Men's Basketball Shoots 89.7% from the Free Throw Line to Take 75-70 Win at Cornell
BOX SCORE
ITHACA, N.Y. – Despite going the final 6:13 of the game without a field goal, University at Albany men's basketball (11-4) grinded out a 75-70 victory at Cornell (6-7) on Saturday night. The Great Danes saw four players in double figures and went 26-29 (.897) from the free throw line.
“I knew this was going to be a tough place to play,” said head coach Will Brown. “They play a style that you just don't see very often, they double-team everything; that's hard to prepare for. They made us play faster than we wanted to. When we played at our pace we got good looks and opportunities.”
Cornell jumped out of the gate shooting threes, scoring its first nine points from behind the arc. The Big Red would make six treys in the first 10 minutes to take a 20-19 lead mid-way through the half.
The Purple & Gold found its answer at the charity stripe, going a perfect 10-for-10 in the first half. After hitting the bonus at the 8:38 mark, Ray Sanders and Peter Hooley went four-for-four each, while Joe Cremo made two. Cornell's Darryl Smith, Robert Hatter, Troy Whiteside and JoJo Fallas ended the period with two fouls each.
Conversely, UAlbany committed just three fouls in the opening 13 minutes. The Big Red did not convert from the free throw line until there was 1:10 remaining in the first half.
After Cornell lit up the three-point line early, UAlbany had its turn from three-point land with 10 minutes to go. Dallas Ennema hit a three from the baseline at the 10:32 mark, and UAlbany's next field goal five minutes later was another three from Hooley with 5:05 to go. Hooley closed Cornell's largest lead of the half from five to just two points, 28-26.
Joe Cremo chimed in for seven points in the next four possessions, regaining the lead for the Danes 35-30. David Nichols entered the game to provide quality minutes off the bench, tying the game at 30 with 2:36 left in the half. The freshman also netted the final basket of the period to give the Purple & Gold a 37-34 advantage at the break.
At the end of the opening period, Hooley had tallied 10 points and five rebounds in 19 minutes. Richard Peters also brought down five rebounds in just seven minutes. UAlbany was 10-10 from the free throw line, while Cornell went just 2-6 (.333).
Looking to make an early impression in the second half, the Purple & Gold went on an 8-1 run to start. After struggling with a tough zone press in the first half, UAlbany found holes in transition to create two-on-one opportunities. The Danes extended their lead to 10, 45-35 in the first three minutes.
With the fast pace of play, Cornell quickly responded with a 7-0 run of its own. Peters broke the run with a lay-in, and a Cremo three on the ensuing possession gave the Danes a 50-42 lead with 13 minutes to play.
The teams went back-and-forth mid-way through the half, but Will Brown's squad continued to fight back to an eight-point advantage.
Sanders re-entered the game with three fouls in tow and 9:15 on the clock. The senior made an immediate impact grabbing a rebound and eventually going to the hoop for a 10-point lead. After two Mike Rowley free throws and a dunk courtesy of Greig Stire, the Danes opened their largest lead of the game, 66-52.
But the Stire dunk was UAlbany's final field goal of the game with 6:13 to play. The Purple & Gold quickly saw its lead slip from 14 to just seven with less than five minutes to go. Despite three turnovers in less than one minute, Sanders and Stire stepped up to the charity stripe to keep a double-digit lead.
Brown & co., had time on their side, but the Cornell three-point show continued. Robert Hatter made a deep trey with 48 seconds on the clock to make it a one-possession game, 73-70.
With a missed lay-up in the final 20 seconds up for grabs, Rowley brought down a crucial offensive board and was fouled. The junior went to the line to make both free throws and close out a 75-70 victory.
Ray Sanders led UAlbany scoring with 18 points on 5-for-8 (.625) shooting. Cremo (15), Hooley (13) and Stire (11) joined him in double figures. Stire tallied nine of his points in the second half.
Rowley topped the Danes on the boards with nine, including eight in the second half. The junior also notched a team-best five assists. UAlbany out-rebounded the Big Red 45-28, but recorded a season-high 17 turnovers.
Next up, UAlbany opens America East conference play against UMBC (4-11) on Wednesday, Jan. 6 at 7:00pm from SEFCU Arena.
