ALBANY, N.Y. - The University at Albany men's basketball team is ready to host Columbia University this Saturday at 7:00 p.m. for one of the team's biggest games of the year – The Big Purple Growl. Before tip, fans are also encouraged to attend this year's Ferocious Feast, hosted by the UAlbany Alumni Association from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. The game will be streamed on ESPN3 and broadcast on ESPN Radio 104.5 The Team in Albany.
 
Game Info
Saturday, Dec. 11 – vs. Columbia
SEFCU Arena in Albany, N.Y.
7:00 p.m. EST
ESPN3| ESPN Radio 104.5 The Team | Live Stats | Tickets | Digital Program
 
Head Coach Dwayne Killings on The Big Purple Growl
"The Columbia program has had success and their head coach does a really good job. They're a younger team, but they have very good guard play and they rebound offensively and they shoot the ball well… It will be a good test for us. It's a great, great night for our program. It's a Saturday game, so we will finally get that experience at home and in front of a crowd. I think students getting a break from finals and getting them in here to cheer, getting the community in here, will be great. People who are a part of the UAlbany community, having them come back will be tremendous. I'm excited for that crowd, and I'm hoping it energizes our team."
 
Leading the Pack

• The Great Danes are averaging 57.1 ppg, with opponents averaging 71.4 ppg. The team is shooting 37.9% from the field, 27.5% from three, and 65.4% from the charity stripe.
• The Great Danes have more steals than their opponents, with 62 in favor of UAlbany and 47 in favor of their opposition. 
• De'Vondre Perry leads the team in scoring, averaging 11.5 ppg and shooting 45.0% from the field. He has shot 30.4% from three-point range and has pulled in 5.4 rebounds per game. He is averaging over 32 minutes per game on the court.
• Matt Cerruti leads the team shooting from beyond the arc, shooting at a clip of 43.8% from three and averaging 4.0 attempts from deep per game. He is second on the team with 9.8 ppg, shooting 42.3% from the field.
• Jamel Horton leads the team in assists per game (4.0) and is tied with Perry for steals per game (1.5).
• Two-time America East Rookie of the Week Justin Neely leads the team in rebounds with 45, averaging 5.6 per contest.

 
Scouting Columbia
Columbia comes to SEFCU Arena sporting an overall record of 3-7, going 3-2 at home and 0-5 on the road. The Lions have picked up wins this season against America East foes Binghamton (85-77 OT) and Maine (77-66), and against Mount Saint Vincent (87-62). UAlbany will be the fourth America East team the Lions face this year, having also dropped a contest to UMBC 60-98 on Dec. 1. The team is averaging 68.8 ppg while allowing 77.6 ppg to opponents, shooting 42.8% from the field and 33.8% from three. Leading the team in scoring is Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa with 14.4 ppg. The first-year student out of the Dominican Republic has started all 10 games for the Lions, averaging 34.1 minutes on the court. He is shooting 39.5% from the field and 30.9% from beyond the arc.
 
The last time out, Columbia fell to Colgate on the road, 61-89. Zavian McLean notched a career-high 15 points on 7-of-12 shooting for the Lions. Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa added 12 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Monday's game marked the first time a player besides Rubio De La Rosa or Liam Murphy led the team in scoring.
 
Last Time Out
The Great Danes fell to Yale this past Tuesday, 52-71

• Jamel Horton led the team in points (11) and assists (4).
• Matt Cerruti led the team in time on the court with 33 minutes. He finished going 3-of-8 from the field with seven points, five rebounds, and two assists.
• Justin Neely led with seven rebounds. He finished shooting 3-of-7 from the field, sinking all three free throws given to him to end with nine points.
• The team shot 37.3% (19-51) from the field and 35.3% (6-17 from three. Comparatively, Yale shot 39.0% (23-59) from the field and 34.5% (10-29) from three.
• Yale won the rebound battle 40-33.
• Of UAlbany's 52 points, 16 came off of turnovers and 20 came from in the paint.

 
Big Purple Growl
First and foremost, show your Great Dane pride by wearing purple! The men's hoops team will be wearing their purple uniforms and are excited to see an ocean of purple shirts, jackets, hats, and shoes spread all throughout SEFCU Arena.
 
F-R-E-E That Spells FREE
The first 1500 students to walk through the doors of SEFCU Arena will be greeted with a free UAlbany rally towel featuring the phrase 'Growl as One' printed across the front. Students are encouraged to wave their towels, and make some noise, all game long in support of the Great Danes. As is for all men's and women's games, UAlbany students get in FREE with a valid student ID. Coach Dwayne Killings and the entire hoops team are excited to welcome student support the Great Danes all season long.

