UAlbany Women’s Basketball Drops a 64-48 Decision to Sacred Heart

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information

Fairfield, Conn. – Forward Stephanie Ryan scored 15 points, including seven straight in the second half, to lead Sacred Heart to a 64-48 win over UAlbany in non-conference women’s basketball action at the William H. Pitt Center on Wednesday evening. The Pioneers improved to 2-3 overall while the Great Danes dropped to 1-6.

Sacred Heart used a 20-9 run over the final 8:32, scoring the final eight points from the free throw line. Khalia Cain, Maggie Cosgrove and Alisa Apo all hit two from the stripe in the final minute of play to help seal the win for the Pioneers.

UAlbany came out firing to start the second half, and cut the lead to 29-25 before allowing Sacred Heart to score. After Kaitlin Sowinski dropped a jumper in the lane for the Pioneers, Britney McGee hit a 3-pointer and Janea Aiken scored from the right key to cut the lead to 33-30 with 15:46 left to play. Sowinski, who finished with a game-high 16 points, scored five straight over the next two minutes of play and Sacred Heart never looked back.

“Six of our first seven games were on the road and I think that playing on the road this much has hurt us with our youth,” said UAlbany head coach Trina Patterson, whose team has dropped four consecutive contests. “We need to get back home to our gym, work hard, get some of our confidence back and start making better decisions.”

Kristin Higy scored the first four points of the game, as the Great Danes held Sacred Heart scoreless through the first five minutes of play. The Pioneers broke their drought as Cosgrove hit a 3-pointer from the left side of the arc coming out of a media timeout at 14:47. After UAlbany doubled up the opponents score by taking a 10-5 lead on back-to-back baskets by TaNika Thrower, Cosgrove knocked down her second trey of the night to cut the Pioneers’ deficit to 10-8 with 12:02 left to play.

After tying the game at 10-10 with 10:06 left to play, Sacred Heart embarked on a 14-4 run to take a 24-14 lead with 4:48 remaining in the first half. UAlbany cut the lead to six as Janea Aiken was fouled while sinking a 3-pointer. Aiken made the ensuing free throw and came back on the next Great Danes’ possession with a jumpshot to pull within 24-20 with just over two minutes left to play.

Sacred Heart’s Lisa Moray hit her third 3-pointer of the night at 1:37 to put the Pioneers back on top by seven, 27-20. Higy, who finished with nine points for the Great Danes, scored two of her six first-half points at 1:12, but Alisa Apo closed out the scoring for the half with a jump shot from the right key to set the halftime score at 29-22.

Aiken led the Great Danes with 15 points, while McGee added seven. Moray finished with 12 points for Sacred Heart, all from three-point range. Sowinski recorded a team-high eight rebounds and had four blocks and four assists on the night.