Saturday, February 7 at Albany (5 p.m.)
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LAST TIME OUT:Â The River Hawks used a hot first-half from behind the arc to build a lead as large as 23, steering off UMBCís comeback bid on their way to a 84-78 victory in Baltimore on Wednesday for their third straight win. The team made four of their eight first-half triples during a critical 17-3 run to build a comfortable 49-30 lead going into intermission. The assault from deep was led by Melissa Frase who connected on three, Shannon Samuels sank two while Lindsey Doucette, Jasmine McRoy and Brianna Rudolph each sank one of their own. The Retrievers turned eight River Hawk turnovers into 13 points, part of which came during an 11-0 run to start the second half and cut the deficit down to three before Rudolph and UML answered with timely baskets to extend their lead again.
Rudolph led the River Hawks freshmen group of Jontay Walton and Kayla Gibbs down the stretch as the trio scored 15 of the final 19 points. Rudolph scored eight of her team-high 17 points over the final 5:38 while Walton and Gibbs added seven from the charity stripe. Doucette trailed Rudolph on the team with 15 points and grabbed six rebounds while Samuels and McRoy scored 14 and 12, respectively.
SCOUTING THE GREAT DANES:Â With a 9-1 America East record (16-7 overall), the Great Danes sit atop the league standings. Shereesha Richards leads the offensive attack with 20.8 points per game, followed by Imani Tate's 13.6. Sarah Royals is dishing out 4.6 assists to help facilitate the offense. Richards also controls the glass for Albany, grabbing 9.3 rebounds per game. Erin Coughlin (25) and Margarita Rosario (20) had hit 45 of the team's 56 made three-pointers. The Great Danes are shooting 47.1 percent (587-1245) from the field, and 30.8 percent (56-182) from long range.
ALL-TIME SERIES: The River Hawks own an 8-5 lead in the all-time series dating back to the schools Division II days in the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC). UAlbany won both meetings last year, starting with a 50-87 victory in Lowell before a 93-47 decision at SEFCU Arena. Shereesha Richards scored 26 points and grabbed eight rebounds and the Great Danes dominated the paint with 48 points as they cruised to a 78-50 victory in the first meeting this season. Lindsey Doucette scored 13 points and Jasmine McRoy added 10 for the River Hawks.
HITTING THE ROAD: The team began a stretch of four-of-five games at UMBC by picking up their second road win. The team will play four of the final seven games of the season away from Lowell where they hold a 2-7 record.
FOUR IN DOUBLE-FIGURES: The River Hawks had four players score in double-digits in Wednesdays win over UMBC, marking the seventh time the team has had four or more players do so. The team holds a 5-2 record in such games.
TWO-TIME: The River Hawks on are on their second three-game win streak of the season after beating Mt. Ida (93-41), Fairleigh Dickinson (78-67) and Columbia (69-59) between Nov. 24th and Dec. 3rd.
DOUBLING UP: With 10 wins the River Hawks have doubled their win total from last season, their first of a four-year transition into the Division I ranks.
EARLY SUCCESS: The River Hawks 10th win of the season on Wednesday moved first-year head coach Jenerrie Harris into a second place tie with Carol Mastacouris for most wins by a head coach in their first season. She only trails Deborah Preis (12) for most wins.
RUDOLPH FLYING HIGH: Freshman Brianna Rudolph has hit her stride offensively, leading the River Hawks scoring attack in three of the past six games, including a 17-point effort in her last appearance against UMBC. Rudolph reached that same mark against Hartford, marking the second time she just missed her season-high of 18 which she set against Mt. Ida.
THREES WILD: In the last nine games the team has made six or more treys eight times and has made more triples then their opponents in seven of those contests. The River Hawks lead the America East in three-pointers made per game (7.1) and shooting percentage (33.4%) while dropping to second in shooting percentage defensed (28.5%).
