Richards’s Fifth Double Double Not Enough as UAlbany Falls to Quinnipiac 74-53
ALBANY, N.Y. – Despite Shereesha Richards earning her fifth double double of the year, UAlbany women’s basketball suffered its first loss of the season, falling to Quinnipiac 74-53 at SEFCU Arena on Sunday.
“We will learn a lot from this defeat,” says UAlbany coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson. “We need to show some fight, and we will need to get ready for Duke on Thursday.”
Richards finished with 19 points and 14 rebounds for her eighth-straight 19+-point game. Sarah Royals scored 15 points, while Erin Coughlin had her second double digit-point game in a row with 11.
For the Bobcats, five players scored in double digits, led by Jasmine Martin’s 16 points. Samantha Guastella concluded with 10 points and eight rebounds.
Quinnipiac took an early advantage off a couple of Gillian Abshire threes off screens, giving the visitors a 10-4 advantage. The UAlbany defense held for the next four-and-a-half minutes, as Richards hit her first three-pointer of the season. Royals added a layup and one to give UAlbany a 12-10 with 11:33 left in the first.
The Bobcats kept firing from three, as the team got three in a row, including Martin adding a pair of baskets in the corner, to go up 19-12.
Both sides fired away from beyond the arch for their shots. With makes for three from Coughlin and Margarita Rosario, UAlbany got to within three 21-18. Quinnipiac countered with four layups in a row on an 11-2 run, getting up 32-20 with 3:20 in the 1st.
Royals tried to get UAlbany back in the game, scoring five points to get the team with eight 34-26, but a 5-0 run by Ellen Cannon gave Quinnipiac a 40-26 lead at the break.
Started by a Royals layup, UAlbany and Quinnipiac went back and forth to open the second half, with neither team gaining ground. Richards kept getting fouled to earn trips to the free throw line to get back in.
Down 51-36, a couple of Richards free throws and a Coughlin wing three on a fast break pulled UAlbany within eight 51-43 with 9:56 left in the 2nd, as UAlbany’s defense held Quinnipiac without points for three minutes.
A Camryn Warner layup ended the scoring drought, which was counted by Royals and Coughlin hitting baskets to get UAlbany within 53-47.
With the crowd getting loud, the Great Danes tried to continue the comeback, but at 56-49 Quinnipiac, the Bobcats hit a layup and a wing three for a 61-49 lead with five minutes left.
Neither side could hit baskets in the final minutes as Quinnipiac slowed the tempo. UAlbany fouled numerous times late, leading Quinnipiac to the line. The Bobcats finished the game with a 21-6 run as Quinnipiac took the win 74-53.
UAlbany will hit the road on Thursday to take on national powerhouse Duke in Durham, North Carolina at 6:30 p.m.
