Five Players in Double Figures Lead Men's Basketball to America East Opening Victory 73-59 Against UMBC
BOX SCORE
ALBANY, N.Y. – For the second time in 2015-16, University at Albany men's basketball (12-4, 1-0 AE) saw five Great Danes register double-digit scoring to take a 73-59 win against UMBC (4-12, 0-1 AE) on Wednesday night. The Purple & Gold earned its first America East win of the year in front of 3,415 fans at SEFCU Arena with UAlbany students on winter break.
“Our defense was a little inconsistent in the first half, but we held them to 59 points,” said head coach Will Brown. “I thought Ray Sanders was incredible in the second half, especially defensively, and it's nice to get the first one under our belt and start off 1-0.”
Brown's squad used a quick start to take the early momentum, going 3-for-3 from the field in the opening minutes. Peter Hooley, Mike Rowley and Ray Sanders all converted on two-point field goals to garner a 6-3 advantage.
The Retrievers fought back with jumpers from Jairus Lyles and Rodney Elliott, charging forward to capture the lead, 10-9 with five minutes gone.
UAlbany went 7-for-9 over the next four minutes to collect a nine-point lead, 23-14 at the 11:32 mark. The Danes went on a 15-6 spurt capped off by a 6-0 run thanks to easy transition baskets on UMBC missed shots and turnovers.
Despite being in the bonus with nine minutes left in the first half, UAlbany did not get to the free throw line. Brown & co., attempted just six free throws in the opening 20 minutes of the contest.
The Purple & Gold saw its lead fluctuate mid-way through the half, but second-chance opportunities and buckets on the break kept Brown's squad in the driver's seat. A Greig Stire dunk at the 4:39 mark provided the exclamation point on an offensive rebound to take a 31-22 edge.
Looking to make a push headed into halftime, UMBC responded with a 6-0 run with four points from Lyles. The Retrievers came within two before a Joe Cremo three-pointer gave UAlbany a two-point lead, 36-34 at the break.
At halftime, the Great Danes had out-rebounded UMBC 19-8. The Danes out-tallied the Retriever rebound total on the offensive glass alone, notching nine offensive boards. Of UAlbany's 36 points, 24 came in the paint.
Lay-ins from Evan Singletary, Cremo and Hooley helped the Purple & Gold extend its edge to seven, but two UMBC threes cut that lead to just one point, 43-42 with 16:07 on the clock.
After UMBC's Rodney Elliott knocked down from three-point range, fellow Baltimore native Singletary responded with two threes on back-to-back attempts for a 50-42 cushion. Singletary found Sanders in transition on a steal at mid-court to give the Danes their largest lead, 52-42 at the 12-minute mark.
A 0-for-3 clip with two turnovers over the next three minutes gave the Retrievers some life, but easy baskets in transition again made way for a 10-point Danes advantage, 58-48.
Aki Thomas summoned his team for one last run with five minutes to go, but UMBC succumbed to an 11-2 UAlbany spurt down the stretch. The Great Danes closed out the game shooting 7-for-8 from the charity stripe in the last five minutes.
UAlbany out-rebounded UMBC 36-21. Both teams went 50% form the field for most of the game, with the Danes shooting 51.0% (26-51) on the night. Retrievers sophomore sensation transfer Jairus Lyles went for 17 points, with just two in the second half. Lyles entered Saturday's game averaging 26.8 PPG in four contests.
Ray Sanders led UAlbany scoring with 16 points, followed by Evan Singletary (14), Mike Rowley (12), Joe Cremo (12) and Greig Stire (10). Rowley went for 12 points and eight rebounds, while Singletary totaled 14 points, six assists, six rebounds and three steals.
Next up, UAlbany men's basketball continues conference play at Vermont (9-7, 1-0 AE) for a noon tip on Saturday.
