Virgin Islander Tammy Phillip, the 5-foot-11 senior guard, got her chance to help the University at Albany women's basketball team continue to roll at SEFCU Arena when she scored a career-high 13 points as the Danes drubbed Cal State Fullerton 71-49 in front of 567 fans on Wednesday November 20, 2013. Photo: Provided

The win kept UAlbany undefeated at 4-0 with all the victories coming by double-digit margins. The Danes, ranked 15th in the nation among mid-major teams by Collegeinsider.com, are winning by an average of 18.7 points per game.

"If (coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson) wants me to score, I can score," Phillip said, "but I am a better rebounder."

Phillip, who shot 6-for-8 from the field, added four rebounds.

As good a game as Phillip had, the biggest bows were once again taken by 6-1 sophomore Shereesha Richards, who scored a game-high 22 points and had six rebounds and three steals. She is averaging 22 points and 10.5 rebounds so far.

Megan Craig, the 6-9 junior center, added 13 points and five rebounds and junior guard Sarah Royals was her consistent self, scoring 12 points, in addition to five rebounds, seven assists and three steals.

Abrahamson-Henderson has come to expect those kinds of nights from Richards, Craig and Royals.

But she has challenged the rest of her team to step up. Phillip answered the call on Wednesday.

"I said before the game that someone new has to be the X factor," Abrahamson-Henderson said. "It can't be the same people all the time. That's what great teams do. Tammy is very athletic."

The Danes, after a slow start, used a 9-0 run to seize control of the game in the first half. Cal State Fullerton, from the Big West Conference, had a 10-8 lead before Phillips started the run with a basket. She then hit a 3-pointer and Royals followed with six straight points to give UAlbany a 19-10 lead and the rout was on.

At halftime, the Danes had a 35-22 lead. It would get as big as 27 points in the second half.

Richards has said all along that the Danes have plenty of talent up and down their lineup.

"(Opponents) always have to be ready, because if they shut down one of us, there are like four more ready to go," Richards said, "Maybe more."

Richards has scored at least 22 points in each of the Danes' games, and Royals has reached double figures in all four. They give Abrahamson-Henderson a one-two punch that not many teams the Danes face will be able to counter.

"I don't expect anything from anyone," Abrahamson-Henderson said. "I know that Shereesha is going to be Shereesha and I expect Sarah to run the team and lead the team. But we never, ever, ever put pressure on a kid. We don't say, 'You've got to step up and win a game for us.'"

Cal State Fullerton, which was picked to finish seventh in the nine-team Big West in a preseason media poll, had one player (Chante Miles, 20 points) in double figures. The Titans shot just 29.5 percent from the field (18-for-61) and 6-for-30 from 3-point range.