Peter Hooley Nets 19 Points in St. Francis Brooklyn Victory to Pass Levi Levine on UAlbany Division I Career Scoring List

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS, N.Y. -  University at Albany men's basketball (10-4) downed St. Francis Brooklyn (4-9) on the road Tuesday night by a score of 71-66. Senior guard Peter Hooley led the team with 19 points, good for the No. 4 slot on the UAlbany Division I career scoring board with 1,274 points to date. The Great Danes close 2015 on a three-game winning streak going into the final non-conference regular season game on Jan. 2.

“We're a team that likes to run our sets, and St. Francis made this game very helter-skelter for us,” said head coach Will Brown. “The game was very physical and very ugly, but our fans turned this into practically a home game. It's tough enough these days to get a good home crowd, but tonight you have to appreciate the alums and fans that made the trip to support us.”

Despite a slow start and an early 4-0 deficit, the Purple & Gold pulled themselves out of a hole thanks to a 12-0 run. Greig Stire scored five of the first eight points to put the Danes ahead 12-4.

The Terriers responded by forcing Ray Sanders into his second foul at the 17:04 mark. UAlbany's lead dwindled to two points, 12-10 after St. Francis converted on two baskets off of turnovers. The Great Danes found themselves in a three-minute scoring drought before a Jamir Andrews three-pointer gave Brown & co., its breathing room back.

But the Terriers would regain the lead on a tough stretch for UAlbany defensively. Evan Singletary joined Sanders in foul trouble, picking up his second personal with 10:05 to go in the first. The foul put the Terriers in the bonus for the remainder of the half, and forced two thirds of the Purple & Gold's starting backcourt to the bench.

Despite baskets from Stire and Peter Hooley after Singletary and Sanders had checked out of the game, St. Francis built an eight-point lead 30-22 with five minutes to go in the half. Turnovers began to pile up, as the Great Danes committed 11 in the first 15 minutes of the game. Brown's squad averaged 12.2 turnovers per game entering the contest.

With the period coming to a close, the Danes went 6-for-8 (.750) in five minutes to fuel a 17-4 run and take a 39-34 lead into the break. Cremo brought the ball down-court in the closing seconds, hitting a half-court buzzer-beater for the five-point cushion.

UAlbany went 15-for-24 (.625) from the field in the first half, including a 4-for-5 clip from three-point range. Stire led all scorers with 12 points after 20 minutes.

With five of UAlbany's first nine points in the second half, Hooley led the Danes to their first double-digit lead, and their largest advantage of the game 48-36 at the 14:56 mark.

But just as the Danes took control, UAlbany went on a six-minute field goal drought and St. Francis came within three points, 54-51. Hooley got the Purple & Gold back on track with eight minutes to play, and Singletary followed up with a three for an eight-point edge, 59-51. The senior point guard tallied seven of his 12 points in the last seven minutes of the game.

The Terriers crept within three points as the clock wound below one minute to play, but defensive stops and free throws put the game out of reach down the stretch.

Four Great Danes finished the game in double figures, including Peter Hooley (19), Joe Cremo (15), Evan Singletary (12) and Greig Stire (12). Hooley recorded 12 of his 19 points in the second half.

Hooley now has 1,274 career points to his credit, ranking fourth in Division I program history. He passed 2006 graduate Levi Levine, and stands behind Jamar Wilson (2007, 2,164), Tim Ambrose (1,582) and Mike Black (1,542).

After wrapping up the first half with 11 turnovers, the Purple & Gold committed just three in the second 20 minutes of play. Will Brown's squad went 6-for-10 (.600) from the three-point arc, while the Terriers went 6-for-24 (.250). UAlbany also went 17-for-21 (.810) from the charity stripe.

Next up, UAlbany men's basketball visits Cornell (6-6) on Saturday, Jan. 2 at 7:00pm to conclude the non-conference schedule.