LOUDONVILLE, NY – Despite being down by as many as 21 points in the second half, the Siena Saints pulled within six points late as they fell to the UAlbany Great Danes by a final score of 64-57 at the UHY Center Sunday afternoon in the Albany Cup. The Great Danes take the trophy for the second consecutive season.
Ellen Hahne led all scorers with 23 points, eight rebounds, and four assists for UAlbany. Freja Werth (15 points) and Grace Heeps (13 points) also finished in double-digits, with Werth also snagging 11 rebounds for a double-double.
Freshman
Teresa Seppala led the Saints with 15 points, with 13 points coming in the second half. Sophomore
Anajah Brown scored 11 points with six rebounds, and freshman
London Gamble scored 11 points for her first career double-digit performance.
Siena struggled on offense for much of the game, finishing the 40 minutes shooting 27.1 percent from the field, including a 4-for-25 clip from distance (16.0 percent). The Great Danes held Siena to just 17 points in the first half, as UAlbany held a 31-17 lead at the midway point.
The Saints defense held them in the ballgame, as they forced 19 turnovers and converted 11 points from those turnovers. However, as both sides found a groove offensively in the third, UAlbany still held a double-digit lead, 51-35, heading into the fourth quarter.
Siena began to claw back, as their defense held up and they began to make shots on offense. A jumper from Gamble cut the UAlbany lead to single-digits, 57-48, with exactly five minutes to play. The following possession after a missed UAlbany chance, Brown converted an and-one to bring the Great Danes lead to just six.
The Green and Gold had chances to bring the lead closer over the final three minutes, but forcing the Great Danes to the line kept the lead out of reach as UAlbany wrapped things up for the win.
The Saints return to action on Wednesday, Nov. 16 at 5 p.m. for their only appearance at the MVP Arena. Siena will face St. Bonaventure in the front end of a doubleheader with the Siena men's team.
