New Haven, Conn. – The Albertus Magus College women's basketball team fell to visiting Sage, 75-71, in non-conference action on Thursday night at The Nest inside the Cosgrove Marcus Messer Athletic Center. The Falcons dropped their second straight to move to 1-2 on the year, while the Gators snapped a two-game skid to improve to 2-2 overall.
Trailing by four with less than 30 seconds remaining in regulation, Albertus Magnus freshman guard Deja Ward (Middletown, Conn.) drove to the basket and drew a foul. From the free-throw line, Ward jarred the first to pull the Falcons within three at 72-69. Her second attempt clanked off the back of the rim and landed in Ward's hands in traffic, the first-year then found an open Chelsea Sherrod (Bridgeport, Conn.) in the key. Sherrod's runner in the lane missed and the rebound was pulled down by Sage freshman guard Annie Darling. After getting fouled, the Gators made two free throws and forced a turnover. As time expired, Ward hit a layup to make it a 75-71 final in favor of the guests.
Both teams had balanced offensive attacks, with each squad seeing four players reach double figures.
Ward led the charge for the Falcons for the third straight contest, scoring a game-high 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field. Albertus Magnus senior tri-captain Kelsey Pendagast (Shelton, Conn.) had her strongest game of the season, registering a double-double. The 5-10 forward scored 15 points and pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds. Junior transfer Liz Falcigno (Wallingford, Conn.) started out hot from the field, scoring 14 points on 7-of-13 shooting and sophomore forward Olivia Bolden (South Windsor, Conn.) contributed 10 points and five boards for AMC.
Offensively, sophomore forward Genevieve Schoff paced the Gator attack with 16 points, courtesy of an 8-of-8 showing from the charity stripe. Schoff also pulled down nine rebounds, had two assists, recorded one steal and added one block. The backcourt of freshman Emily Parslow and junior Frankie Pearson torched the Albertus defense from deep, combining to hit four three pointers and score 27 points. Darling had a quality game off the bench for Sage, scoring 10 points and registering three rebounds.
The biggest difference in the contest was three-point shooting, as the guests knocked down 6-of-15 attempts while the Falcons connected on just 1-of-13 shots from beyond the arc.
The only quarter the Falcons outscored the Gators was in the fourth (25-21). Sage held a slight advantage on the boards, pulling down 43 rebounds compared to 42 for Albertus Magnus. The visitors registered 15 assists on 23 made baskets and the hosts had 10 assists on 25 buckets.
Albertus Magnus returns to action on Saturday, November 21, with a road non-conference clash against Amherst at 6:00 pm.
For the latest information on the women's basketball team and Albertus Magnus athletics, follow AMCAthletics on Twitter and visit AlbertusFalcons.com.
