NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The Albertus Magnus College women's basketball team advances to its second straight Great Northeast Athletic Conference semifinal game following tonight's 75-60 home victory over the Chargers of Colby-Sawyer College in the quarterfinal round of the tournament. 

Caitlyn Scott (White Plains, N.Y.) led the offensive attack with 22 points, while Jakara Murray-Leach (Norwalk, Conn.) followed close behind, cashing in with 21 points. Diamond White (Hamden, Conn.) rounded out the double-digit scorers with 12 points, with two rebounds, four assists, and three steals.

On the defensive end of the court, Natasha Rivera (Ansonia, Conn.) led the Falcons in both rebounds with six and blocks with three, while pouring in nine points of her own.      

THE BASICS
Final: Albertus Magnus 75 | Colby-Sawyer 60 
Records: Albertus Magnus (22-3) | Colby-Sawyer (9-17)
Box Score

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Albertus raced out to the quick 10-2 lead behind back-to-back jumpers from Murray-Leach and a three from Amanda Zdru (Stratford, Conn.) just three minutes into regulation.
• The Chargers countered the Falcons' run with an 8-3 spurt to close the deficit to three, 13-10, until a three from White at 4:14 gave the Falcons a six-point cushion.
• Colby-Sawyer continued to battle, putting together a 6-2 surge to cut the Falcon's lead to two before Scott popped back-to-back three-point jumpers to push the Falcons' advantage to 24-16 at the end of the first quarter. 
• The teams played tight defense over the first four minutes of the second stanza, with the Falcons holding a 10-point lead, 30-20, four minutes in. 
• The squads traded baskets for the remainder of the quarter as the Falcons led at the half, 45-24. 
• A defensive battle between Albertus and Colby-Sawyer kicked off the third quarter until a Murray-Leach lay-up at the 5:12 mark ended the scoring drought and sparked an 8-0 Falcon's run to push the score to 62-31. 
• The Chargers retaliated with a 6-2 spurt to close the quarter and send the teams into the fourth and final quarter, with the Falcons holding the 64-37 lead. 
• Colby-Sawyer opened the fourth with a 6-2 run before Murray-Leach and Rivera each scored for the blue-and-white to make it a 69-43 game with 4:56 left in regulation. 
• Despite Colby-Sawyer putting together a 17-6 run over the game's final minutes, the Chargers could not complete the comeback, sending the Falcons to their second straight GNAC semifinal appearance with a 75-60 victory.          

TEAM STATS

Albertus: 44.6 % FG | 52.6 % 3PT | 65.2 % FT
Colby-Sawyer: 35.8 % FG | 20.0 % 3PT | 81.0 % FT

PLAYER HIGHLIGHTS

Albertus:
Caitlyn Scott- 22 points (7-14 FG, 3-5 3PT, 5-6 FT) | 5 rebounds | 6 assists | 3 steals | 1 block
Jakara Murray-Leach- 21 points (7-13 FG, 3-5 3PT, 4-7 FT) | 6 rebounds | 4 steals | 1 block
Diamond White- 12 points (5-9 FG, 2-4 3PT) | 2 rebounds | 4 assists | 3 steals 

Colby-Sawyer:
Elyza Mitchell- 12 points (4-7 FG, 4-4 FT) | 7 rebounds | 1 assist | 1 steal 
Gabby Lucertini- 11 points (3-3 FG, 2-2 3PT, 3-4 FT) | 6 rebounds | 1 assist | 2 steals 
Courtney Brewster- 10 points (3-4 FG, 4-5 FT) | 6 rebounds

NOTEWORTHY

• This is the 11th all-time meeting between the Chargers and Falcons.
• Albertus is now 10-1 all-time against Colby-Sawyer.  
• Scott scored 20+ points for the 17th time this season. 
• Murray-Leach netted 20+ points for the 12th time this season. 
• Tonight's win marks back-to-back years the Falcons have won a quarterfinal game. 

UP NEXT

The women's basketball team continues its playoff quest on Thursday, Feb. 23, as the Falcons welcome the Saints of Emmanuel (Mass.) College to "The Nest". Tip-off is set for 7 PM.