Adrianna Smith put in eight of her game-high 25 points in the fourth quarter on Thursday night, as Maine topped Albany 65-60 in America East women’s basketball action at the Broadview Center in Albany, New York. It is the first road win for Maine over Albany (regular or postseason) since February 23, 2022 (0-5 previously).
Both teams held a lead in the first half, with the Black Bears having the biggest at 27-21 on a three-pointer by Olivia Alvarez with 6:12 left in the second quarter. The Great Danes evened it at the break 29-29 by ending the period on an 8-2 run. There were five lead changes alone in the third, as they headed into the fourth quarter still notted up at 48-48. Maine jumped back in front for good with an 8-2 spurt to begin the final 10 minutes on a pair of three-pointers by Asta Blauenfeldt sandwiched around a layup from Smith. The redshirt senior Smith would foul out late, but put up another impressive performance to help her team pick up the big road win, after there were 11 lead changes and six ties on the night.
Amaya Stewart also put up a good performance in the loss for Albany by registering 20 points on 8-10 shooting and also grabbing four rebounds. Martina Borrellas added 15 points and hauled down nine boards. The Great Danes slip to 11-8 and 1-5 in America East. Smith contributed nine rebounds, seven assists, three steals, and one blocked shot to her game-high point total for Maine. She has hit double figures in points in 19 of the 20 games played by her team. Blauenfeldt finished with 12 points with her two key three-pointers in the fourth quarter, while Sarah Talon (Windham) continued her solid offensive season with 11 points. Lala Woods (3-6 three-pointers) and Alvarez (2-3 three-pointers) chipped in with nine points and eight points respectively. The Black Bears shot 54% (14-26) in the second half, that included hitting 6-7 on their three-point attempts. Maine is now 10-10 and 5-2 in the conference and will continue the New York swing of their road trip when they head into Binghamton on Saturday for a 2 p.m. tip.
Photo of Oliva Alvarez courtesy of Katie Moyes (UMaine Athletics)
