2012 America East Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championship
presented by Newman’s Own
Thursday, March 1: West Hartford, Conn.: Women’s Quarterfinal #3
Final Score: #2 Albany 74, #7 Vermont 61
Albany head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson, opening remarks:
“It’s March Madness isn’t it. It’s so much fun. I think it’s great that all the teams are playing with their
heart and soul. And Vermont, they are tough. They are tough. We went to the foul line 40 times and
made 29 of them. That’s what helped us win the game. I think both teams played really hard. We’re
thankful for the win and to be here.”
Abrahamson-Henderson on the semis:
“I think we are excited. This team is so resilient. They are amazing. I got coach of the year but these guys
are players of the year and the team of the year and they changed the culture of this program. We’re
exciting for the program and for the University at Albany. They deserve it.”
Abrahamson-Henderson on Royals’ performance:
“Thank goodness I recruited that young lady. She is tough, she is rugged, she is physical. She has that
fierce competitor in her. She’s in Connecticut, she’s home. She wants to play well in front of her family
and fans. That’s my girl. She took a chance on Coach Abe, on a program that she didn’t know. We are
very fortunate to have her.”
Albany freshman center Megan Craig, on her impact tonight:
“I did what I had to do. I saw that my team needed the extra oomph and I finally used my height
properly, got good shots and helped the team get on that run we needed to keep us going.”
Albany guard Ebone Henry, on the underclassmen:
“That’s what makes us so dangerous in this tournament. You can’t stop just one player on our team. To
see them step up is amazing, so great.
Albany freshman guard Sarah Royals, on free throws:
“I’ve been struggling from the line the past couple games, the whole season really. We’ve been working
a lot of the fundamentals recently and it really paid off.”
Henry on making it to semis:
“It doesn’t stop here. We’ve had a great season and we just need to keep pushing and we aren’t going
to let up just because we’re in the semifinals.”
Vermont head coach Lori Gear McBride, opening remarks:
“I’m pretty disappointed that our season is over. Even though from a wins standpoint it probably wasn’t
a great season from the outside, but on the inside we did some pretty great things. To have players step
up, seniors step up and bring heart and inspiration, as a coach is such a rewarding experience. I was so
proud of our effort today. We stayed in the game and I really believed we had a chance to win it. We
battled so hard against a very good, very physical Albany team. Ashley and Niki were unbelievable today
and any time we needed a bucket they seemed to get it for us. It’s crazy but I think we got better in that
game. That makes me real excited for the future.”
Vermont senior forward Ashley Hoyt on the emotions:
“The last two weeks make it a lot harder to hang up the shoes I guess. These girls get to come back next
year and try to get better every game, and I don’t get that opportunity. I’m very glad I went out this way
and I wish them the best of luck next season.”
Vermont freshman Niki Taylor, on the effort tonight:
“The outcome isn’t what we wanted but it was great. It’s definitely different. Everyone brings their best
game and this was probably one of the best games we played this season and so it’s tough that it didn’t
come out in our favor but I’m looking forward to the future.