NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Behind a double-double from Jakara Murray-Leach (Norwalk, Conn.), 16 points, 10 rebounds, and a team-high 22 points from Caitlyn Scott (White Plains, N.Y.), the Albertus Magnus College women's basketball team extended its winning streak to eight straight games following Monday night's 73-58 home victory over in-state rival University of Saint Joseph's (CT). 

Freshman Diamond White (Hamden, Conn.) also chipped in with 16 points, while Natasha Rivera (Ansonia, Conn.) put on a show on the defensive side of the ball, grabbing 11 boards, to go along with four blocks, two assists, and one steal.     

THE BASICS
FINAL: Albertus Magnus 73 | Saint Jospeh's (CT) 58   
RECORDS: Albertus Magnus (12-8, 11-2 GNAC) | Saint Joseph's (CT) (11-8, 7-5 GNAC)
BOX SCORE

HOW IT HAPPENED

Following five lead changes and a tie, Albertus slowly began to find its rhythm as a layup from White gave the hosts the three-point cushion with 4:42 remaining. Shortly after, USJ battled back to within one, 9-8, following a layup from Amanda Fudge, but a Scott layup pushed the lead back up to three, 11-8.

Despite a jumper from the visiting Blue Jays at the 2:09 mark, Albertus would head into the second quarter with the three-point advantage, 13-10.

The momentum of the game began to shift in favor of the Blue Jays as the visitors opened the second quarter with a 7-2 run to even the game at 15-15. From there, another back-and-forth battle occurred, until a 10-4 run, capped by a deep three from White, extended the hosts' lead to six, 25-19, with 3:21 left in the frame. 

USJ continued to battle offensively, scoring six unanswered points to tie the game once again at 25-25, but the Falcons managed to close out the half with a 4-2 run to take a 29-27 lead heading into the locker room. 

Out of intermission break, Albertus came out with the hot hand by putting together a 9-4 run to increase its lead to seven, 38-31, midway through the third, forcing the Blue Jays to call a timeout.  The short break did not deter the Falcons' offensive unit, as the hosts managed to push their lead to double-digits, 45-35, following a deep three from Scott at the 2:34 mark, to force another Blue Jay timeout.

Over the final 2:22, the Falcons held the Blue Jays to only seven points and headed into the final 10 minutes of regulation with the 12-point advantage, 54-42. 

USJ didn't back down as the visitors opened the fourth and final quarter with a quick 4-0 run, just two minutes in, to cut the deficit to within single digits, 54-46. Shortly after, three straight baskets from Scott, Katherine Raposo ( Warwick, R.I.), and Murray-Leach pushed the Falcons lead back-up to double-digits, 61-46. 

The run did not faze USJ, as the visitors rallied together and sparked a 5-2 run to bring the score to within 12, 63-51, but that was the closest the visitors got as the Falcons secured the home victory with the 73-58 final score.  

TEAM STATS

• Albertus: 35.3% FG | 21.1% 3PT | 77.8% FT
• USJ (CT): 32.9% FG | 14.3% 3PT | 75.0% FT

KEY PERFORMERS

Albertus:

• Caitlyn Scott - 22 points (6-18 FG, 1-5 3PT, 9-10 FT) | 5 rebounds | 6 assists | 3 steals
• Jakara Murray-Leach - 16 points (4-17 FG, 1-5 3PT, 7-9 FT) | 10 rebounds | 1 assist | 1 steal
• Diamond White - 16 points (7-11 FG, 1-3 3PT, 1-2 FT) | 4 rebounds |  1 assist | 3 steals

Saint Joseph's (CT):

• Maya Slisz - 20 points (7-18 FG, 1-2 3PT, 5-6 FT) | 4 rebounds | 3 assists 
• Cheyenne-Mone Smith - 10 points (5-10 FG, 4-5 FT) | 10 rebounds | 2 assists | 4 blocks

NOTEWORTHY

• This is the 36th meeting between Albertus and USJ.
• Albertus improves to 28-8 all-time against the Blue Jays with the win. 
• Scott has scored 54 points over her last two games, for an average of 27 points per game. 
• Scott has also scored 10 or more points in the last five games.
• Murray-Leach extended her streak of 10+ points to 14 straight games. 
• Rivera led the defensive unit with five blocks and 11 defensive rebounds.
• The Falcons set a new season-high in defensive rebounds with 36.
• Murray-Leach recorded her second double-double of the season.

UP NEXT
The Albertus Magnus College women's basketball team will host the Pride of Regis (Mass.) College on Wednesday, Feb. 9th, at 7 PM inside the Cosgrove Marcus Messer Athletic Center.