the Informer

Rallying a 4-3 finish to the season, the University of Albany women’s basketball team prepares for March 5, when they will take on Vermont in the quarterfinals of the America East championship.

One of the four late-season wins featured two Albany players having career performances in an important game against New Hampshire. Freshman Julie Forster grabbed 11 out of her 20 rebounds before the first intermission, breaking the school record of most rebounds in one half. Senior Charity Iromuanya also broke out a career-high 29 points during the match up. Two of her 29 points solidified victory for the Great Danes in the last seconds of overtime.
In the final game of the season Albany defeated Maine, confirming the Great Danes as the seventh seed of the tournament.

Iromuanya is one of the cornerstones of Albany’s offense and defense. Ironuanya led the team in scoring with an average of 11.4 points per game, marking the 14th highest in the conference. The 5-foot-8 inch guard possesses a good shot from long range, ranking within the top fifteen of the America East conference in three point field goals made and three point percentage.

Iromuanya also has a great sense of defensive anticipation, recording 96 steals, which is the third most in the conference.

Forster, a 6-foot freshman, is the low-post force for Great Danes and one of the most dominant players in the America East off the glass. Forster’s 251 rebounds were the single best in the 2009-2010 season, surpassing the runner-up by 20. The most treasured facet of her game to the team is her ability to crash the boards on the offensive end, where she ranked second in the conference.

Forester has a strong sense of defensive awareness too, averaging 1.4 blocks per game. On February 22, the true freshman was honored with both the America East Rookie and Player of the Week awards.

For the Great Danes, a win usually consists of good defense and relentless offensive rebounding. The team snatched the most steals during the season and stands as one of the best defenses in the conference against the 3-pointer. On the other side, the team is ranked last in field goal and free throw percentage. In order to pull off the upset over the No. 2 seed Catamounts, the Great Danes have to crash the offensive boards to give the team second chances, force Vermont into making mistakes and take high-percentage shots.