MIDDLETOWN, Conn. - The Albertus Magnus College women's basketball team notched its first win of the season, defeating the University of New England, 87-65 on Saturday evening on the campus of Wesleyan University.

Three players scored over 20 points, as Jakara Murray-Leach (Norwalk, Conn.) led the way with 25 points. Caitlyn Scott (White Plains, N.Y.) finished with 24 and Diamond White (Hamden, Conn.) had 23.

THE BASICS
FINAL: Albertus Magnus 87 | University of New England 65
RECORDS: Albertus Magnus (1-1)  | University of New England (1-1)
BOXSCORE

 HOW IT HAPPENED

• After conceding the first four points of the game, the Falcons scored the next four on a basket from Murray-Leach and two free throws from White.
• UNE would take an 11-8 lead at the 4:27 mark on a basket by Ella Karanavic but would fail to see the bottom of the net the rest of the first quarter.
• The Falcons finished on a 14-0 run as Scott, White, and Murray-Leach combined for all the points in the closing run. The Falcons took a 22-11 lead at the end of the first.
• Albertus did not slow down in the second quarter, going up 32-13 behind six points from White and four from Natasha Rivera (Ansonia, Conn.) to open the quarter.
• The Falcons took their biggest lead of the half with 21 seconds remaining in the second quarter at 39-18. They'd lead 39-20 at the half.
• Albertus extended its lead to 22 points on two different occasions in the third quarter. The final time at the 7:17 mark on a jumper from Scott.
• After the Falcons took the 22-point lead, UNE rallied to cut its deficit to 11 points behind eight points from Juliana Tracey and six from Kaylee Beyor to make it a 55-44 game with 57 seconds left in the third.
• Albertus would extend its lead back up to 61-45 by the end of the third after finishing 6-for-6 from the free throw line over the last 45 seconds of the quarter.
• The Nor'Easters didn't go away in the fourth, once again cutting their deficit to ten after an 8-0 run fueled by Sydney Jenisch to make it a 65-55 game with 5:56 left.
• Albertus came right back, going on a 13-2 run to effectively put the game away as it took a 78-57 lead sparked by two three-pointers from Amanda Zdru (Stratford, Conn.).
• UNE would not get any closer than 15 points over the final 1:51 of the game.

TEAM STATS
Albertus Magnus: 47.0 FG% | 21.1 3PT% | 84.0 FT%
University of New England: 31.9 FG% | 19.4 3PT% | 71.4 FT%

INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCES

Albertus Magnus
Jakara Murray-Leach 25 Points | 10 Rebounds
Caitlyn Scott 24 Points | 5 Rebounds | 4 Steals | 2 Assists
Diamond White 23 Points | 3 Assists | 8 Steals

University of New England
Tracey Juliana 17 Points | 3 Rebounds | 3 Assists | 3 Steals
Kaylee Beyor 16 Points | 9 Rebounds
Sydney Jenisch 12 Points | 5 Rebounds

NOTEWORTHY

• It was the first meeting between the two teams.
• Albertus scored 35 points off of 26 turnovers.
• The Falcons dominated the paint, outscoring the Nor'Easters, 42-24.
• Albertus finished with 30 fastbreak points.
• It was the second straight double-double to open the season for Murray-Leach

UP NEXT
The Falcons take on Rosemont on Sunday at 1 p.m. on the campus of Wesleyan University.