Phillips scores game-winner, UAlbany women upset Syracuse

SCORE: UAlbany 73, Syracuse 70

LOCATION: JMA Wireless Dome - Syracuse, N.Y.

RECORDS: UAlbany 4-0, 0-0 America East | Syracuse 2-3, 0-0 ACC

SHORT STORY: For the first time since 2016, the Great Danes upset a Power-5 team with a last-minute three-pointer from Lilly Phillips, Wednesday night.

COACH COLLEEN MULLEN: "Tonight was an incredible win for our program and I am so happy for our administration, players, and staff. The players executed the game plan for 40 minutes and never stopped believing. I am proud of the focus and execution we played with tonight."

KEY STATS

• Graduate student Kayla Cooper led the Great Danes with 21 points and 10 rebounds. This was her third consecutive game with at least 20 points.
• Freshman Delanie Hill tallied a team-high five assists. Cooper followed with four.
• Graduate students Kaci Donovan and Lilly Phillips shot 3-6 from the three to help tally 17 and 14 points, respectively.
• As a team, the Great Danes outshot the Orange with 28 total field goals, including nine three-pointers.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• After one basket from each team on their third possession, neither UAlbany nor Syracuse could score a field goal for nearly three minutes.
• With eight points in 69 seconds, Syracuse took a 12-3 lead with 4:30 remaining in the first quarter.
• The Orange continued to build its lead throughout the remainder of the quarter and ended the first ahead, 21-11.
• UAlbany opened the second quarter with a fire. Allowing just one layup, and scoring 11 points, in over three minutes of action, the Great Danes trailed by just one point, 23-22. 
• After nearly three minutes of defensive action, the teams traded points for the final four minutes of the quarter and UAlbany entered halftime down by just one point, 31-30.
• The back-and-forth action that closed the second quarter continued for the first four minutes of the second half. 
• A three-pointer from Lilly Phillips at 5:44, a defensive stop, and a second consecutive three-pointer from Kaci Donovan at 5:09 gave the Great Danes some distance and a four-point lead, 42-38.
• The next minute of action saw both Phillips and Donovan add a three-pointer each for a 48-40 advantage with 3:47 on the third-quarter clock.
• UAlbany continued with its near-10-point lead for an additional two minutes but five consecutive points from Syracuse made it a two-point game, 53-51, headed into the final quarter.
• The fourth quarter contained nine lead changes and five ties.
• Back-and-forth scoring put five of the lead changes in the first two minutes of the quarter.
• Delanie Hill gave the Great Danes a one-point lead with 5:47 on the clock but four made free throws from the Orange changed the tide.
• Traded baskets created three ties in 90 seconds as Syracuse would score for a two-point lead and UAlbany would answer to tie the score.
• Phillips missed a three-pointer with 47 seconds remaining and the game continued tied at 70.
• Hill quickly stole the ball back but Cooper fouled out to turnover the ball.
• Syracuse's Georgia Woolley made what could have been a game-winning three-pointer but instead, she was called for a foul and the ball belonged to the Great Danes with just 11 seconds on the clock.
• Scrambling to get the ball to an open player, Donovan dribbled into the arc and found Phillips, standing in the corner and ready to down a three-pointer for her team's victory.
• With the basket made by Phillips, Syracuse had just over three seconds to respond. Sophie Burrows got the shot off, after a ball-advancing timeout from Coach Jack, but it did not go in and the Great Danes took the victory, 73-70.

NEXT: UAlbany will return home to host Cornell for Swifties Night on Saturday, November 23.