UAlbany Women’s Basketball Defeats Delaware State, 79-57; Extends Win Streak to Six

DOVER, DEL. - With four players in double-digit scoring figures, led by Shereesha Richards with 16 points, UAlbany extended its win streak to six games, defeating Delaware State, 79-57, in non-conference women's basketball action on Saturday evening at Memorial Hall. The Great Danes improve to 8-2 on the season, while the Hornets fall to 2-6. Delaware State scored the first six points of the game before UAlbany broke onto the scoreboard with a 3-pointer from Ebone Henry from the left side of the arc. The Great Danes tied the game at 17:20 as Julie Forster dished the ball to Keyana Williams under the hoop. However, the Hornets built up a 14-7 advantage with 14:39 to play on three consecutive baskets. UAlbany ended the second 6-0 run with a layup by Forster at 14:12. The teams exchanged baskets, before Megan Craig and Richards sparked the Great Danes with back-to-back buckets. UAlbany's Sarah Royals then tied the game at 20-20 with a 3-pointer from the right side. The Great Danes took their first lead of the game on the next possession, getting a trey from Lindsey Lowrie at 10:45. Lowrie nailed her second long-range shot of the night at 7:10 to push the UAlbany lead to 30-24, before Craig got a put-back to fall to put the Great Danes ahead by eight. UAlbany continued to roll through the half, using the usual stifling defense to induce several Delaware State fouls and turnovers. The Great Danes used five good free throws to end the half - two from Forster and three from Margarita Rosario - to hold a 40-32 advantage at the break. The Great Danes scored the first points of the second half to hold their biggest lead of the game, and followed a single free throw by DSU's Tierra Hawkins with a 3-pointer by Lowrie to extend the advantage to 45-33 after less than a minute of action. Lowrie then recorded a steal and passed ahead to Henry, who converted the layup to spur the Hornets to take an early timeout. UAlbany outscored the Hornets, 24-5, to start the second half before Kianna D'Oliveira nailed two free throws and then hit a layup to pull Delaware State back within 68-41. The Great Danes did not slow down, however, and built up a 75-54 lead before the final media timeout of the game. Richards then scored the final points of the game, and recorded a steal in the waning seconds to seal up the win. "The first half was sluggish," said UAlbany head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson, whose team has won its last six games by an average of 24.7 points. "In the second half, we adjusted, changed our press, and got into the flow of what we needed to do offensively. Shereesha [Richards] had another great game - she is a great spark off the bench." Delaware State got 10 points from Jade Washington, while Tierra Hawkins and Uchechi Ahaiwe added nine apiece. The Hornets shot 45.5 percent (20-44) from the field, while committing 28 turnovers. After Richards, who also recorded a team-high eight rebounds the Great Danes got 15 points from Lowrie, all from beyond the 3-point line. Megan Craig finished with 13 points and seven boards, while Ebone Henry netted 10 points. UAlbany shot 47.5 percent (28-59) from the floor, and hit eight 3-pointers, while also recording 13 steals.