ALBANY, NY – The Siena Saints were within six points with 4:30 left to play in the third, but could not get any closer as they were defeated by the UAlbany Great Danes by a final score of 64-44 in the 23
rd matchup for the Albany Cup.
Senior
Amari Anthony led all scorers with 12 points while also leading the Green and Gold with six rebounds and two assists. Fifth-year
Rayshel Brown added 10 points, while freshman
Anajah Brown also added six rebounds. Freshman
Imani Harris also added three steals.
The Great Danes got a 23-point, six rebound effort from Helene Haegerstrand. Haegerstrand would shoot 7-for-14 from the floor, including a 3-for-8 clip from three-point range. Ellen Hahne notched 15 points and a pair of assists, while Kayla Cooper added nine points off the bench.
UAlbany shot the ball well, only missing once in their first eight possessions as they opened a 17-4 early in the first five minutes courtesy of an early 11-0 run. However, the Saints went on their own run, going 8-0 and cutting the UAlbany lead to only six. Harris would get to the rim and score at the buzzer as the Saints trailed 20-14 after the first 10 minutes. While the Saints defense improved, they would score 11 points in the second quarter and trail by nine heading into the half.
Despite a slow start to the half, the Saints would cut the lead to just six points with 4:30 to play after freshman
Emina Selimovic hit a jumper. But UAlbany would go on a 9-1 run to end the quarter, leading by 14 going into the fourth. The Saints once again found momentum into the fourth, as they chipped away and got solid back-to-back possessions that featured a three-pointer by
DeAnna Winston and an and-one from Anthony. With 4:35 to play and down by just eight, the Saints would score only two points over the final 4:35 as UAlbany scored 13 to shut the door.
Siena forced 16 turnovers to their 15 on the game, while also outscoring the Great Danes 16-12 in bench points.
The Saints return to action on Monday, Dec. 20 at 7 p.m. when they host the Rider Broncs in this season's MAAC opener at the UHY Center.
