Henry Leads University of Albany Women's Basketball to Season Sweep of Vermont With 75-65 Win - UAlbany Sports 2011

Burlington, Vt. - Ebone Henry scored a game-high 20 points to lead four Great Danes in double figures, leading UAlbany to a 75-65 win over Vermont in America East Conference women's basketball action on Monday evening. With the victory over the Catamounts, the Great Danes completed the season sweep of Vermont, and improved to 14-11 overall, with a 7-5 record in league play.

The teams played a close start to the game, but after a layup by Vermont's Lauren Wheeler at 11:36 tied the game at 9-9, the Great Danes took control and started to pull away. A 3-pointer by Melia Basavand gave UAlbany a 16-11 lead with 9:04 to play. Vermont battled back and took a one-point lead, 19-18, on two free throws by Tonya Young, who finished with a game-high 19 points for the Catamounts, but Henry drained one of her two 3-pointers to put UAlbany back on top for good.

The Great Danes got ahead by as many as seven, 32-25, late in the first half, as Basavand hit a trey with an assist from Julie Forster with 3:25 left to play. Young hit two additional free throws in the final minute, but Basavand, who scored 14 points for UAlbany in the game, hit another long-range shot with three ticks left on the clock to send the teams to the locker rooms with the Great Danes on top, 35-29.

Lauren Buschmann scored the first basket of the second half for Vermont, but Henry responded with a layup to keep UAlbany in control. Two free throws by Tabitha Makopondo, who totaled 13 points for UAlbany, put the Great Danes ahead by eight, 44-36, with 15:35 left to play. Tory Dennerlein attempted to start a rally for the Catamounts, draining a 3-pointer a minute later to pull Vermont to within 44-40, but Cassandra Callaway hit a trey of her own for UAlbany to keep the Catamounts out of striking distance.

Vermont pulled back within five, 51-46, on a Young layup, but UAlbany embarked on a 7-0 run, capped by two free throws by Forster at 7:44, to pull ahead by 12, 58-46. Sam Simononis pulled the Catamounts back to ten with a layup on the next possession, but Basavand drained her fourth 3-pointer of the game with an assist by Henry to put the Great Danes on top, 61-48. UAlbany continued to roll from there, getting up by as many as 17 on two occasions, including 69-52 after a Forster layup with just over four minutes left to play.

The Catamounts attempted to make a late run, scoring six unanswered points, ending with a Lauren Wheeler Jumper that pulled the score back within 10, 71-61. Forster, who finished with her tenth double-double of the season, scored three of her 16 points in the final minute, all at the free throw line. Henry recorded a steal as the clock wound down to seal the victory for the Great Danes.

Forster totaled a game-high 11 rebounds, along with three assists, one steal and a block for the Great Danes. Henry pulled down six boards for UAlbany, while also recording a game-high four steals and two assists. UAlbany shot 41.8 percent (23-55) from the floor, and out-rebounded Vermont, 42-25. Simononis and Wheeler each finished with 10 points for Vermont (4-21, AE 4-8).

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information