SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Trailing by 11 points with less than eight minutes to go, the University at Albany women's basketball team outscored Florida 15-2 down the stretch to shock the fifth-seeded Gators, 61-59, in the first round of the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship. It was the first NCAA tournament win in program history and the fifth in America East Conference history.
Imani Tate poured in a game-high 28 points to go with eight rebounds, five steals and four assists to lead the Great Danes, who played without three-time Player of the Year, Shereesha Richards, for the final 6:18 after she fouled out. Richards finished with 14 points while playing limited minutes (22) due to foul trouble.
Albany (28-4) trailed 57-50 when Richards fouled out with 6:18 to go, and proceeded to score the next 11 points. Florida's lone basket in the final 7:49 came on a layup with 0.6 seconds to go. Tate scored the first 10 points of the fourth quarter for Albany, bringing them within three at 57-54 with 3:31 remaining.
Senior Erin Coughlin, who came up with clutch defensive plays, had a steal and layup that drew Albany within one with 2:34 remaining. It was an unlikely hero who came up with the go-ahead bucket, as freshman Heather Forster scored her only two points of the game with 1:34 left to give Albany a one point lead.
Another Albany defensive stop led to Tate going to the free throw line where she hit one of two to put the Great Dane lead at two. Zakiya Saunders pulled down a defensive rebound on the ensuing possession off a missed Florida jumper. Saunders missed a driving layup as the shot clock ran down on the offensive end, but Tiana-Jo Carter was there for the offensive rebound and putback with 10 seconds left to seal it for Albany.
The Great Danes outscored Florida in three of the four quaters. The Gators took control of the game thanks to a dominant second quarter wher ethey outscored Albany, 25-8. After trailing by 15 at the half, Albany cut the deficit to 10 by the end of the third and then outscored Florida, 19-7, in the fourth.
Albany becomes fourth program in the America East to win a game in the NCAA tournament. It is the fifth win overall for an America East team in the tournament and first since No. 10 Vermont upset No. 7 Wisconsin in 2010. The Great Danes are the lowest-seeded America East team at No. 12 to win a game in the tournament. Previous wins came from No. 10 Hartford over over No. 7 Syracuse in 2008, No. 11 Hartford over No. 6 Temple in 2006, and No. 10 Maine over No. 7 Stanford in 1999.
Albany will face host and No. 4 seed Syracuse in the round of 32 on Sunday. Time and TV information is still TBA.