Great Danes Fall Short in 56-55 Defeat Against UMBC in America East Conference Action

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information

Albany, N.Y. – Kristin Drabyn had 20 points and Carlee Cassidy added 19 as UMBC held off UAlbany, 56-55, in an America East Conference contest on Tuesday, Jan. 22 at SEFCU Arena.

UMBC (6-12, AE 2-3) snapped a 33-33 tie early in the second half with 11 unanswered. Drabyn, who made 8-of-11 from the field, buried one of her four 3-point field goals, before Cassidy followed with another long-range jumper from the left wing. After Michele Brokans converted a driving layup, Cassidy ended that outburst with a 3-pointer from the right corner.

UAlbany (4-13, AE 2-2) rallied with 12 of the game’s next 14 points to close the gap to 46-45. Sherri Mikus, who posted season-highs with 16 points and 12 rebounds, scored three baskets and made two free throws in that span. Kristin Higy converted in the lane off Charity Iromuanya’s feed to finish off that run with 9:50 remaining.

The Retrievers, who had dropped six of their previous seven entering the game, pushed out to a 53-47 lead when Meghan Colabella nailed a jumper from the just above the foul line. But UAlbany fought back again behind Higy, a 6-foot-1 senior who had eight of her 11 points in the stretch. Her three-pointer from the left side drew her team within 54-52.

After UMBC’s Jenny Lidgren connected in the lane from a driving Cassidy, Higy sliced the deficit to 56-55 when she stepped out on the right wing to drill a 3-pointer. Lidgren would turn the ball over with 16 seconds left on a travel call, but UAlbany failed to get off a clean attempt on its last possession when Higy’s long-range shot fell short.

“It shouldn’t have come down to a last-second shot,” explained Higy, whose squad was without the services of leading rebounder Gia Sanders due to a fractured finger on her right hand. “Unfortunately I couldn’t get a good shot off, but we put ourselves in that position.”

The Great Danes built a 22-15 lead with 7:50 left in the opening period by making nine of their opening 16 shots. Mikus hit a bank shot in the lane and freshman guard Janea Aiken, who had 10 of her 12 points in the period, canned a 16-foot jumper to give their team its biggest margin.

UMBC regrouped with a string of 11 consecutive points. Drabyn, a senior guard who netted 14 in the stanza, put her club ahead with a jumper in the circle. Cassidy, the conference’s top scorer, added a pair of free throws for a 26-22 advantage. The Retrievers, who reached the NCAAs for the first time last year after winning the conference tournament championship, would settle for a one-point halftime lead.

“This was a must-win for us if we were going to stay in the top four in the conference standings,” said UAlbany coach Trina Patterson, whose team shot 37.9 percent against UMBC’s zone defense. “We didn’t play with energy, we didn’t rebound like we normally do and we didn’t guard their key shooters. I am disappointed in the team’s effort.”