ALBANY, N.Y. – Playing the first Division I opponent in program history, the Union College women's basketball team battled hard in an 88-37 defeat to the University at Albany in an exhibition contest on Tuesday evening at SEFCU Arena.
 
Senior Amber Raisner led the offensive charge for Union (1-5), scoring a team-high 16 points, while junior Olivia Pachla also reached double figures with 10 points and hauled in a team-high seven rebounds. Kayla Cooper led five Great Danes in double figures with a game-high 25 points and 11 rebounds.
 
"It was a great experience for the players," head coach Katie Marcella said. "Watching the girls light up when we walked into the building made the experience worth it. They were excited to play against a quality opponent."
 
The Dutchwomen had some good looks from the outside, but struggled to get the ball into the basket. Union shot 22.2 percent (12 of 54) from the field and 3-of-14 (21.4 percent) from beyond the arc, but did hit 10-of-11 attempts (90.9 percent) from the charity stripe. Despite the offensive struggles, Marcella was encouraged by the team's defensive effort against a taller and more athletic Albany roster.
 
"We got some good stops on defense and a shot clock violation, and that is a great accomplishment for the team," Marcella said. "There were times during the game where the team played really tough, and it gave us glimpses of what we can be and could be on the court."
 
The taller Albany lineup unsurprisingly dominated on the glass, outrebounding Union by a 51-29 margin and recording a 36-10 scoring edge in the paint and a 23-2 advantage in second-chance points. The home team also converted 19 Union turnovers into 22 points at the other end.
 
After Albany (7-4) opened the scoring, Raisner sunk a three-pointer to put Union up 3-2 with 8:43 left in the first frame. Junior Kendall Degenhardt also knocked down a shot from long range later in the quarter for the visitors.
 
After the home team started the second stanza with 11 straight points, Union hung with Albany for the latter portion of the period. Raisner had nine of Union's 13 points as the visitors outscored Albany 13-12 over a five-minute span before two late three-pointers extended the Albany lead to 48-19 at the half.
 
Union outscored Albany 10-3 in the first four-plus minutes of the third quarter, with Pachla leading the charge with eight points by hitting all three field-goal attempts and both free throws. The Great Danes' depth and height wore the Dutchwomen down as the game went on, however, allowing the home team to extend its lead into and through the fourth quarter.
 
Despite the loss, Union will take positives from the experience and bring them back into Division III play later this week.
 
"After not playing for a few weeks, it was nice to get our feet under us before playing our next stretch of games," Marcella added.
 
The Dutchwomen are slated to continue their busy week on Thursday, when the team closes out 2021 with a makeup game against Middlebury College beginning at 3 p.m. at Viniar Athletic Center.