TROY — Emotions were at a season high for the University at Albany women’s basketball team Saturday night at Hudson Valley Community College.
At stake: the first regular-season or home win over Maine since 2018. Revenge for a one-point defeat a few weeks earlier in Orono, UAlbany’s first conference loss of the season. Keeping pace with Vermont to stay atop the America East. Winning on Senior Night.
Down five points with just over four minutes to play, UAlbany took a timeout.
“We were telling each other, we know what we’re doing it for,” senior forward Helene Haegerstrand said. “There was no other option than taking that game back.”
Haegerstrand hit a big 3-pointer to get UAlbany within one, and junior guard Kayla Cooper got the lead back with a 5-0 run of her own, helping UAlbany to a 53-50 win.
“We definitely wanted to play for our seniors. They’ve done so much for us and we wanted to leave it all on the court for them,” Cooper said. She led UAlbany (19-10, 13-2 America East) with 19 points, 11 rebounds and three assists.
“They certainly play for something bigger than themselves, and it’s really wonderful to see,” coach Colleen Mullen said. “To be able have that ‘I won on Senior Night feeling’ is really great.”
Haegerstrand, who had 17 points, four rebounds and three assists, was one of seven seniors honored before tipoff.
“I was expecting more tears from myself, but I’m happy we played Maine, because it made it very game-focused, and just to have (her family) here for a game like this is just a huge bonus,” she said.
UAlbany did just enough to slow down sophomore forward Adrianna Smith, who led the Black Bears with 22 points, 10 of which came in the third quarter.
Smith, the America East’s leading scorer, picked up two fouls in the…
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