MIDDLETOWN, Conn. - The Albertus Magnus College women's basketball team suffered a setback to the Gators of Sage College on Friday night, 81-72, at the Courtyard by Marriott Classic, hosted by Wesleyan University. Caitlyn Scott (White Plains, N.Y.) paced the Falcons with 21 points, while Tamara Sigler (Yonkers, N.Y.) and Diamond White (Hamden, Conn.) recorded 17 and 14 points, respectively.

THE BASICS
Final: Sage 81 | Albertus Magnus 72
Records: Albertus Magnus (0-2) | Sage (3-2)
Box Score

HOW IT HAPPENED
Scott got the Falcons going 13 seconds into the first quarter, nailing a long shot from behind the arc to give Albertus an early 3-0 edge. The Falcons added to their lead with a foul shot from Jakara Murray-Leach (Norwalk, Conn.) and another Scott basket to take a 6-0 advantage. A White lay-up was sandwiched between a pair of Sammy Pasinella 3-pointers to make it an 8-6 game for the Falcons before a Gators' lay-up tied it at 8-all with 7:28 left to play in the first. The Gators took their first lead of the night behind a pair of made free throws and a lay-up from Syrita Faraj to go up 12-8 with just over five minutes remaining in the quarter.

The Falcons retaliated with a 6-0 push to retake the advantage, 14-12, as every Falcons starter netted at least one point, and Sharaya Keele (Adams, Mass.) sank her first career basket. A Sage lay-up tied the game at 14-all before the Falcons went on a 9-1 run to close out the first quarter. Rivera netted a lay-up and a free throw over the push, while Scott went a perfect 4-for-4 at the charity stripe and Sigler contributed a pair of made lay-ups to send the Falcons into the second quarter holding a 23-15 lead.

Albertus opened the second on another 6-2 run, with Amanda Zdru (Stratford, Conn.) cashing in on a pair of free throws at the 8:21 mark and Sigler adding four points behind two made lay-ups to give the Falcons a 12-point advantage, 29-17, with 7:37 left. A Sage lay-up cut the deficit to 10 before White found gold from beyond the arc, netting a long trey to give Albertus a 32-19 lead. The Gators went on a 6-0 push to come within seven before Scott struck again, netting her second 3-pointer of the day to regain a double-digit Albertus advantage, 35-25, with 3:48 left to play in the half. The teams traded baskets for the remainder of the quarter, with the Falcons ahead, 43-34, heading into the halftime break.

Sage began the third quarter with a 12-0 run that spanned the first three-and-a-half minutes of play to take a 46-43 lead. A Keele lay-up brought the Falcons within one at the 6:14 mark, before Sage's Faraj ripped off another three points, behind a lay-up and a foul shot, to boost Sage's advantage to four, 49-45. Sage continued to apply pressure, with a free throw from Savannah Sommer and another jumper from Faraj, increasing the Gators' lead to seven, 52-45, with five minutes remaining in the third quarter.

Albertus went on a quick 6-3 push to come within four, 55-51, behind a Scott jumper and a pair of made lay-ups from Sigler. The Gators responded with a jumper to push the deficit back to six before Rivera fed Scott a perfect pass, and the sophomore point guard swished a 3-pointer to cut the lead back to three, 57-54, with less than a minute remaining in the quarter. A pair of fouls on White and Scott led to a trio of points for the Falcons and a 57-57 tie with 16 seconds left in the quarter before the Gators' Megan Murray made a last-ditch lay-up to give Albertus a 59-57 deficit heading into the fourth.

Sage opened the final quarter with a 9-0 surge to boost their lead to 68-57. However, the Falcons began to rally, going on a 4-1 run to trim the deficit to six, 69-63, with 4:16 remaining. A pair of Falcons lay-ups made it a three-point game, 70-67, as both Sigler and Murray-Leach found the net with less than two minutes remaining in regulation. Nevertheless, Sage wasn't deterred, going on a quick 6-2 run in the final two minutes to ice the 81-72 win.

TEAM STATS
Albertus: 38.5 % FG | 25.0 % 3PT | 68.0 % FT
Sage: 33.3 % FG | 16.7 % 3PT | 66.7 % FT

PLAYER HIGHLIGHTS
Albertus:
Caitlyn Scott - 21 points (5-13 FG, 3-4 3PT) | 4 rebounds | 2 assists | 2 steals
Tamara Sigler - 17 points (8-11 FG, 1-1 FT) | 6 rebounds | 1 block
Diamond White - 14 points (5-15 FG, 2-7 3PT, 2-4 FT) | 2 rebounds | 3 assists
Natasha Rivera - 6 points (2-6 FG, 2-4 FT) | 2 rebounds | 8 assists | 1 block

Sage:
Syrita Faraj - 30 points (9-23 FG, 12-16 FT) | 16 rebounds | 1 assist | 1 steal
Savannah Sommer - 25 points (7-14 FG, 0-3 3PT, 11-19 FT) | 20 rebounds | 1 assist | 1 steal
Sammy Pasinella - 14 points (4-11 FG, 3-7 3PT, 3-4 FT) | 7 rebounds | 3 assists

NOTEWORTHY

• After tonight, the Falcons and Gators have squared off four times.
• Sage leads the all-time series by a 3-1 margin.
• Scott's 21 points is a new career-high for the sophomore.
• Rivera posted a career-high with eight assists.
• Sigler logged a new season-high of 17 points.
• White has tallied 13-plus points in both games this season.
• Jenna Van Hise (Orange, Conn.) made her collegiate debut tonight.

UP NEXT
The Falcons will take on the Hartwick College Hawks tomorrow afternoon in the second game of the Wesleyan Tournament inside Silloway Gymnasium. Tip-off is set for 12:30 p.m.