NEWARK, N.J. (Interstat) — The Albany women’s basketball team snapped a three-game losing streak in emphatic fashion Thursday night, using a dominant first quarter to set the tone for a 71-54 victory over NJIT in an America East Conference matchup at Fleisher Athletic Center.

The Great Danes, improving to 12-9 overall, raced out to a 22-11 lead after the opening period and never looked back, maintaining a double-digit advantage for the final three quarters. The Highlanders, who entered the contest with a 13-8 record, could not overcome a cold shooting start and a slew of early turnovers, falling to .500 in league play.

The most critical phase of the game was undoubtedly the first quarter, where Albany established control it would never relinquish. The Great Danes’ defense was stifling from the opening tip, forcing NJIT into five turnovers in the first six minutes and contesting nearly every shot. The Highlanders missed their first seven field goal attempts and did not score until an Olivia Kulyk 3-pointer with 2:58 remaining in the quarter, by which time Albany had already built a 9-0 lead.

Albany’s offensive execution was equally sharp early. Guard Delanie Hill, who finished with a game-high 22 points, scored eight in the first quarter, including a driving layup off a feed from Gabriela Falcao and a 3-pointer following a Martina Borrellas steal. Borrellas, a forward from Barcelona, Spain, was instrumental on both ends, contributing six points, three rebounds and two steals in the opening frame as Albany shot over 50% from the field while holding NJIT to just 4-of-15 shooting.

The Highlanders showed brief signs of life in the second quarter, trimming the deficit to nine points on two occasions, the last at 26-17 following an Ava Locklear layup. Each time, however, Albany had an answer. Hill responded immediately with a layup to push the lead back to 11, and the Great Danes closed the half on a 7-3 spurt to take a 34-26 advantage into the locker room.

Any hope of a NJIT comeback was extinguished in the third quarter. After the Highlanders’ Madilyn Dogs opened the second-half scoring with a 3-pointer to cut the margin to five, Albany unleashed a decisive 13-2 run over the next four minutes. The surge was fueled by Hill, Borrellas and Julia Palomo, and featured another defensive stand that forced NJIT into rushed shots and two more turnovers. Borrellas capped the run with a layup, assisted by Falcao, giving Albany a 47-31 lead with 4:58 left in the third. The Great Danes’ lead never dipped below 14 points the rest of the way.

Hill’s 22 points led all scorers, while Borrellas finished with 16 points, four assists and four steals. Palomo, from La Seu d’Urgell, Spain, added 14 points. The engine of the Albany offense was Falcao, the Portuguese guard who orchestrated the attack with 10 assists to go with six points.

NJIT was led by Locklear’s 17 points and eight rebounds. Kulyk scored 11 points, all in the first half, and Dogs added 10 points. Point guard Alejandra Zuniga struggled with Albany’s defensive pressure, committing seven turnovers while dishing out five assists and scoring nine points.

The Great Danes’ defense was the story, generating 18 NJIT turnovers which led to 23 points. Albany also controlled the paint, outscoring NJIT 42-26 inside. The Highlanders shot just 36% from the field for the game and connected on only 6-of-24 attempts from 3-point range.

The win was a crucial bounce-back for Albany after consecutive losses to New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont. The Great Danes will look to build momentum when they travel to face Maryland-Baltimore County on Saturday. NJIT, which had its two-game winning streak halted, will look to regroup at home against Vermont on Saturday.

An announced crowd of 255 watched the game at Fleisher Athletic Center. According to Interstat’s ELO system, Albany entered the game with a 60.10 percent probability to win.