University of Maine
Albany (N.Y.)
Black Bears Fall Short With Second Half Rally at Albany, 66-60
2/26/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
ALBANY, N.Y. -- The Black Bears would battle back with a pair of runs, outscoring Albany 40-31 in the second half, but in the end would fall short to the Great Danes by the score of 66-60 to close out the regular season. Maine finishes the season at 4-24 and 2-14 in America East while Albany closes out the season 16-13 and 9-7 in league play. Brittany Williams (Rochester, N.Y.) was Named Maine's America East Player of the Game as she tallied a career high16 points with two steals on 5-for-9 shooting.
Ashleigh Roberts (Wilmington, Del.) pitched in 11 points for Maine while Amber Smith (Ipswich, Mass.) also tallied double-digits with 10 points and two rebounds. Katelyn Vanderhoff (Lititz, Pa.) added six points and a team-high seven rebounds.
Julie Forster led the Great Danes attack with a double-double as she tallied 10 point and 10 rebounds. Cassandra Callaway notched 15 points to lead Albany while Ebone Henry chipped in 14 points and nine rebounds.
With the score tied at 4-4 early, Albany would go on a 8-0 run over the next three minutes, with all eight points scored by Henry, to take a 12-4 lead. The Black Bears would respond with a 5-0 run when Samantha Baranowski (Stanhope, N.J.) hit a jumper which was followed by a hoop by Smith. Smith would draw a foul on the made hoop and hit her free throw to bring Maine within three, 12-9.
A small run by Albany would build their lead to seven but Maine would get back within four just seconds later when Vanderhoff would push the floor and penetrate the paint before kicking a nice pass out to Ashleigh Roberts (Wilmington, Del.) on the left elbow extended. Roberts would hit the three to bring Maine within four with 8:12 to play in the opening half.
Albany would battle back and put together another small, extended run and after back-to-back jumpers by Melia Basavand and Felicia Johnson, the Great Danes would extend their lead to 10, 28-18, with 2:27 remaining. A pair of free throws next time down the court by Ali Nalivaika (Worcester, Mass.) would end the run and bring Maine back within eight.
Basavand would hit a three from the right corner, followed by a Callaway jumper from the right corner with 20 seconds remaining to send the game into the break with Albany leading, 35-20.
The Black Bears would start the second half on a 15-5 run to bring them back within five. Williams would nail a three off an assist by Tanna Ross (Newburgh, Maine). The Black Bears would then force a turnover by Callaway and head the other way where Vanderhoff would find Smith who hit the shot, cutting the score to 37-27 with 15:58 to play in the second half. Following an Albany foul shot, Jaymie Druding (Orchard Park, N.Y.) would work inside to gain position and hit a shot which was followed up by great ball movement that found Ross open beyond the arc. Ross would hit the three to bring Maine within six. Johnson would hit a jumper for Albany but Smith would match her with a three to cut the lead to just five, 40-35.
The teams would trade hoops for the majority of the next 10 minutes before Albany would gain an eight point cushion after Johnson stole the ball at the top of the key and raced down court for a fastbreak layup. The Great Danes would hit four-straight free throws to build a 62-51 lead before Ross grabbed a rebound, raced down the court, and pulled up from the top of the arc to hit a three to cut the lead to 62-54 with 1:04 to play. However, Maine would run out of time as Albany would hit their free throws down the stretch and take the win, 66-60.
The Black Bears will return to action when they battle Stony Brook in the opening game of the 2011 America East Championship at the University of Hartford. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:05 p.m on Thursday, March 3.
