the way with 16 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and five steals in 27 minutes.
Stat To Know: UAlbany led by as many as 41 points in the fourth quarter.
Record: 9-2 overall
GAME 10: UALBANY 68, DARTMOUTH 57
When & Where: Dec. 12 at Broadview Center
Quick Recap: Meghan Huerter starred for the Great Danes with a career-high 20 points. Huerter made 7 of 10 shots from the field, including 6 of 8 from 3-point territory. UAlbany only led 17-14 after a quarter, but took a double-digit lead into the second half and was never seriously challenged. The Great Danes led by as many as 19 points in the third quarter. Besides Huerter, Helene Haegerstrand produced a high-scoring game with 18 points, while Kayla Cooper narrowly missed a double-double with 16 points and nine rebounds.
Stat To Know: UAlbany won eight of its first 10 games for the first time since the 2017-18 season.
Record: 8-2 overall
GAME 9: UALBANY 49, MARIST 39
When & Where: Dec. 9 at Broadview Center
Quick Recap: In a defensive matchup, UAlbany pulled away with a 19-6 fourth quarter. Down 33-30 to start the fourth quarter, UAlbany started the period with a 6-0 run, then took the lead for good on a pair of free throws from Kayla Cooper with 4:38 to go. The Great Danes ended the game on a 13-2 run. Cooper at least shared the team lead for UAlbany in points (23), rebounds (12), steals (four), assists (three) and blocks (three).
Stat To Know: Cooper and Haegerstrand combined to score 36 of UAlbany’s 49 points. No other Great Danes player scored more than five points.
Record: 7-2 overall
GAME 8: UALBANY 56, CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE 37
When & Where: Dec. 6 at Detrick Gymnasium
Quick Recap: In typical fashion, UAlbany’s defense put the clamps on Central Connecticut State, holding the Blue Devils to 26.5% from the field. Still, the Great Danes led by just seven, 42-35, early in the fourth quarter before allowing just one basket by CCSU the rest of the way while going on a 14-2 run to finish it out. Kayla Cooper had a double-double on 14 points and 12 rebounds, and Helene Haegerstrand scored 14.
Stat To Know: CCSU had a particularly tough game from 3-point range, making just 1 of 13 attempts.
Record: 6-2 overall
GAME 7: UALBANY 76, SIENA 58
When & Where: Dec. 2 at Broadview Center
Quick Recap: Four Great Danes recorded double-digit scoring, with Kayla Cooper and Helene Haegerstrand each scoring 13 points, and Lilly Phillips and Sarah Karpell each adding 11. Meanwhile, Deja Evans flirted with a double-double with eight points and 10 rebounds, and Meghan Huerter scored nine of UAlbany’s 20 bench points. UAlbany led 37-36 at halftime, then registered a 20-8 third quarter on its way to the 18-point win.
Stat To Know: The victory was UAlbany’s third consecutive one in its Albany Cup series with Siena.
Record: 5-2 overall
GAME 6: STANFORD 79, UALBANY 35
When & Where: Nov. 26 at Maples Pavilion
Quick Recap: Playing against one of the nation’s top teams and coaches, UAlbany suffered a 44-point loss in California. Kayla Cooper scored 16 points to lead UAlbany, which only managed 11 second-half points after heading into the break down 47-24. For Stanford, star Cameron Brink produced 21 points, 19 rebounds and four blocks. A Schenectady County native, Stanford coach Tara Tara VanDerveer’s college career started at UAlbany. VanDerveer has won more games than any other women’s basketball head coach and has won three national championships at Stanford.
Stat To Know: Brink, an All-American, only needed to play 26 minutes to post her monster double-double.
Record: 4-2 overall
GAME 5: UALBANY 57, CORNELL 45
When & Where: 11/22 at Newman Arena
Quick Recap: UAlbany’s defensive approach was on full display, as the Great Danes held Cornell to a total of 14 points in the middle two quarters while building a 50-28 lead heading into the fourth. On the offensive side, the Great Danes leaned almost exclusively on their starting lineup, which accounted for all but three of UAlbany’s 57 points. Helene Haegerstrand made three of six 3-pointers and scored 17 points for UAlbany, and Deja Evans scored 15 while making all seven of her free throws.
Stat To Know: Cornell’s starting five was a combined 5-for-31 (16.1%) from the field, each player making just one field goal.
Record: 4-1 overall
GAME 4: UALBANY 66, ST. BONAVENTURE 56
When & Where: Nov. 16 at Reilly Center
Quick Recap: UAlbany outscored St. Bonaventure 12-2 to start the game and responded to a third-quarter push by the Bonnies for a non-conference victory. Kayla Cooper, who led the Great Danes with 21 points, helped fuel the quick start with a breakaway layup and a jumper. UAlbany was ahead 37-24 at halftime, but St. Bonaventure got within five, 53-48, on three free throws by Tianna Johnson at the end of the third. The Great Danes took full command of the game when Lilly Phillips’ 3 put UAlbany up 66-53 with 1:30 left.
Stat To Know: Cooper had an efficient and balanced stat line, 8-for-15 from the field, 5-for-6 on free throws, eight rebounds and four assists in 28 minutes.
Record: 3-1 overall
GAME 3: UALBANY 118, SARAH LAWRENCE 27
When & Where: Nov. 13 at Saint Rose
Quick Recap: Against a Division III opponent, the Great Danes dominated from start to finish. Six UAlbany players recorded double-digit scoring, led by Lilly Phillips with 18 points. UAlbany outscored Sarah Lawrence 53-0 off turnovers, 25-0 on second-chance opportunities, 37-0 on fast breaks and 70-0 with its bench players.
Stat To Know: Gabriela Falcao recorded a team-high +57 in her 22 minutes. Falcao had 16 points, seven rebounds, four assists and four steals off the bench.
Record: 2-1 overall
GAME 2: FORDHAM 66, UALBANY 63
When & Where: Nov. 10 at Rose Hill Gym
Quick Recap: In a wildly back-and-forth game, the Great Danes fell on the road. Neither team ever led by more than five points, and the contest featured 24 lead changes and 11 ties. The teams were tied at 47 after three quarters, and the contest was a one-possession game or closer for all but a dozen seconds of the fourth quarter. Helene Haegerstrand led UAlbany with 14 points, Deja Evans nearly had a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds, and Kayla Cooper added 13 points and Meghan Huerter scored 11.
Stat To Know: UAlbany made 9 of 17 3-pointers to Fordham’s 4 of 16, but the Great Danes committed 17 turnovers to Fordham’s 10.
Record: 1-1 overall
GAME 1: UALBANY 58, MERRIMACK 55
When & Where: Nov. 6 at Bert Hammel Court
Quick Recap: UAlbany was tested thoroughly down the stretch, but never relinquished the lead. The Great Danes brought an eight-point lead into the fourth quarter, only to see Merrimack cut UAlbany’s advantage all the way to a point. In her first game for the Great Danes, transfer Sarah Karpell led UAlbany with 17 points, while Kayla Cooper and Lilly Phillips each scored 11.
Stat To Know: UAlbany won on the road despite committing 19 turnovers against 10 assists.
Record: 1-0 overall
Great season, the team showed immense talent and determination!
Good punctuation and grammar, agree: Great season, this team really exceeded expectations!
Great season, the team truly outperformed all expectations! #ExceededAllExpectations
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