University of Albany Iromuanya's Scoring, Forster's Rebounding Lead Women's Basketball to 64-62 OT Win - UAlbany Sports 2010

Durham, N.H. - Charity Iromuanya netted a career-high 29 points and nailed the eventual game-winning field goal as UAlbany escaped with a 64-62 overtime victory over New Hampshire on Sunday, Feb. 21 at Lundholm Gymnasium. Julie Forster grabbed 11 of her 20 boards in the first half to break Danielle Hutcheson's single-season program record for rebounds by a freshman.

UAlbany (10-17, AE 3-11), which has won two of its three conference games in overtime, jumped out to a six-point lead to start the extra session. Ebone Henry hit a three from the left corner, and Iromuanya added a free throw and put back a missed shot while soaring through the air to give the visitors a 63-57 advantage.

However, the Wildcats stormed back as Denise Beliveau nailed a 3-pointer and a pair of free throws to make it 63-62 in favor of the visitors with 1:12 left. After both teams failed to score on their next possession, Felicia Johnson made the second of two free throws with eight seconds on the clock to give UAlbany a two-point lead. Lauren Wells' desperation jumper as the horn sounded hit off the back end of the iron, which allowed the Great Danes to escape with the two-point win.

"Usually the team that scores first and early wins, and we did that." said head coach Trina Patterson, whose team has won two overtime games in the past two weeks. "I am happy for Charity, and she understood what we needed down the stretch by driving it, taking fouls and getting assists. We don't have many players in our program who can score that many points in a game."

The teams played a game of leap frog to start the second half with the lead changing five times entering the midway mark of the frame. The Great Danes finally broke loose by embarking on an 11-1 run to take a 47-38 lead with 9:38 to play. Iromuanya capped the stretch by drilling one of her four 3-pointers in the game on a wide open look from the left wing.

"Coach Patterson has told me that I never take a bad shot, so I have been looking to be more of a factor on offense," said Iromuanya, who averaged 22 points in three contests this past week and was named the team's player of the game. "I am a team player, but I know I also have to look to score when I can to help our team improve and succeed."

UAlbany gained a double-digit lead on a pair of free throws, but the Wildcats clawed back and made it a one-point affair at 56-55 when Reed canned a three-point field goal from the left wing with 3:03 left. The Great Danes recovered and had a chance to put the game away, but the squad missed three of its next four free throws. Jill McDonald, who was fouled after grabbing an offensive rebound, took advantage of her opportunity at the charity stripe by making both of her free throws with 21 seconds left to tie the game at 57. UAlbany had a chance to win it in regulation, but Forster's 12-foot jumper at the buzzer rimmed out.


After a slow start, the Great Danes rattled off eight consecutive points and went on a 10-2 run to take a 12-6 lead by the second media timeout at the 11:29 mark. Iromuanya sparked the run with a conventional three-point play and added a trifecta to put the visitors ahead.

New Hampshire (8-19, AE 3-11), which was holding its annual Pink Zone game to publicize Breast Cancer Awareness, tied up the game on two occasions in the final minutes on a trey by Amy Simpson and a jumper by Wells, but the Great Danes held their ground and carried a 24-22 advantage into the recess. Iromuanya put back her own missed shot which was blocked by Reed as time expired. Forster broke Hutcheson's record on an offensive rebound in the final minutes after grabbing 10 in the opening 11:35.

"The one thing we know we can rely on Julie for every game is rebounding," stated Patterson. "We can always depend on her rebounding. It is very difficult to get even 15 rebounds in a game, so 11 in a half (to break the record) was incredible. To beat any record held by Danielle Hutcheson is huge."

In addition to netting a career high for points for the second time in three games, Iromuanya also finished with nine rebounds and a game-high six assists for UAlbany, which will host Hartford in its final home game and recognize the team captain prior to the contest on Wednesday, Feb. 24. Forster added four points to her record-breaking day, and Henry contributed 15 points. Keyana Williams scored a career-high 12. McDonald, New Hampshire's player of the game, posted a double-double on 16 points and 10 boards to go along with four blocks. Beliveau and Candace Williams rounded out the Wildcats' double-digit scorers with 15 and 11 respectively.
Paw Prints: Julie Forster, a walk-on player, pulled down her 11th of 20 rebounds with 2:35 remaining in the first half to break the freshman single-season record ... Danielle Hutcheson, the lone Great Dane to garner first-team all-conference laurels, grabbed 216 rebounds during the 2001-02 campaign ... The freshman also fell just shy of breaking the program's all-time single-game record of 22, which was registered by Casey Stanley versus Nazareth on Feb. 22, 1992 ... Forster, who has 226 rebounds this season, ended the week averaging a conference-best 8.4 boards per game.


Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information