New Haven, Conn. - The Albertus Magnus College women's basketball team improved to 11-5 on the season as the Lady Falcons battled back late in the fourth quarter to defeat Colby-Sawyer College, 79-72, Saturday afternoon in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) showdown in "The Nest" located inside the Cosgrove Marcus Messer Athletic Center. 

THE BASICS
FINAL: Albertus Magnus 79 | Colby-Sawyer 72
RECORDS: Albertus Magnus (11-5, 2-1 GNAC) | Colby-Sawyer (10-5, 0-2 GNAC)
BOX SCORE

HOW IT HAPPENED
Colby-Sawyer controlled the opening three minutes of play as the Chargers held an early 8-2 lead before finding themselves up 10, 15-5,  following a layup from Tianna Sugars with 4:38 left in the first stanza. 

A jump shot from Shyla Osmond (New Haven, Conn.) sparked a 9-2 scoring run to pull Albertus to within a point, 17-16, at the end of the first quarter.

The Chargers also won the second quarter by outscoring the hosts 17-16 to take a 34-32 lead at the half. The stanza featured six lead changes and the Falcons received six points and five rebounds from senior Rah-Rah Thompson (Bridgeport, Conn.).

Colby-Sawyer maintained the lead in the third quarter despite the Falcons tying the game on three occasions. The Chargers headed into the final 10 minutes of play with a five-point lead, 56-51.

The Falcons use a strong fourth quarter to erase the five-point deficit after 30 minutes. A  jumper from Joslin Wainwright put the Chargers on top, 67-63, with four minutes to play. However, on the ensuing possession, Albertus tied the game, 67-67, when Cassie Couture (Waterbury, Conn.) completed a four-point play at the 3:43 mark.

The teams then traded baskets before Shyla Osmond (New Haven, Conn.) converted a pair of jumpers to give Albertus a 73-69 lead with less than 20 seconds remaining. Colby-Sawyer was unable to secure comeback as the Falcons took home the 79-72 victory. 

TEAM STATS

• Albertus Magnus - 43.1% FG | 18.2% 3PT | 65% FT
• Colby-Sawyer - 42.9% FG | 28.6% 3PT | 61.5% FT
• This game saw nine ties and 11 lead changes.
• The Falcons held a 46-41 edge in rebounds over the Chargers.
• Both teams scored 15 points off turnovers. 
• Albertus scored 44 of its 79 points in the paint.

KEY PERFORMERS
Albertus:

• Shyla Osmond - 32 points (14-25 FG, 0-2 3PT, 4-6 FT) | 8 rebounds | 5 assists | 2 steals
• Rah-Rah Thompson - 19 points (7-14 FG, 0-2 3PT, 5-5 FT) | 19 rebounds | 2 assists | 5 blocks
• Kyah Nowlin (Stamford, Conn.) - 15 points (6-15 FG, 2-11 3PT, 1-2 FT) | 4 rebounds | 1 assist | 1 steal

Colby-Sawyer:

• Lexie Hamilton - 24 points (9-20 FG, 3-8 3PT, 3-4 FT) | 11 rebounds | 5 assists | 1 block
• Tianna Sugars - 23 points (10-19 FG, 1-3 3PT, 2-3 FT) | 7 rebounds | 2 assists | 1 block
• Joslin Wainwright  - 17 points (7-15 FG, 3-6 FT) | 5 rebounds | 2 assists | 1 steal

DOUBLE-DOUBLES

• Albertus: Rah-Rah Thompson (19 points, 19 rebounds)
• Colby-Sawyer: Lexie Hamilton (24 points, 11 rebounds)

NOTEWORTHY

• This is the eighth meeting between the two programs. 
• Following tonight's win, Albertus extends the all-time series record to 7-1.
• Albertus remains undefeated at home with a record of 8-0.
• Thompson collected her 11th double-double of the season behind 19 points and 19 rebounds.
• Thompson also led the defensive unit with five blocks, one shy of her season-high. 
• Osmond was two rebounds and five assists shy of recording a triple-double. 
• Osmond scored 24 of her 32 points in the second half.

UP NEXT
The women's basketball team continues GNAC play with a road showdown against Lasell University on Tuesday, January 21 at 7:00PM.