UNH Rallies for 45-42 Win vs. UAlbany on Senior Day

Saturday, February 28

Durham, N.H.

1 PM

University of New Hampshire

10-19,4-12America East

UAlbany

14-15,4-12America East

UAlbany

New Hampshire

Photo by: Claire Martins

2/28/2026 5:41:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

DURHAM, N.H. – Junior guard Eva DeChent (Westchester, N.Y.) scored a team-high 14 points, including a pair of free throws with eight seconds remaining to secure a 45-52 comeback victory for the University of New Hampshire women's basketball team against UAlbany at Lundholm Gym on Saturday afternoon.

DeChent finished with 14 points, six rebounds and three steals. Graduate student guard Sydney Lusher (Oneida, N.Y.) recorded a season-high 11 points, including three 3-pointers, in her first start of the season. Senior forward Lucia Melero Sabat (Barcelona, Spain) grabbed a game-high nine rebounds and junior guard Maggie Cavanaugh (Point Pleasant Beach, N.J.) led all players with six assists.

UAlbany's leading scorer was Amaya Stewart, who recorded 19 points and six rebounds. Delanie Hill had 12 points and nine rebounds.

UNH advances to 10-19 overall and 4-12 in America east. UAlbany moves to 14-15 overall, 4-12 AE.

UP NEXT

With the win and series sweep of the Great Danes, UNH is the No. 7 seed in the 2026 Air Force Reserve America East Women's Basketball Playoffs and will travel to play second-seeded University of Maine in a March 5 (6pm) quarterfinal game.

FIRST QUARTER

Lusher opened the game with a corner 3-pointer at 9:04 to give UNH an early 3-0 lead.
DeChent danced between defenders for a turnaround jumper that extended the Wildcats' lead to 5-0 at 7:29.
DeChent grabbed an offensive rebound and connected at the rim to bring UNH within one point, 8-7, at 1:29.
A fast break bucket from UAlbany closed the quarter, making it a one possession game going into the second with the Great Danes ahead 10-7.

SECOND QUARTER

UAlbany opened the second quarter with a 7-0 run, which DeChent ended with a deep 3-pointer at 6:47 to lift UNH within 17-10.
Melero Sabat gave the 'Cats two more points with a hook shot at 5:06 to once again reduce the margin to seven points, 19-12.
Lusher sank a shot from downtown to shrink the deficit to 19-15 at 1:10.
UAlbany outscored UNH 12-8 in the second quarter and the visitors entered halftime up 22-15.

THIRD QUARTER

Lusher connected on her third 3-ball of the game at 6:39 to lift UNH within 22-18.
DeChent drew a shooting foul and put down both free throws to make it a five-point game, 25-20, at 5:02.
Lusher scored her 11th point of the game with a driving layup at 4:25, which cut the difference to 25-22.
Two free throws by Cavanaughwith 20 seconds left marked the final points of the quarter with UAlbany leading 30-24.

FOURTH QUARTER

Camryn Fauria (North Attleborough, Mass.) opened the final quarter with a 3-pointer, assisted by Cavanaugh, at 7:12 to lift UNH within 32-27.
Elizabeth Lavoie (Hampstead, N.H.) rattled in a 3-ball at 6:27 to lift the 'Cats within 34-30.
Cavanaugh brought the Wildcats within one point, 34-33, at 4:30 with a contested 3-pointer.
Fauria drained her second 3-pointer to cap a 9-0 run and give UNH the lead, 36-34, at 3:25, igniting Lundholm Gym late in the fourth.
Averie Harding (Egg Harbor Township, N.J.) backed in for two points – assisted by Cavanaugh for her sixth helper of the game – for a 38-36 lead at 2:27.
DeChent stormed back to get the and-1 and bring UNH up 41-38 at 1:40.
Fouled with just 10 seconds left, Cavanaugh sank both free throws to give UNH a 43-40 lead.
Stewart scored quickly to once again make it a one-point game, 43-42, with eight seconds remaining.
Following a timeout, UNH lofted a pass into the frontcourt where DeChent gained possession and was fouled. She made both foul shots to reestablish a 3-point cushion with eight seconds to play.
Hill missed a pair of 3-pointers in the closing seconds as UNH fended off the Great Danes for the win.

UNH NOTEBOOK

Melero Sabay matched her career high of nine rebounds.
Cavanaugh matched her personal best of six assists.
DeChent shot 100% (5-5) from the free throw line to ending the regular season with an 81.5% free throw percentage.
DeChent climbed to No. 19 on UNH's career scoring leaderboard with 1,049 points; she supplanted Ashley Storey (2015-20; 1,045 points).
DeChent is tied at No. 18 with Caroline Soucy (2016-20) in career 3-pointers with 73.
DeChent has scored 515 points this season, which ranks No. 8 on UNH's list of single-season superlatives.
DeChent is No. 6 on the program's single-season free throws leaderboard with 132.
Lusher surpassed her previous season high of nine points.
UNH had eight honorees on Senior Day: Fauria, Lusher, Melero Sabat, Kenzie Matulonis (Raynham, Mass.) and Diana Eliasson (Stockholm, Sweden), as well as student managers Smantha Freeman and Nathan LaChance, and practice player Nate DeFazio.

GAME NOTEBOOK

This is UNH's first season series sweep of UAlbany since the 2019-20 season.
UNH shot 38.1% (8-21) from beyond the arc, whereas UAlbany only shot 23.5% (4-19).
The Wildcats went 9-9 on free throws, shooting 100% from the line.
UAlbany spent 32:21 of the game in the lead until UNH pulled away with it in the fourth quarter.
UNH scored 12 second chance points and UAlbany only scored five.