NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The Albertus Magnus women's basketball team picked up its first win of the season Monday night by defeating the Falcons of Fisher College by a score of 68-52 at "The Nest" inside the Cosgrove Marcus Messer Athletic Center. Kyah Nowlin (Stamford, Conn.) paced all players with 20 points, while Natasha Rivera (Ansonia, Conn.) recorded the first double-double of her career with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Albertus Magnus 68 | Fisher College 52
MATCH-UP: This is the second all-time meeting between the two programs, with both teams holding a 1-1 record.
LOCATION: New Haven, Conn. | "The Nest"
BOX SCORE
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Falcons burst out of the gate early, scoring the first five points of the game on a made layup and free throw from Rivera and a jumper by Caitlyn Scott (White Plains, N.Y.). Fisher battled back with a run of seven points to take the two-point lead, 7-5, with just under seven minutes remaining in the first quarter on a basket by Shaniah Hazard and a five-point run by Alexia Mason. Albertus retaliated with its own five-point run to regain the lead, 10-7, on a made jumper by Cassie Couture (Waterbury, Conn.) and a long trey by Alexis Pendziwater (East Haven, Conn.). The teams traded baskets for the rest of the quarter, with Albertus coming out ahead by two points, 17-15.
Rivera got the Falcons going early in the second quarter on a quick layup before Fisher struck with its own layup. The teams would trade baskets for most of the quarter, with Albertus pulling ahead 29-23 on a four-point run by Nowlin and a made layup from Scott with just under four minutes remaining in the half. A Fisher jumper cut the host's lead to four, 29-25, before Amanda Zdru (Stratford, Conn.) sank a pair of free throws to regain the six-point advantage for Albertus, 31-25. A pair of Fisher scores sandwiched a couple of made Couture free throws to send the teams into the half, with Albertus holding the slim four-point advantage, 33-29.
The third quarter was tightly contested, as the lead changed hands multiple times through the first five minutes. Albertus owned the second half of the quarter, holding its feathered foe to just two points over the next five minutes. Zdru began the 8-2 push to end the quarter with a layup at the 4:41 mark. Seven consecutive points by Nowlin sent the home team into the fourth with a 48-42 advantage.
Albertus picked up right where it left off in the fourth quarter, taking its first double-digit lead, 56-46, with 7:15 left on a Zdru jumper. With their sights set on their first win of the season, the Falcons settled in on defense to end the fourth, giving up Fisher's final bucket of the game with 3:53 remaining. However, Albertus continued scoring as Pendziwater sank a pair of corner treys in the last two minutes to seal the home victory.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Albertus:
Kyah Nowlin - 20 points (7-15 FG, 4-10 3PT, 2-3 FT) | 7 rebounds | 3 assists | 2 steals | 1 assist | 1 block
Natasha Rivera - 11 points (3-8 FG, 5-7 FT) | 10 rebounds | 2 blocks | 1 assist
Caitlyn Scott - 11 points (4-9 FG, 1-3 3PT, 1-2 FT) | 3 rebounds | 2 assists | 2 steals
Cassie Couture - 9 points (3-8 FG, 3-5 FT) | 6 rebounds | 2 steals | 1 assist
Alexis Pendziwater - 9 points (3-8 FG, 3-7 3PT) | 1 rebound | 1 block
Fisher College:
Misha O'Neal - 19 points (9-24 FG, 1-3 FT) | 4 rebounds | 4 steals | 2 blocks | 1 assist
Shaniah Hazard - 16 points (7-19 FG, 2-5 3PT) | 19 rebounds | 1 assist
