Albany, N.Y. - Tim Ambrose had 22 points and Billy Allen came off the bench to score a career-high 21 as UAlbany snapped a four-game skid with an 89-68 victory over Yale on Sunday, Jan. 3 at SEFCU Arena. After eight consecutive road games, the Great Danes were playing at home for the first time since Nov. 22.
     UAlbany (5-10) took control at the start of the second half with nine of the game's next 11 points. Ambrose, who made 9 of 16 from the field and had four assists and four steals, converted a driving one-hander, before freshman guard Mike Black canned a three-point field goal from the left corner. Ambrose later hit a left baseline jumper for a 48-35 cushion.
     Still leading by the same margin, Allen connected on three of his five 3-pointers in a run that swelled the lead to 63-43 with 12:50 remaining. The 6-foot-6 sophomore, who made 8 of 9 from the floor and improved his career-best for the second straight game, buried a 3-pointer from the left side and then drilled a 24-footer from left of the key for a 20-point cushion. The Great Danes, who shot 52.9 percent in the final period, held a comfortable advantage the rest of the way.
     "I am finally feeling like I did before the back surgery," said Allen, who missed the entire 2007-08 season due to the injury and has recently found his shooting touch. "The tough schedule has prepared us for what is to come. We picked it up with defensive pressure and then made some shots."
     In the opening period, Yale (4-10) ripped off eight straight points to take a commanding 18-8 lead. Alex Zampier, who had 19 points in a return to his home area, made one of his four 3-pointers from the left wing off a screen. Greg Mangano scored on the left baseline from a driving Michael Grace to complete the run. The Bulldogs still had an 11-point cushion six minutes later when Austin Morgan nailed a three-pointer following Zampier's steal.
     The Great Danes got back into the contest by employing full-court pressure and used a 14-2 outburst to go ahead. Ambrose, who had 12 first-half points, made a long-range jumper to ignite matters. Allen later canned another 3-pointer to close the gap to a single possession. Fran Urli, who had eight points and eight rebounds as a starter, sank two free throws and Allen made a one-handed bank shot from right the lane for a 32-31 lead. UAlbany finished the period with seven unanswered for a 39-33 margin at the break. Logan Aronhalt sank a 22-footer from the top of the arc and Ambrose hit a layup after stripping the ball from Zampier.
     "Our defense got us more aggressive and gave us some easy opportunities offensively," explained UAlbany coach Will Brown, whose team was coming off a loss to ninth-ranked North Carolina to end a long road trip. "We have been practicing uptempo. They are starting to understand that it takes great energy to play that way and more guys are contributing."
     Michael Sands, Reggie Willhite and Mangano each had 10 points for the Bulldogs, who suffered their fourth consecutive setback. UAlbany's Aronhalt, a redshirt freshman, and Scotty McRae added 13 and 10 points, respectively, off the bench.
     "This was a boost for us, especially a win before the conference starts," offered Urli, whose squad hosts defending champion Binghamton on Thursday in the America East opener. "We played good team defense and things get easier when you make stops."

Paw Prints:  UAlbany played its first home game in 42 days ... the Great Danes made 12 three-point field goals, their highest total since Jan. 21. 2007 against Hartford ... Billy Allen's five 3-pointers where the most by an individual since Louis Barraza had the same number against Vermont last Feb. 7 ... Logan Aronhalt tallied a career-high 13 points off the bench ... Tim Ambrose has scored 20 or more points on 13 occasions as a collegian ... Yale head coach James Jones played for the Great Danes and was an assistant under Richard Sauers from 1990-95 ... Time Warner Cable (TW3) televised the game in the Capital Region and part of upstate New York and western Massachusetts.

UAlbany 89, Yale 68 (1/3/10 at Albany, N.Y. , SEFCU Arena) 

Yale 68

ALBANY 89