Sam Rowley Tallies Team Season-High 19 Points and Third Double-Double in Loss at Saint Francis (Pa.)

LORETTO, Pa. – Senior forward Sam Rowley recorded his third double-double of the season and a season-high 19 points, but his performance fell short in a 69-59 defeat at Saint Francis (Pa.) on Saturday afternoon. UAlbany shot a season-low 5-for-20 (.250) from the field in the first half for its third-straight loss.

“We were 5-for-20 from the field, which doesn't bother me as much as our defensive effort,” said head coach Will Brown. “When we haven't shot the ball well this year we've struggled because we haven't defended and rebounded with the consistency we need. Saint Francis was in too good of a rhythm for 25 minutes of the game, and we only got them out of that rhythm for the last 10 minutes of the game.”

The first half kicked off with two turnovers for UAlbany on consecutive possessions. After Ray Sanders committed a charge on the opening series of the game, the junior picked up his second foul shortly thereafter.

Five minutes into the game the Great Danes were 1-for-4 (.250) from the field with three turnovers. Wheeler Baker notched the team's only field goal for six minutes at the 16-minute mark on a drive down the right side.

With the team 1-for-8 from the field and 0-for-7 from three, Sam Rowley found opportunities inside, making a move on the block with 10 minutes to go in the first, totaling half of UAlbany's points at the time.

Fellow captain Peter Hooley hit the team's only three of the half with 5:30 remaining to get the deficit back to single digits, 19-10. The Great Danes went 1-for-10 from behind the arc overall in the first half.

Sam Rowley appeared to carry much of the game himself early on. The senior forward was 2-for-3 from the field towards the end of the half, while the team was just 5-for-17 (.294) overall.

Ending the first 20 minutes with a 5-for-20 (.250) shooting clip down 31-15, the Purple & Gold tallied its lowest first-half point total since amassing 12 against Vermont last season at home. UAlbany shot 5-for-26 in the first half in that contest.

Sam Rowley continued to assert himself down low, scoring six points in the opening 2:30 of the second half. The senior helped fuel a 6-0 initial and 10-4 overall run the ensuing minutes.

The run did not last long, as three turnovers and three missed threes helped Saint Francis re-extend its lead to 16 points.

The momentum continued in the Red Flash's direction when Sanders picked up his fourth personal foul with 12:39 left in the game.

Saint Francis earned its biggest lead at 19 points, 58-39 with just over seven minutes to play. The Great Danes responded with six unanswered points and an 11-2 run to make a late push.

Sanders gave UAlbany a single-digit deficit for the first time since the 5:13 mark of the first half, but the guard fouled out on the ensuing Saint Francis possession.

Sam Rowley recorded his double-double in the under-the-basket fray of a short offensive rebound. The senior went to the basket and was fouled to bring the Great Danes within seven points, 62-55 with three minutes left.

After a Purple & Gold turnover on the offensive end, Dallas Ennema took a charge to get the Great Danes the ball back with 40 seconds to go. The sophomore hit a jumper after retrieving an offensive rebound to narrow the deficit to six, 63-57 with 35 seconds left.

The Red Flash went 6-for-6 from the charity stripe to close out the game and take the 69-59 victory.

Will Brown's squad scored a season-low 15 points in the first half, but a near-season high 44 points in the second half. Four Great Danes recorded double figures in scoring, including Sam Rowley (19), Hooley (13), Singletary (11) and Sanders (10), despite just 11 total minutes from Sanders. Rowley finished with 1 points and 12 rebound. Singletary and Sanders both went a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line.

UAlbany faces the Patriot League's Bucknell (3-5) at 7:00 p.m., in Lewisburg, Pa., on Monday night.