NEW ROCHELLE, NY -- No. 1 Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences outscored No. 4 Pratt Institute 28-10 in the second quarter of its 78-29 win over the Cannoneers in Saturday's Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Semifinal game on the campus of The College of New Rochelle.
Junior guard Carol Cai led Pratt with 14 points and three assists. Freshman center Amissa Epperson added four blocked shots and 11 rebounds, but playing without second-leading rebounder Anna Bryce, Albany Pharmacy controlled the boards 51-42 in advanceing to the conference championship.
After a Cai jumper opened the contest with Pratt leading 2-0, the Panthers held the Cannoneers scoreless throughtout the final 8:46 of the first quarter to take a 12-2 lead after one.
Cai's layup broke the drought on the opening possession seven seconds into the second, but a 24-2 Panthers run started a 34-6 Albany lead, as the top seed entered halftime with a 40-12 advantage.
An Epperson layup commenced the third before a 15-0 Albany Pharmacy run ruled out any idea of a Pratt comeback. Pratt freshman Aimeelyn Miller scored seven of her nine points in the fourth, but the Panthers progressed to a 78-29 win and a trip to the conference championship.
At 7-7, the Cannoneers marked the team's highest win total in the three-year rebirth of the program, as well as Pratt's first trip to the HVIAC playoffs.
