Men's Basketball Grinds Out 60-58 Victory Against UNH to Advance to Third Straight America East Final
BOX SCORE
ALBANY, N.Y. – University at Albany men's basketball (23-8) held New Hampshire (19-12) to 29% from the field in the second half to earn a 60-58 win at SEFCU Arena in the America East Semifinals on Sunday afternoon. The Danes advance to face Stony Brook (23-10) for a chance to dance on Saturday, March 14 at 11:00 a.m., from SEFCU Arena. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2.
“There are a lot of good teams out there right now getting beat by teams they beat in the regular season,” said head coach Will Brown. “I thought New Hampshire played great. They were well prepared, and it's a shame they had to lose this game. This wasn't a masterpiece, but we did what we needed to do: survive and advance.”
Both teams started off with a hot hand from the field. New Hampshire got out to an 8-3 lead early on a 5-0 run, kicking off the game 4-for-5. UAlbany chipped away at the lead thanks to baskets from Sam Rowley and Evan Singletary.
Rowley gave the Danes the lead, 13-12 with 12:30 to go in the first half. Peter Hooley sank one of his three treys of the half moments later to keep the game with the Purple & Gold.
The game continued to go back-and-forth mid-way through the half, as Joe Bramanti and Matt Miller hit from beyond the three-point line for UNH. Hooley responded with two threes for a four-point lead, 24-20 with seven minutes left in the first half.
Will Brown's squad went 3-for-5 from the field and 4-for-4 from the free throw line over a four-minute span; but with just one made field goal in four minutes leading into the half, UAlbany was down three, 35-32 at the break. After the first 20 minutes of play, there were eight lead changes.
With 15 first-half points, Hooley started the second stanza. The Danes came out of the locker room to find themselves in a quick six-point hole on a Matt Miller three. Singletary came down to the other end for a traditional three-point play to maintain a one-possession deficit. The junior helped fuel a 5-0 run for UAlbany.
The Wildcats built their lead back to four on a Jaleen Smith trey. Through the first 23 minutes of the game, UNH was 7-for-10 from three-point range.
Just when New Hampshire was looking to cash in on its momentum, Sanders and Singletary went for back-to-back baskets before Hooley managed a tough lay-in for UAlbany's first lead of the half, 43-42.
The Danes built their lead to five points, 47-42 on two made free throws by Sanders, but Smith came back with a three for UNH. Through the first 35 minutes of the game, UAlbany was 11-for-11 from the charity stripe.
The Purple & Gold saw its five-point run disappear, as the Wildcats knotted the game at 47 with 8:45 to play.
Hooley briefly put the Danes back on top, but a crucial and-one lay-in from Mike Rowley swung the momentum back on UAlbany's side with 5:13 remaining. The sophomore missed the free throw, but assisted on his brother Sam Rowley's free throw jumper shortly after.
With less than four minutes to play, Miller made the front end of a one-and-one, keeping the lead at two possessions for Brown's & co. The Wildcats made two threes down the stretch to keep the game close, but Sanders went 3-for-4 from the line to hold on to the win.
Peter Hooley scored a season-high 21 points on 8-for-11 from the field and 3-for-5 from three. Evan Singletary added 18 points and eight rebounds. UAlbany went 14-for-16 (.875) from the free throw line, and shot 50% (21-42) from the field.
“We knew we were going to get UNH's best shot,” said Hooley. “They've played us tight for two games. Luckily we could lock down when it mattered in the second half, and now we have a week to prepare for a big game Saturday.”
The Great Danes will defend their America East Championship title this Saturday at 11:00 a.m., at SEFCU Arena. The league final will be a rematch of the 2014 championship game, with Stony Brook visiting Albany.
UAlbany season ticket holders have until Monday, March 9 at 5:00 p.m., to secure tickets, before they are released to the general public at 10:00 a.m., on Tuesday morning. Students can pick up their free tickets on Thursday, March 12 from 10am-4pm in the SEFCU Arena lobby.
