MEN'S BASKETBALL UPENDS NEW HAMPSHIRE, 69-52, IN AMERICA EAST CONFERENCE OPENER
Albany, N.Y. ? Jamar Wilson had 12 of his 20 points in the final period in leading UAlbany to a 69-52 victory over New Hampshire in the America East Conference opener for both teams on Wednesday, Jan. 3 before 3,122 fans at SEFCU Arena.
UAlbany (8-5, AE 1-0) led 44-41 midway through the second half, but then broke the contest open with 13 of the game's next 17 points. Jon Iati, who had seven points and four assists off the bench, hit a baseline jumper and then found Brian Lillis for a back-door layup to ignite that stretch. Jason Siggers, who had 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting, added a pair of baskets, before Wilson buried a three-point field goal from the top of the arc for a 57-45 advantage with 5:14 to play.
New Hampshire (3-10, AE 0-1) was still within striking distance at 58-50, when Jermaine Anderson hit a short bank shot after his steal. Anderson, a 6-foot-1 senior, finished with 18 points and made four 3-pointers. But the Great Danes, who have won six of their last seven outings, came right back when Jamar Wilson and Brent Wilson connected on back-to-back three-pointers that pushed the lead back to double digits with 2:49 remaining.
UAlbany reeled off 11 unanswered points to start the contest, as the visitors missed their opening four field goal attempts. The Great Danes, who twice lost to New Hampshire in overtime during last year's regular-season play, still led 29-20 with less than five minutes left in the stanza. However, the Wildcats went on a 9-2 run to close out the half. Blagoj Janev, a 6-foot-8 senior who had 13 points, canned a three-pointer from the left corner. Anderson followed with another long jumper that drew his team even at 31 apiece at halftime.
“The had confidence when they went to the locker room after being down early,” offered UAlbany coach Will Brown, whose team won last year's America East championship. “We clamped down and defended in the second half. We made our run when we went to the small lineup and that spread them out. This is an important win because you have to take care of business on your home floor in conference play.”
Mike Christensen added 11 points for the Wildcats, who were held to 31.6-percent shooting after the intermission on 6-of-19 attempts. UAlbany's Brent Wilson extended his double-figure scoring streak to seven straight with 10 points. Jamar Wilson, who like Jermaine Anderson earned America East player of the game recognition, added to his scoring total with seven rebounds and five assists.
“We kept our lead and extended it in the second half,” said Brent Wilson, whose team shot 57.1 percent from the field after halftime. “Our rebounding was better, from the guard positions and throughout the lineup. It's good to get contributions from our bench because you need depth to be successful.”
