VESTAL, N.Y. – Senior forward and America East Player of the Year Shereesha Richards netted a game-high 33 points and added nine rebounds, leading No. 1 Albany to a 79-43 win over No. 5 Binghamton in the second game in the of the America East Semifinals on Sunday afternoon at Dr. Bai Lee Court at the Events Center. With the victory, Albany reaches the America East Championship game for the fifth straight year. The No. 1 seed has now advanced to the America East Championship game for the 25th time.
The Great Danes scored the game’s first 14 points. Richards had 18 of her points in the first half, playing all 20 minutes, as the Great Danes took a 38-20 lead at the break.
Richards, who also added three steals, shot 14-for-23 from the field and was 5-for-7 from the free throw line. Richards currently has 704 points on the season, a single-season program record. Junior guard Zakiya Saunders netted 10 points, as well as six rebounds, five steals and four assists. Sophomore forward Tiana-Jo Carter added 11 points, eight rebounds and four blocks. Junior guard Imani Tate contributed with nine points, 11 assists and five rebounds.
The four-time defending America East tournament champion Great Danes opened the second half on an 11-4 run to punch their ticket to the championship game.
“I’m proud of them,” Albany head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson said. “We only really had a day to prepare. I’m really proud of our defense. Our defense always sparks us.”
For the Bearcats, sophomore guard Imani Watkins led the team with 14 points, and added six rebounds and two assists.
Binghamton, who advanced to the semifinals for the first time since 2012, will lose guard Kim Albrecht, the team’s only senior. Albrecht finished with 11 points and five rebounds, in her final game for BU. Picked last in the preseason poll, the Bearcats shocked many teams when they tied for third in the conference, and earned the No. 5 seed. Watkins says that the locker room remains confident headed into next season.
“We’ll be back.” Watkins said. “We’ll be better, faster and stronger. We’re hungry. We’ve come a long way, but this is only the beginning for us.”
With the final matchup of the tournament set, Albany’s will attempt to defend their title against Maine in the America East championship at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU. It marks the third time in the last four years, and 14th time overall, that the top-two seeds have met in the final in the conference’s 31 championship seasons.