University of Albany Women's Basketball defeats the University of Maine, 78-46, in America East Conference Action

Albany, N.Y. – TaNika Thrower had 17 points and Britney McGee added 15 as UAlbany rolled to its third consecutive victory in a 78-46 America East Conference triumph over Maine on Sunday, Jan. 13 at SEFCU Arena. The Great Danes posted their largest win margin against a conference opponent and upended the Black Bears for the first time in 15 meetings.

UAlbany (4-11, AE 2-0) started the contest with 11 unanswered points. Kristin Higy, one of five players in double figures with 10 points, buried a three-point field goal from the left corner. Thrower, who made 6-of-9 from the field, added a pair of long-range shots following Maine turnovers. The Great Danes pushed out to a 20-2 advantage with nearly seven minutes elapsed. Gia Sanders, a 6-foot senior, contributed on both ends of the floor. Sanders, who had three of her four blocks and all three steals before the break, hit a fastbreak layup and a short jumper in the lane.

UAlbany used full-court pressure to force 18 of Maine’s 30 turnovers in the opening stanza en route to a 45-18 halftime margin. McGee, who scored in double figures for the seventh straight game, made one of her three 3-pointers in the period to give her team a 28-point cushion with 2:51 left. Maine (4-11, AE 1-1) was limited to 16.4-percent shooting on 4-of-24 attempts.

The Great Danes, who are off to their best start in league play, kept the pressure on in the second half. Charity Iromuanya made one of his squad’s season-high 13 three-pointers from the left corner for a 63-35 lead. Iromuanya, who netted 11 points, upped the Great Danes’ margin to 30 on a jumper in the lane with 4:05 to play.

“Give Albany credit for their pressure,” said Maine coach Cindy Blodgett, whose squad made just 28.3 percent from the field overall. “We’ve seen it before (this season) against Miami and Clemson. But today was a step backward and we handled it poorly.”

Freshman forward Tanna Ross led the Black Bears with a career-high 22 points. UAlbany’s Sanders finished with 10 points and eight rebounds. The Great Danes made 13-of-24 from beyond the arc.

“We wanted to win badly,” explained Sanders, whose team last won three in a row in the 2004-05 campaign. “We feel confident and we are tired of losing. Our pressure has an effect on an opponent, but we couldn’t play the second half like the game was over. We have lost leads before.”