Four Danes in Double Figures Send Men's Basketball Past Maine 80-56
BOX SCORE
ALBANY, N.Y. – University at Albany men's basketball (6-7, 1-0 AE) used an 80-point offensive effort to take an 80-56 win against Maine (1-12, 0-1 AE) on Saturday night at SEFCU Arena. Peter Hooley and Sam Rowley scored 14 points apiece in the victory.
“It's nice to get the first conference game out of the way; I was very pleased with our defensive effort in the second half,” said head coach Will Brown. We had to stand our ground. We were able to get out and run and get everyone involved. Good things happened as a result.”
The Great Danes held an early advantage thanks to a 3-for-3 clip from behind the three-point arc. Brown's squad went 4-for-5 from the field overall to take a 13-3 lead in the opening four minutes.
With six minutes gone in the first half, Hooley drained the Purple & Gold's fifth three of the game against Maine's 2-3 zone to take a 19-7 edge.
But the Black Bears didn't go away easily, as a 5-0 run by Maine narrowed the margin to seven points. Tre Green came off the bench for five quick points to bring the lead back up to double-digits, 24-12.
Another 11-2 run from Bob Walsh's squad brought the Black Bears within two points, 29-27 as the half came to a close. Maine whittled the differential to one point on a three from Kevin Little, but Greig Stire sank two free throws to keep the lead with the Purple & Gold.
Dallas Ennema made UAlbany's seventh three of the half moments later for three of his 10 points. Two more freebies by Mike Rowley gave the Great Danes an eight-point edge. Brown's squad held a six-point lead at the break, 39-33.
The second period got off to a rough start, as Ray Sanders, Evan Singletary and Sam Rowley all picked up quick fouls. Rowley remained in the game despite three personal fouls. The senior made it count with six-straight points, giving the Purple & Gold an 11-point lead, 50-39.
The Great Danes also looked to get easy buckets in transition, as Hooley and Mike Rowley converted on easy lay-ins mid-way through the second half.
Back-to-back threes from Ennema broke the game open for UAlbany, forcing a Maine timeout. The sophomore put the Purple & Gold up 62-44 with 10 minutes to play.
Free throws and a drive from Green opened gave UAlbany its biggest lead at 30 points, 75-45 with seven minutes on the clock. The Great Danes carried the momentum to an 80-56 victory to start conference play 1-0.
“Defense is the most important part of the game,” said Green. “We play defense, we win. I was lucky enough to come in and do my part to help us win.”
Hooley and Rowley led UAlbany with 14 points each. Hooley dished out five assists for his second consecutive game with five assists. The junior guard has now strung together 16 straight home games with 10 points or more, dating back to Dec. 20, 2013.
Tre Green scored a career-high 12 points off the bench in 11 minutes. Ray Sanders had five assists, while Evan Singletary had four. The Great Danes recorded a season-high in assists with 18 and points with 80.
UAlbany men's basketball (6-7, 1-0 AE) travels to New Hampshire (6-7, 0-1 AE) on Tuesday for a 7:00 p.m. tip.
