Men's Basketball Reaches 20 Wins for Third Time in Last Four Seasons with 69-56 Victory at Binghamton
BOX SCORE
VESTAL, N.Y.- Retaining sole possession of second place in the America East standings, University at Albany men's basketball (20-6, 9-2 AE) downed Binghamton (5-19, 9-2 AE) 69-56 on Monday night. Evan Singletary led the Great Danes with 19 points, while Mike Rowley notched his second career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
“We knew that we were going to get a great effort from Binghamton,” said head coach Will Brown. “They make the game ugly the way they defend, and they don't allow you to get into a rhythm. We got off to a good start, and then we relaxed. In the second half we played more like we're capable of playing, and we wanted to keep them out of a rhythm. At this point in the season it's about survival, so we've got to get ready for New Hampshire on Thursday.”
The Great Danes got off to a blistering start from the field, going 3-3 in the opening moments and eventually taking a 10-0 lead. Binghamton went 0-7 from the field, notching its first bucket at the 15-minute mark.
But Brown's squad began to cool off, going nearly four minutes without a field goal after its hot start. Greig Stire took a seat after picking up his second personal foul with 14:42 on the clock. Evan Singletary knocked down a three to end the drought, making the UAlbany advantage 14-6.
The Bearcats pressed on, going on an 8-2 run behind the offense of Dusan Perovic. Mike Rowley responded with an and-one to make it a two-possession edge, 19-14. Perovic ended the half with 15 points, fueling a 10-for-16 (.625) shooting clip for Binghamton to close the half after starting 2-for-12.
Despite Perovic's scoring, Dallas Ennema, Rowley and Singletary ensured a UAlbany lead at the break, 33-31. The trio combined for 10 of the Purple & Gold's 12 points in the final five minutes. Singletary led the Danes at the half with 11 points, while Rowley tallied seven points and seven rebounds.
Brown & co., came out of the locker room on a 5-0 spurt, thanks to a Ray Sanders three and Stire's first points of the game. Tommy Dempsey called timeout as UAlbany went up 40-32.
But the energy was short-lived, as turnovers began to pile up against the Danes. With less than 15 minutes to play, the Bearcats had just three turnovers to UAlbany's nine. Binghamton also began showing zone, eventually taking the margin down to two, 47-45 with 11:54 on the clock.
A timely 11-3 run as the Danes entered the bonus opened up a double-digit lead, 58-48 with eight minutes to go. Cremo and Singletary hit free throws as Binghamton went 1-for-10 from the field. Despite a lengthy stretch without a field goal of its own, UAlbany maintained a double-digit lead late to take the win.
Will Brown reached 20 or more wins for the second consecutive and third season of the last four. He achieved the 20-win mark at the fastest pace in Division I program history, just 26 games. The 2012-13 and 2014-15 squads earned 20 wins in 28 games.
The Great Danes shot 19-for-23 (.826) from the charity stripe in the win, and held Binghamton to 8-for-27 (.296) from the field in the second half.
Evan Singletary finished with 19 points and six rebounds. Joe Cremo scored nine second-half points to finish with 13. Mike Rowley recorded his second career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds against the Bearcats.
Next up, UAlbany men's basketball visits New Hampshire (14-9, 7-3 AE) for an important standings game in Durham on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. The game will be available on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN App.
