Score: Eastern Kentucky 77, UAlbany 64
 
Location: McBrayer Arena in Richmond, Ky.
 
Records: UAlbany (0-4, 0-0 America East) | Eastern Kentucky (4-1, 0-0 ASUN)
 
Short Story: The University at Albany men's basketball team dropped game one of a three game trip in the state of Kentucky, 64-77 to Eastern Kentucky University. UAlbany fought back after trailing by 13 in the first half, but a late run from the Colonels in the second put EKU back up by double digits to seal the victory.
 
Key Stat Lines

• Matt Cerruti led all scorers on the court with 17 points. He also recorded two rebounds, two steals, and a block.
• Justin Neely had 15 points off the bench for the Great Danes. He fell just short of collecting a double-double with nine rebounds on the night.
• De'Vondre Perry led the Great Danes with 31 minutes on the court. Perry finished with five points, three rebounds, two assists and a steal.
• Aaron Reddish made a splash off the bench, scoring seven points in 11 minutes.
• UAlbany shot 40.4% from the field (21-52), similar to EKU's 43.3% (26-60).
• The Great Danes went 5-18 from beyond the arc.
• Free throws weren't falling for UAlbany tonight, hitting just 17 of 26.
• The first half of the game was filled with fouls before both teams settled down in the second. UAlbany finished with 19 personal fouls, EKU finished with 21.

Coach Dwayne Killings: "It was a disappointing performance from our team. I think their (EKU) pressure got to us a little bit and we unraveled – momentum, fatigue, it got to us as the game went on. We had 14 turnovers, but we made a bunch of wrong reads. There were some moments where we moved it, we shared it, and good things happened on the floor. Then there were some possessions where that just didn't happen, and that's not ok.

How it Happened:

• EKU jumped out to an early 11-2 lead after going 3-3 from beyond the arc to start the game.
• The Colonels had three blocks on the Great Danes within the first five minutes.
• The two teams combined for 10 turnovers within the first eight minutes.
• After trailing by as much as 13, UAlbany was able to trim EKU's lead to just four with six and a half minutes remaining in the first half thanks to an 11-2 run.
• EKU took a 40-35 lead into the locker room at the half. Neely led the Great Danes with seven points and six rebounds early on. Jarvis Doles and Reddish followed, both with six buckets.
• At the half, UAlbany was shooting 38.5% from the field after going 10-26. The Great Danes were just 2-9 from deep, compared to EKU's 6-16 mark.
• Fouls were the story of the first half, with Albany committing 11 personals and a technical and EKU committing 14 personals.
• Turnovers plagued both teams from the start. Albany went to the locker room after coughing up the ball nine times, but not outpacing EKU with 10.
• Cerruti was the first player on either team to reach double figures – going all the way to the 14-minute mark of the second half.
• After a first half full of fouls, not a single foul was committed in the second half until the 12:34 mark.
• A late 7-0 run put EKU up double digits with little time on the clock, sealing the game for the Colonels.

Next: The Great Danes have two more games to play in Kentucky before returning home. Next game. Next up for the team is John Calipari's No. 13 Kentucky Wildcats this Monday at Rupp Arena. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m. and can be steamed on SECN+. Stay up to date with UAlbany men's basketball by following the team on Twitter (@UAlbanyMBB) and Instagram (@ualbany_mbb) for all of the latest news and highlights throughout the season.