NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The Albertus Magnus College women's basketball team extended its winning streak to 12 straight and continues to remain undefeated in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play, 13-0,  following Thursday night's 76-54 home victory over the Wildcats of Johnson & Wales University inside "The Nest". 

Natasha Rivera (Ansonia, Conn.) led the Falcons with a double-double performance behind a team-leading 17 points and 12 rebounds. Jakara Murray-Leach (Norwalk, Conn.) also recorded a double-double for the blue-and-white as the junior guard recorded a 12-point, 12-rebound showing. 

Caitlyn Scott (White Plains, N.Y.) and Diamond White (Hamden, Conn.) rounded out the double-digit scorers with 13 and 11 points, respectively.              

THE BASICS
Final: Albertus Magnus 76 | JWU 54    
Records: Albertus Magnus (19-1, 14-0 GNAC) | JWU (8-12, 5-8 GNAC)  
Box Score

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Falcons took control of the game early, opening up the first quarter with an 8-2 run that featured four points from Rivera and two each from Murray-Leach and White. 
• A defensive battle over the next few minutes and an eventual 3-0 push from the Wildcats cut the deficit to three, 8-5, with 2:44 left on the clock.
• The Falcons responded with a 7-0 run over the quarter's final minutes to take a 15-5 lead heading into the second quarter.
• The teams traded baskets and played tight defense over the first half of the second to make it a 20-11 game in favor of the Falcons. 
• The teams continued to counter each made basket with their own until Amanda Zdru (Stratford, Conn.) nailed a three-point jumper at the 2:43 minute to spark a 10-2 Falcons' run over the final minutes to put the Falcons ahead 34-17 at the half. 
• AMC opened up the third quarter with a 6-0 spurt extending its lead to 40-17 before both teams battled offensively by trading shot attempts over the next few minutes of play, bringing the score to 48-24.   
• A 10-2 push from the Wildcats cut the deficit to 16, 50-34, with 2:26 left in the third, but the Falcons rallied for a 7-3 run to take a 57-37 lead into the fourth and final quarter. 
• AMC opened the fourth with a 10-2 run behind three-pointers from Rivera and Scott. 
• Despite out-scoring the Falcons by a 15-9 margin over the rest of the fourth quarter, the Wildcats could not mount the comeback, and the Falcons secured the 76-54 conference victory.  

TEAM STATS
Albertus: 32.4% FG | 45.5% 3PT | 69.2% FT
JWU: 27.7% FG | 22.2% 3PT | 77.8% FT 

PLAYER HIGHLIGHTS

Albertus:
Natasha Rivera- 17 points (6-9 FG, 4-4 3PT, 1-2 FT) | 12 rebounds | 1 assist | 1 steal | 2 blocks 
Caitlyn Scott- 13 points (3-14 FG, 1-3 3PT, 6-6 FT) | 4 rebounds | 6 assists | 4 steals 
Jakara Murray-Leach- 12 points (5-18 FG, 2-6 3PT) | 12 rebounds | 1 assist | 3 blocks 
Diamond White- 11 points (3-12 FG, 1-4 3PT, 4-7 FT) | 4 rebounds | 1 steal

JWU:
Sarah Wisniewski- 17 points (4-18 FG, 2-5 3PT, 7-8 FT) | 10 rebounds | 1 assist
Peyton Oliver- 9 points (4-10 FG, 1-1 FT) | 8 rebounds | 2 assists | 1 steal | 5 blocks  

NOTEWORTHY

• Tonight's contest was the 30th all-time meeting between the Falcons and Wildcats.
• After tonight's win, Albertus holds an 18-13 lead in the all-time series.
• Rivera recorded her third double-double of the season. 
• Murray-Leach tallied her 11th double-double of the season. 
• ​​Robin Selitte (Bridgeport, Conn.) secured 10+ rebounds for the third time this season.  

UP NEXT

The Falcons return to the court on Saturday, February 4th, with a road tilt against the Raiders of Rivier University. Tip-off is set for 1 PM inside the Muldoon Gymnasium in Nashua, N.H.