Heeps' lone basket of the night puts Great Danes in front late
Bramanti leads Skyhawks again with game-high 15
Bramanti scored in double figures for the fifth-straight game with her game-high 15 (PHOTO BY Ryan Feeney) |
EASTON, Mass. (December 14, 2022) – UAlbany limited Stonehill College to just two points over the final four minutes while erasing a five-point deficit and pull out a 47-46 decision in a women's basketball non-conference matchup on Paula Sullivan Court at Merkert Gymnasium tonight.
Senior Grace Heeps' lone basket of the night, a three-pointer, with 1:10 on the clock gave UAlbany the lead (46-44) after the reigning America East Champions and preseason favorites rallied from the five point Stonehill fourth quarter lead. She also contributed a game-high matching nine rebounds for the Great Danes.
Senior Helene Haegerstrand was the lone UAlbany player in double-figures, and one of just two in the game overall, with 13 points, six rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots. Postgrad Lucia Decortes added eight points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots, while junior Kayla Cooper contributed nine points, on 4-of-8 shooting, and six boards (five offensive).
Fifth-year Emily Bramanti paced Stonehill with a game-high 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting, including 2-for-4 from three-point distance, with three rebounds and two assists. Junior Cameron Ward added six points and a career-high nine rebounds, while fifth-year Sophie Glidden chipped in six points, eight boards, four assists, a career-best four blocked shots and a steal.
Ward pulled down a game and career-high nine rebounds for the Skyhawks tonight (PHOTO BY Ryan Feeney) |
Bramanti followed the Heeps triple with a layup at the other end to knot the score (46-46) with 41-seconds to play. UAlbany opted to play for one shot out of the ensuing timeout and Stonehill defended it well, with Glidden getting a hand on a Haegerstrand three-point try from the left side and the shot clock winding down, but Cooper was fouled collecting the offensive rebound with 1.5-seconds on the clock. She split the two free-throws and the Skyhawks were unable to get a shot off from the far side of the court after collecting the rebound and getting a time-out with 0.7-seconds left.
Neither team led by more than six points in the contest that featured six ties and 15 lead changes, with UAlbany holding the lead for only 14:36 all night and never by more than three points, compared to 21:42 in front for Stonehill. The Skyhawks grabbed a game-high six-point lead (26-20) 1:14 into the second half after a Glidden layup and Bramanti three-pointer followed two Great Dane free-throws to open the frame.
UAlbany rallied to take the lead (35-34) into the final quarter, but Stonehill started fast again, scoring the first five points, to grab a four-point lead (39-35) after a Glidden jumper on a second-chance opportunity less than two minutes in. The Skyhawks stretched their lead to five (44-39) with Ward scoring inside off a miss with 4:21 to play. However, the hosts wouldn't score again until the Bramanti layup that followed Heeps' triple, allowing the Great Danes to rally down the stretch.
Noteworthy
- Tonight marked the first-ever meeting between Stonehill and UAlbany, which features some familiar faces on its bench in associate head coach Megan Methven, a 2010 Stonehill graduate, that ranks 28th on the Skyhawks all-time scoring list with 1,112 points, including 249 three-pointers to rank second in program history. Former Trisha Brown assistant Catherine Cassidy is also in her fifth-year on the Great Danes bench.
- Bramanti, the reigning Northeast Conference Player of the Week, scored in double-figures for the fifth-straight game and eighth time in 11 games this season overall (34 career).
- Stonehill finished with a season-low seven turnovers, compared to 12 for UAlbany, that resulted in a 14-8 Skyhawks advantage in points off turnovers.
- Tonight's game opens a season-high matching three game homestand wrapping around the holidays that will lead into Stonehill's inaugural NEC slate starting after the New Year.
Up Next
Stonehill (3-8, 0-0 NEC) returns to action here at Merkert Gym next Tuesday, December 20, when it hosts Northeastern University at 6 p.m. UAlbany (6-6, 0-0 AE) is right back in action Friday, when it visits No. 3-ranked The Ohio State University at 6 p.m.
For the latest on Stonehill Athletics, follow the Skyhawks via social media on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Fans can also download the Stonehill Skyhawks "Front Row" mobile app, powered by PrestoSports, on iTunes and the Android Market.
