Men's Basketball Suffers 69-68 Setback at New Hampshire
BOX SCORE
DURHAM, N.H.- In a close game down the stretch, University at Albany men's basketball (20-7, 9-3 AE) fell 69-68 at New Hampshire (15-9, 8-3 AE) on Thursday night. Ray Sanders led the Great Danes with a game-high 23 points.
“I thought UNH played really well,” said head coach Will Brown. “We had plenty of opportunities, but we got ourselves in a hole too many times to rally back. UNH made more plays when it mattered most. I was surprised with our lack of defensive intensity, and they were quicker to the ball.”
Sanders was hot from the start, scoring UAlbany's first seven points and going 3-for-4 from the field in the first two minutes. Both teams provided plenty of offense in the first few minutes, as the Wildcats went 8-for-13 (.615) and UAlbany shot 60% to kick off the half.
But UNH had the advantage at the three-point line courtesy of Jaleen Smith. The Wildcats had 12 of their first 18 points come from behind the arc to take an 18-16 lead six minutes in.
On the defensive end, Bill Herrion's 2-3 zone struggled on the glass to prompt a 5-0 UAlbany run. Smith put an end to the spurt with a three to cut the Purple & Gold's edge to two, 25-23. The Great Danes responded by putting themselves in the bonus at the 8:43 mark. With the free throw advantage, Brown & co., took a 32-25 lead at the under-eight media timeout.
After combining for 53 points in the first 10 minutes, both teams cooled off offensively. Neither squad scored for the final three minutes of the half, and the Danes were working on a four-minute scoring drought with a 38-37 lead at the break.
Sanders concluded the opening stanza with 13 points on 5-8 from the field. Greig Stire recorded five rebounds, while Peter Hooley dished out four assists in the first 20 minutes.
UAlbany emerged from its rut with back-to-back threes from Sanders and Evan Singletary. Despite UNH continuing to struggle, the Danes clung to a one-point lead five minutes into the period.
The tides eventually turned, as the Purple & Gold went 1-for-8 as Herrion's squad went 5-for-5 from the field to spur on a 10-0 run to regain the lead, 56-48. After Hooley ended the four-minute drought, UAlbany found itself in more trouble as Stire picked up his fourth foul with 11:24 remaining.
A defensive rally from the Danes inched them back into the game. UNH committed five turnovers in five minutes, and the Purple & Gold came within two thanks to four-straight points from Dallas Ennema.
The Wildcats rebuilt their margin up to eight with under five minutes to go, but Sanders and Singletary once again hit from long range to make it a one-possession game with 2:54 on the clock, 64-62.
A perfect 6-for-6 charity stripe clip for UAlbany in the closing moments maintained a tie game. UNH had a chance to take the lead with 25 seconds to play, but Singletary blocked Smith's drive down the lane to head the other way. Sanders made two free throws, and the Wildcats took possession down two, 68-66.
UNH's leading scorer and defending America East Rookie of the Year Tanner Leissner created a three-point play to seal the win, 69-68.
Ray Sanders finished with a near-career-high 23 points and five rebounds. Evan Singletary met Sanders in double digits with 10. Peter Hooley made his 401st free throw on Thursday night, becoming just the second player in Division I program history to make 400 or more.
Next up, UAlbany men's basketball looks to even the score against Maine at SEFCU Arena on Sunday, Feb. 14 at 2:00 p.m. The game will be broadcast on Time Warner Cable SportsChannel.
