ORONO, Maine - With a wire-to-wire victory over Maine, UAlbany won its seventh America East women’s basketball championship and first since 2017.
In front of a sold-out crowd of 1,329 at Memorial Gym, the Great Danes got out to an early lead and the second-toughest defense in the country made it too difficult for the Black Bears to come back. The America East champs will discover their March Madness draw when the NCAA Selection Show airs Sunday at 8 p.m. on ESPN.
The visitors scored the first four points of the contest and led 13-10 at the first media timeout. Sixth Player of the Year Morgan Haney scored 16 first-half points to lead the Great Danes to a ten-point advantage at the break. Haney was 4-for-4 from distance in the half, sparking the team’s blistering 70 percent three-point shooting in the first 20 minutes.
Second-Team All-Conference selection Maeve Carroll had a key steal followed by a layup as time expired in the third quarter to bring the Black Bears within six heading into the fourth quarter.
The regular-season champs continued to cut the deficit to two possessions but Ellen Hahne hit a key three-pointer with 1:23 left and an eight-point lead was too much to overcome. Hahne reached double figures for the second-straight game, adding nine rebounds in the title game to earn a spot on the All-Tournament Team.
UAlbany sophomore Kayla Cooper grabbed 12 rebounds for the second consecutive game and was named Most Outstanding Player of the playoffs. Cooper also had eight points and five assists in the final game.
Maine sophomore Caroline Bornemann scored ten of her 13 points in the first half and earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team along with teammate Maeve Caroll and Vermont’s Emma Utterback.
Maine junior Anna Kahelin received the conference’s Elite 18 honor for holding the highest GPA in the championship game. The management major holds a 3.97 grade-point average.
The Great Danes' seven titles are second-most all-time, all of which have been won in the last ten seasons. They were the first team in 14 games to beat Maine.
For highlights, recaps and more fron the 2022 America East Women's Basketball Championship, visit #AEPlayoffs Central.
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