Women's Basketball

Vermont Hosts UAlbany in Jersey Mike’s #AEPlayoffs Championship

BOSTON – The top two seeds in the Jersey Mike’s Women’s Basketball Playoffs have combined for just two losses in the past two months as No. 1 Vermont hosts defending champion and No. 2 seed UAlbany on Friday at 5 PM in Patrick Gymnasium. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU and ESPN+. Roy Pilpot and Helen Williams have the call.
 
Last Time Out
The Catamounts earned a trip to their first title game since 2010 by outlasting No. 4 UMBC. They led by double digits early, but the Retrievers closed the gap to 51-49 in the fourth. A late UVM run provided the 75-63 victory.
 
The Great Danes battled with No. 3 Maine at home and prevailed to advance to their second-straight title game. UAlbany led 49-39 in the third quarter though a Maine run tied it up at 57 apiece with six minutes left. The Great Danes’ defense allowed just two points over the final three minutes to come away with a 72-64 victory.
 
Top Seeds
UVM and UAlbany finished tied atop the America East standings with matching 14-2 marks. The teams went 1-1 against each other during the regular season and Vermont earned the tiebreak thanks to a 2-0 regular season mark against No. 3 Maine, while the Great Danes were just 1-1. 2023 marked the first time since 2015-16 there was a tie at the top of the women’s standings. Back in 2016, UAlbany and Maine had matching 15-1 records as UAlbany earned the top seed an eventually clinched the championship, 59-58 over the Black Bears.
 
Championship Pedigree
UAlbany is looking for its second straight title, eighth overall and eighth in the last 12 years. The Great Danes won six straight crowns from 2012-2017. Vermont, meanwhile, is seeking its first championship since 2010 and its seventh overall. The Catamounts won back-to-back crowns in 2009 and 2010. The last time Vermont won it on their home court was the 1999-2000 season.
 
Regular Season Battles
Each team won on its home court when the two teams squared off earlier this year. The first meeting was a 60-46 victory for the Great Danes to start conference play 1-0. UVM trailed 35-20 at the half and managed to close the gap to five points after three, but UAlbany outscored them by nine in the fourth. Vermont’s starters combined for just 25 total points, while Ellen Hahne and Helene Haegerstrand combined for 29 points and 11 rebounds.
 
In the second matchup UVM prevailed 53-49. The Catamounts pushed their lead to 48-38 with 4:13 left in regulation, but UAlbany went on an 11-4 run to close the gap to just 52-49 with 31 seconds left. The Great Danes missed their final three shots as UVM hung on for the win. Kayla Cooper had 18 points and ten rebounds while Anna Olson added 19 points and six rebounds.
 
We’re Going Streaking
UVM boasts a 16-game win streak, the fifth longest streak in the nation. Vermont is also one of two teams in the nation to have both its men’s and women’s programs on win streaks of at least 13 games. Toledo’s women are 25-4 on a 13-game win streak while the men are 25-6 and on a 15-game win streak. Not to be outdone, UAlbany’s seven-game win streak is the 19th longest in the nation.
 
Catamounts At A Glance – Roster – Team Statistics
  • Vermont ranks second in the league in scoring (62.4) and first in scoring defense at 53.4 points per game. Their +9.0 margin of victory is tops in the America East, ahead of second place UAlbany (4.2).
  • UVM also leads the league in field goal percentage (43.8), three-point field goal percentage (37.3) and is third three-point makes per game (6.0).
  • Four players are averaging over 9.0 points per game, led by first-team all-conference performer Emma Utterback at a\13.9 points, 4.3 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game.
  • Anna Olson is second with 11.8 points and 6.4 rebounds, while Catherine Gilwee and Delaney Richason have combined to average 20.1 points per game while shooting 39.7 percent from three with 3.8 made threes per game.
 
Great Danes at a Glance – Roster – Team Statistics
  • UAlbany ranks second in the league in scoring defense (54.9) and scoring margin (4.2). Only three times in the last 17 games has a team scored more than 55 points on them.
  • On offense they are averaging 59.1 points per game while ranking second in field goal percentage (42.6%)
  • Three players are averaging in double figures, led by Kayla Cooper with team-highs of 15.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 50.2 percent shooting. Helene Haegerstrand is second on the team with 14.6 points per game and has a team-high 43 triples while shooting 39.8 percent from beyond the arc.
  • Ellen Hahne does a bit of everything, as she is shooting 39.3 from three while averaging 11.7 points with team-highs of 72 assists and 34 steals.  
 
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