Last Week: The Albertus Magnus College women's basketball team went 3-0 last week, highlighted by a pair of conference home wins against St. Joseph (Conn.) and Mount Ida. The two league victories were sandwiched around a 36-point non-conference win at home versus Purchase. In a 93-50 triumph against the Blue Jays, Albertus Magnus held the guests to just 22 percent shooting and forced 17 turnovers. Versus the Mustangs over the weekend, the team erased a halftime deficit and held off a late rally to score a 67-64 victory. Down the stretch, senior guard Olivia Sutherland knocked down five free throws to seal it for Albertus Magnus.
Earlier This Week: The squad netted its fourth straight victory with an 89-77 triumph against visiting Rivier on Monday afternoon. The Falcons improved to 10-6 overall and 3-2 in league play with the double-digit win. Albertus Magnus took a season-high 45 free throws in the game and won the battle of the boards, 49-33.
This Weekend: On Saturday, January 23, the women's team travels to the Green Mountain State to square off with Norwich in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action. Albertus Magnus is looking to end a two-game skid versus the Cadets.
Match-up:
Albertus Magnus (10-6, 3-2) at Norwich (9-8, 2-3)
Saturday, January 23, 2016 at 3:00 pm
Andrews Hall
Northfield, Vt.
Live Stats: Click here (All links will become active at the start of the contest)
Live Video: Click here
Last Meeting: Norwich scored a 75-65 victory against AMC last January in New Haven. In the setback, Olivia Bolden and Kelsey Pendagast paced the Falcon attack. The frontcourt duo combined to score 29 points, grab 17 rebounds, dish out five assists and record three steals.
Series History: Norwich leads the all-time series, 15-7, and the Cadets have won two meeting in a row. The last Albertus Magnus win against Norwich came January of 2013 at home.
Scouting Norwich: The Cadets enter this weekend's tilt coming off a two-point road loss against Lasell in GNAC play. At home this season, Norwich is 5-3 overall and 2-0 in league action with wins against Anna Maria and Simmons. As a team, Norwich averages just under 64 points per game and shoots 37 percent from the field. The balanced offensive attack sees three players average in double figures led by junior forward Heather LeBlanc's 13 a game. Sophomore guards Shyann Josler and Arianna Harrison both net more than 12 a game as well for the Cadets.
Albertus Notes:
- Freshman guard Deja Ward was tabbed as the GNAC Rookie of the Week on Monday after averaging 10 points, four assists and two rebounds a game in a perfect 3-0 week for the Falcons. In a GNAC win against St. Joseph (Conn.) she scored 10 points to go along with two assists and two steals. In non-conference play, Ward netted 14 points on 5-10 shooting versus Purchase. She ended the week with six points, two rebounds and a career-high eight assists in a conference victory against Mount Ida last weekend. Ward currently leads all freshmen in the conference in field goal percentage (42.7).
- Bolden was named to the GNAC weekly honor roll as well on Monday. The reigning GNAC Rookie of the Year is coming off a 31-point, 13-reboud performance against Rivier. The 5-10 forward was a force in the paint all day and got to the free-throw line 16 times, making 11 of them. The double-double was Bolden's third in a row and sixth of the winter.
- Junior guard Liz Falcigno leads the GNAC in three-point shooting, having converted more than 41 percent of her shots from beyond the arc. In her first year with the team, Falcigno is averaging over 15 points per game. She topped the 20-point plateau for the fourth time this season against Rivier and has scored in double figures in nine straight games.
- Pendagast leads the team and ranks ninth in the conference in rebounds per game (9.0). Last week, she scored 16 points and pulled down a career-high 22 rebounds in non-conference triumph against Purchase.
- The Falcons lead the GNAC in scoring (74.2 points per game) and rebounding (48.4 boards per tilt). Last week, the team grabbed a program-best 72 rebounds in the win versus Purchase.
