Top Two America East Women's Basketball Teams Battle on ESPN3 as UAlbany Heads to Maine
UAlbany Game Notes
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BANGOR, Maine – In a rematch of the top two teams in the America East, UAlbany heads north to take on Maine on Sunday, February 14th at 1 p.m. at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor on ESPN3.
Eric Frede and Helen Williams will have the call on ESPN3. For those looking to attend the game in Bangor, tickets are $11 for adult general admission and $6 for youth and seniors.
UAlbany comes into Sunday with a 13-game winning streak, coming off a 85-48 home win over UNH, a perfect 12-0 America East record and 21-3 overall tally. UAlbany is currently receiving votes in both national polls. Maine has won eight in a row, including defeating UMass Lowell 73-46 on the road, to stand in second place in the America East at 11-1 and 20-7 overall. All other America East teams have at least four conference losses.
UAlbany has won 11 of the last 12 matchups against the Black Bears, including a 64-59 home victory on January 16th, Maine's last loss this year. Maine leads the overall series 17-15 and is the last team to defeat UAlbany at home with a 52-44 win on February 1st, 2015.
This game features UAlbany, with the #1 scoring offense and #2 scoring defense in the America East, vs. Maine, which has the league's #2 scoring offense and #1 scoring defense. In addition, these two teams were the 2014-15 America East regular season co-champions, each going 14-2 in league play last season.
RICHARDS NAMED TO NAISMITH MIDSEASON 30 TEAM: On February 11th, Shereesha Richards was named to the Naismith Trophy Midseason 30 for Women's College Player of the Year. She is the first UAlbany player to advance this far in the Naismith Trophy List and is a two-time member of the 50-player watch list. 10 semifinalists will be chosen from on March 2.
UALBANY STANDS AT #10 IN MID-MAJOR POLL: UAlbany held its spot at #10 in the 12th week of the College Insider Women's Mid-Major Top-25, released on February 9th. It is the 22nd consecutive poll, dating back to last season, where the Great Danes are in the top-20 of the poll.
The Great Danes picked up 501 points in the poll, released every Tuesday. UAlbany is currently the highest-ranked mid-major in the state of New York and the highest ranked mid-major from the America East Conference.
STAR SENIORS: UAlbany seniors Shereesha Richards and Erin Coughlin have entered their final year in a UAlbany uniform in the 2015-16 season. In their careers, UAlbany has gone a combined 100-21 overall and 57-3 in America East play, earning three conference titles.
GOING FOR AMERICA EAST HISTORY: In the 2015-16 season. the UAlbany women's basketball team will look to do what no other America East team has done, win five straight conference tournament titles.
UAlbany became just the second women's basketball program to earn four straight America East titles last season, tying the achievement recorded by Maine from 1993-96.
No America East basketball program, men's or women's, has won five straight tournament titles in conference history.
BULLIES ON THE BOARDS: UAlbany has been dominant on the glass, outrebounding its opponents by a margin of +12.7, ranking first in the America East and sixth in Division I. This season, UAlbany has outrebounded its opponent in 23 out of 24 games, with Tennessee as the exception. In America Eastplay, UAlbany is outrebounding opponents by a +16.2 margin.
STREAKS: Shereesha Richards was held without points in UAlbany's contest against Michigan State on November 21st, 2012 as a freshman, since then she has scored in the last 116 games.
Imani Tate is also on a scoring streak, earning points in each of her last 59 games. She scored in every game during the 2014-15 season and last was held without points on March 1st, 2014 vs. Stony Brook.
Zakiya Saunders has an assists streak going on 48 consecutive games dating back to the 2014-15 season. Her last game without an assist came on Dec. 15, 2014 against Quinnipiac.
SCOUTING THE MAINE BLACK BEARS: Maine sports the sixth-ranked scoring defense in all of Division I at 50.7 points per game and defeats opponents by an average of 10.9 points a contest.
Ranking third in the conference in scoring at 17.2 points per game, junior guard Sigi Koizar shoots 48.2% and also runs the floor with four assists per game. Senior forward Liz Wood shared America East Defensive Player of the Year honors last year with Shereesha Richards, currently averaging 9.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.7 steals per game. Classmate Mikaela Gustafsson gets 8.6 points and 4.1 rebounds a contest.
