ALBANY, N.Y. – For the 12th time in 28 America East Conference Women’s Basketball Championships, the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds will square off in the title game as No. 1 seed Albany and No. 2 Hartford each won their respective semifinal contests on Sunday afternoon in the 2013 Women’s Basketball Championship presented by SEFCU in Albany, N.Y.
The No. 2 seed Hartford Hawks used a historic defensive performance to beat No. 6 seed Vermont, 64-33, in the first semifinal, while No. 1 seed Albany held off No. 5 New Hampshire 71-57 in the second semifinal.
The title game will be played on Saturday, March 16 at 7 p.m. at SEFCU Arena in Albany, N.Y. The game will be broadcast on ESPN3 and Fox College Sports.
Visit Championship Central for box scores, postgame quotes, photo galleries and highlights for all games as well as live coverage links for Saturday’s championship game.
Semifinal Recaps
Hartford 64, Vermont 33
Highlights
The No. 2 seed Hartford Hawks advanced to their eighth America East title game with a 64-33 win over No. 6 seed Vermont.
It is the third title game appearance in the last four seasons for the Hawks, who improved to 25-18 in tournament play, with 23 of the victories coming under head coach Jennifer Rizzotti, the most for any coach in conference history. All eight title game appearances also have come under Rizzotti.
The Hawks played historically great defense to stifle the Catamounts, holding Vermont to the fewest points in an America East semifinal game. Hartford also held Vermont to the fewest field goal attempts in an America East Championship game with 35, tied the tournament record for most forced turnovers with 31 and tied the tournament semifinal record with 17 steals.
Hartford used a balanced scoring attack, as 11 players scored in the game led by senior Ruthanne Doherty who had 13 points and five rebounds. Lauren Buschmann led Vermont with 10 points and three boards.
Hartford took control early with high-pressure defense, forcing the Catamounts into 19 turnovers and a 4-of-15 shooting percentage to claim a 35-8 halftime advantage. The eight points were the fewest scored in a half of an America East Championship game as far back as 2000.
Hartford shot 45.2 percent in the first half with seven different players getting in the scoring column. Doherty led the way with nine points and pulled down five rebounds.
Hartford outscored Vermont 23-2 in the final 8:02 of the half, holding the Catamounts to only one field goal in that stretch. The Hawks scored 13-straight at one point, capped by a Doherty one-handed offensive rebound a putback.
Vermont scored 10 of the first 16 points to start the second half, but a 16-4 run by the Hawks pushed the lead to as much as 57-22 with under six minutes to play in the game.
It is the third-straight year the No. 2 seed has advanced to the title game and the 16th time overall. The second-seeded team has won four titles including two of the last three.
Albany 71, New Hampshire 57
Highlights
The No. 1 seed Albany Great Danes fended off No. 5 New Hampshire, 71-57, in the second semifinal on Sunday to reach the title game for the second-straight season. Albany will host the title game on Saturday, March 16, at SEFCU Arena against No. 2 seed Hartford at 7 p.m. on Fox College Sports and ESPN3.
The Great Danes won their 18th-straight game and 27th-straight against America East opponents dating back to last season. They look to become the eighth team in league history to win back-to-back titles.
Four Great Danes scored in double figures, led by all-conference third team selection Lindsey Lowrie, who had 18. Co-Player of the Year Ebone Henry added 13, while Julie Forster notched her 30th career double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds. Co-Rookie of the Year had 11 points of 5-of-7 shooting.
New Hampshire was led by Kaylee Kilpatrick’s 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting. Cari Reed added 14 points, scoring 12 in the first half.
Albany won the game with defense, and rebounding, forcing 20 Wildcat turnovers and turning those into 20 points while also grabbing 15 offensive rebounds.
The Wildcats shot 50 percent (12-of-24) in the first half and led by as many as four during the first 20 minutes thanks in large part to the efforts of Reed. The senior had 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting to go with three rebounds in the first half.
After Albany built a 14-8 lead, Reed, Morgan Frame and Kaylee Kilpatrick scored 16 of the next 22 points to give the Wildcats a 24-20 advantage.
The first-seeded Great Danes responded with 10-straight to reclaim a six-point lead, as Megan Craig and Julie Forster had four points apiece. Albany led 32-26 at halftime.
Albany finished the half with 10 offensive rebounds and five second-chance points, while also forcing 11 New Hampshire turnovers and converting those into 13 points.
The Great Danes started to pull away in the second half, building a 12-point lead with three-straight basketball by Richards that made it 43-31 with 13:50 to play.
After Albany pushed the lead to as many as 13, the Wildcats came storming back with a 10-0 run that lasted from the 8:40 mark until 5:38 remaining that got New Hampshire within three at 52-49. Kilpatrick had five points during the run while Kelsey Hogan capped it with a 3-pointer.
Henry responded for the Great Danes with her first field goal of the game, hitting a driving layup to push the lead back to five. The Defensive Player of the Year scored 11 of her 13 points at the free throw line.
New Hampshire could not pull any closer in the contest, as Albany outscored the Wildcats 19-8 over the final 5:38 of the game.
The Wildcats fell to 0-13 all-time in the semifinals while Albany head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson improved to 4-1 in the America East Championship.
Albany looks to become the first team since Maine in 1996 to go undefeated in conference play and go on to win the America East title.