Box Score

 
ALBANY, NY—Junior Ebone Henry scored a game-high 21 points for University at Albany as defending America East Champions topped visiting NJIT, 76-41, Wednesday evening at the SEFCU Arena in women's basketball non-conference action.
 
The Great Danes, who improve to 5-2 on the young season, were chosen to repeat as America East Champions after posting a 23-10 overall record and going 14-2 in conference play last season. UAlbany won it's first-ever America East conference title and earned a berth into the NCAA Tournament.
 
Henry, the 2010-11 and 2011-12 America East Defensive Player of the Year was a unanimous selection to the 2012-13 American East Preseason all-Conference team as she finished Wednesday's game with 21 points and eight rebounds while dishing out four assists in the victory.
 
Center Megan Craig, the current America East Player of the Week, came off the bench for the Great Danes and scored 10 points in 15 minutes of action while Keyana Williams and Lindsey Lowrie each added eight points apiece. 
 
The home team held a 50-to-24 rebounding advantage led by Shereesa Richards who grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds followed by Henry and Keyana Williams with eight. 
 
NJIT (4-3) was led by senior guard Rayven Johnson's team-high 13 points and eight rebounds.  Sophomore center Nicole Maticka scored nine points and point guard Kimberly Dweck added six points.
 
Both teams traded baskets through the opening five minutes with the Highlanders taking a one-point lead, 6-5, on a jumper by Dweck at the 15:21 mark.  UAlbany used a 10-0 run to pull ahead 15-6 at the 12:22 mark.  Henry had six points in the run for the Great Danes.
 
NJIT's Johnson broke the drought at the 11:46 mark with a jumper inside the paint but the Great Danes increased its lead to double-digits at the 6:42 mark (21-10) and then again at the 3:30 mark (24-12) after a three-point play completed by UAlbany's Julie Foster.
 
The Highlanders cut the lead to 10 with 2:28 remaining in the half on a jumper by Maticka but the Great Danes finished with a 5-2 spurt for a 29-16 lead at halftime.
 
Henry led all scorers after the first 20 minutes with 14 points while Johnson was the leader for NJIT with five points.
 
UAlbany took control in the second half and never looked back increasing the Great Dane lead to 26, 55-29, on a three-pointer by Erin Coughlin. 
 
The Great Danes finished the game shooting 46 percent from the floor (29-for-63) and 50 percent from behind the arc (6-for-12) while dishing out 15 assists and registering 10 steals.
 
The Highlanders finished 69 percent from the free throw line (11-for-16) with Johnson, Melanie Griffin and Maticka each shooting 3-of-4.
 
NJIT will return to action on Saturday at 2pm when the Highlanders host Northeastern at the Fleisher Athletic Center, where the Highlanders are 3-1.  This will be the first meeting between the two schools.
 
Northeastern comes into Saturday's contest with a 3-2 overall record and winners of their last two home contests against Boston University (73-62) and Dartmouth (80-45).