Shoe Drive
UAlbany Athletics is proud to partner with Kwekicks, an online shoe retailer founded by one of our very own UAlbany students! In conjunction with Kwekicks, the Great Danes will be hosting a shoe drive this Saturday and Sunday at both the men's and women's basketball games. Every student who comes out to the games will receive a raffle ticket for a chance to win a $300 gift card to Kwekicks - with one gift card given away at each game. For every pair of shoes students bring to donate, they will receive another five (5) entries! Winners will be announced during halftime of each game, and the winning student MUST be in attendance to claim their reward. 
 
Ferocious Feast – UAlbany Alumni Association
The Ferocious Feast is fun for everyone with music, beer tasting, games and activities for all ages and great food. Enjoy a station-style buffet with options to choose your own favorite menu items. Each person will receive tickets to be used at whichever station you prefer. Use them all at one station or visit each one. The feast is open from 4:30-6:30 p.m.
 
Get Ready for Halftime
The Big Purple Growl halftime show will feature a performance from 'Mutts Gone Nuts' – a must see touring group that showcases the amazing talents of dogs. The group has performed at numerous venues across the country and is excited to perform at SEFCU Arena.
 
Back-to-Back Rookie of the Week Honors
Freshman Justin Neely has been named the America East Rookie of the Week twice this year, earning back-to-back titles on Nov. 22 and Nov. 29. His second award came after hitting a game-winning three-pointer against EIU, the first of the year for the Great Danes. He is currently leading the team in rebounds.
 
Drive the Lane with UAlbany Hoops
It was recently announced that UAlbany had expanded its partnership with ESPN Radio 104.5 The Team and City Line Bar & Grill. Coaches Dwayne Killings and Colleen Mullen, along with select student-athletes, will join ESPN Radio 104.5 The Team's Charlie Voelker and Dan Bahl every Monday from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. live from City Line Bar & Grill for a weekly segment entitled 'Drive the Lane with UAlbany Hoops'. 
 
Fans are invited to come out to City Line Bar & Grill to join Coach Killings, Coach Mullen, student-athletes and the ESPN Radio 104.5 The Team crew. Food and drink specials will be available on a weekly basis as the teams embark on their new seasons and talk hoops every Monday. 
 
Meet Coach Killings
Dwayne Killings, a native of Amherst, Mass., begins his journey as Head Coach of the Great Danes after previously serving at Marquette University, where he spent the previous three seasons. While at Marquette, Killings served under Head Coach Steve Wojciechowski. In Killings' three years in Wisconsin, the Golden Eagles posted two winning seasons and made one appearance in the NCAA Tournament. In 2020, his recruiting class ranked in the top-20 nationally and he coached 2019-20 BIG EAST Player of the Year and AP All-American Markus Howard.
 
Roster Changes
The coaching staff isn't the only thing that's new for the Great Danes. The roster has had a complete transformation from last year's squad, which made it to the America East Quarterfinals as the No. 5 seed. Nine new student-athletes are suiting up in the purple and gold for 2021-22 - De'Vondre Perry, Matt Cerruti, Gerald Drumgole Jr., Paul Newman, Ny'Mire Little, Justin Neely, Aaron Reddish, Luke Fizulich, and Tairi Ketner. Returning for UAlbany is Will Amica, Trey Hutcheson, Jarvis Doles, Jamel Horton, Sam Shafer, and Chuck Champion.
 
Along with the coaching staff, these 22 men officially make up the 2021-22 UAlbany Great Danes. In total, 16 of these individuals are new to UAlbany.
 
Coaches' Poll
A completely new team, the Great Danes were picked to finish seventh in this year's America East Preseason Coaches' Poll, receiving 34 points. Stony Brook came in atop the list with 77 points and five first-place votes, just ahead of Vermont with 74 points and four first-place votes. New Hampshire rounded out the top three with 64 points and a single first-place vote.
 
Defending champion Hartford placed fourth with 56 points, UMBC placed fifth with 49 points, and UMass Lowell placed sixth with 43 points. Following the Great Danes' seventh-place spot was NJIT (23 points), Maine (16 points) and Binghamton (14 points).
 
America East Lineup
Conference action kicks off after the new year with the great Danes traveling to face Vermont on Jan. 2. The team plays their first America East game at home that same week with a matchup against Binghamton slated for Jan. 6. Other home conference matchups include UMass Lowell (Jan. 12), NJIT (Jan. 15), Stony Brook (Jan. 22), UMBC (Feb. 2), Maine (Feb. 9), Vermont (Feb. 12), New Hampshire (Feb. 19), and Hartford (Mar. 1).
 
Secure Your Tickets
This year marks a new chapter in history for the Great Danes, don't miss out! Season tickets for UAlbany basketball can be purchased by calling the UAlbany Ticket Office at (518) 442-DANE or by visiting UAlbanySports.com/Tickets.
 
FREE with your ID
UAlbany students are welcome to SEFCU Arena and get in FREE with their student ID! Coach Dwayne Killings and the entire hoops team encourage the UAlbany student body to come out and support the Great Danes all season long.
 
Social Central
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.