Phillips helps rally Danes
ALBANY — At times Thursday, it was the Broadview Center scoreboard instructing a kids day crowd of 3,701 to make some noise. Otherwise, it was Lilly Phillips who induced the cheers.
Phillips, the Capital Regionbred junior guard from Greenwich, and a Cambridge High graduate, scored a career-high 19 points as the University at Albany women’s basketball team erased a six-point half- time deficit and beat Binghamton 60-52 in an America East game on “Commitment to Education” day.
“Sometimes it can be tough, just how loud it really is,” Phillips said, “but it’s really fun. It’s a great atmosphere, and It’s just awesome to play in front of little kids that look up to you.”
Ualbany (20-3, 9-1 America East) trailed at the break for only the fourth time this season. Phillips and Kayla Cooper, who scored 11 of her 13 points in the second half, sparked an 11-0 run in the third quarter, when the Great Danes held a 23-10 advantage over the Bearcats (9-14, 4-6).
“It was awesome,” Cooper said of the atmosphere. “I remember when I was a kid, going to games like that (at the University of Maryland). It was such a good experience. I looked up to the girls that I would watch, and just to be in that position was surreal. You always want to be a good role model, and I feel like both teams did that today for everybody.”
If not for the scoreboard cueing the kids to “make some noise” — which they did, for those who don’t believe that children listen — things might have been quiet near the end of the first half. Ualbany was scoreless in the final 5:45, courtesy of six turnovers and three missed shots.
The Danes, who trailed for 171⁄2 of the first 25 minutes, turned things around in a matter of five seconds. Midway through the third quarter, Phillips drove the lane and completed a threepoint play. Cooper stole the inbounds pass and made a layup, giving Ualbany the lead for good, 36-35.
“We just talked about slowing down and getting one stop at a time,” Cooper said. “We knew we were trailing, but we knew there wasn’t one like 10-point play. We knew we had to execute and take our time, and then it will just come to us once we get our stops.”
Phillips helped to break down Binghamton’s defense by driving the lane. She drew eight fouls and was 9-for-9 from the foul line.
“I let the game come to me,”
Phillips said. “I saw some openings, and I took the opportunity, not necessarily like taking it upon myself, but having my teammates look for me in those open spots and taking it when it was open.”
“Outside of the fact that she’s literally the most coachable, nicest kid you could ever imagine,” Ualbany coach Colleen Mullen said, “she’ll do anything to help the team be successful. With a minute and 20, she asks for a sub, and I’m like, ‘There’s no sub available. You’re going to have to dig in.’ She said, ‘OK, Coach.’
“The last game, she had a really big game against Binghamton, too (16 points), but she wasn’t drawing those fouls. She was going up softer, and we’ve really challenged her
since to be stronger with the ball and to go up stronger.”
The Danes were without sharpshooter Meghan Huerter, who injured her upper arm Wednesday at practice and was wearing a sling. They got a lift off the bench from sophomore Gabriela Falcao, who had seven
points and three rebounds in 15 minutes.
“You watch Gabby come off the bench when we challenged her,” Mullen said. “We needed her. She had huge minutes for us. We needed her to be successful. Had she not been successful, the outcome may have been different.”