Score: UAlbany 68, Lehigh 52

Location: Stabler Arena in Bethlehem, Pa.
 
Records: UAlbany (4-8, 0-0 America East) |Lehigh (1-9, 0-0 Patriot League)
 
Short Story: The University at Albany men's basketball team cruised to a big 68-52 victory over Lehigh on Tuesday night, heading into the holiday break with a win. The Great Danes held the Mountain Hawks to just 12 points in the first half.
 
Key Stat Lines

• The team shot 43.6% (24-55) from the field and 45.5% (5-11) from three. Lehigh shot 38.8% (19-49) from the field and 25.0% (5-20) from three.
• UAlbany out-rebounded Lehigh, 38-28.
• UAlbany turned the ball over just 10 times (14 times for Lehigh) and forced seven steals.
• 10 of the 11 players who saw the court scored for the Great Danes.
• De'Vondre Perry led the way for the Great Danes, scoring 18 points and swatting away three blocks.
• Three-time America East Rookie of the Week Justin Neely posted a double-double with 11 points and 14 blocks.
• Luke Fizulich (9) and Ny'Mire Little (8) both posted single-game highs this season with points scored.

Head Coach Dwayne Killings: "We'll take the win for sure. I thought we did some good things, but I think we lost our focus at the beginning of the second half. But we got some good minutes. Dre [Perry] did some good things, Chuck stepped up with Jamel up, and our freshmen gave us good minutes… We challenged our guys to be present before the holidays, and they did a good job of that… I'm happy with it, we'll take the break, and we'll get ready to come back on the 29^th."

How it Happened:

• The Great Danes rushed out to a 9-2 lead to start the game. Cerruti had a bucket, Perry hit a free throw, and Champion and Doles each hit threes.
• UAlbany went 5-11 to start the game, going 2-3 from deep by the under-12 timeout.
• By the 8:30 mark, UAlbany extended the lead to 17 points with a 24-7 lead. The Great Danes held the Mountain Hawks to just 3-12 from the field, causing five turnovers.
• After Lehigh scored at the 11:33 mark, the Mountain Hawks did not grab a bucket again until the clock read 2:18.
• UAlbany brought a 36-12 lead into the locker room. The Great Danes shot an impressive 46.4% (13-28) from the field, going 5-8 from downtown. Lehigh was held to just 22.2% (4-18) from the field, hitting just one of nine attempts from deep. The Great Danes forced 11 turnovers in the first half, stealing the ball six times.
• Lehigh came out hot to start the second half, scoring the first five points of the frame. They would go on a 9-2 run to start before the first media timeout, with UAlbany hitting just 1-6 from the field.
• Lehigh cut the lead from 24 to 14 by the U12 timeout after shooting 53.8% from the field.
• UAlbany re-established it's 24-point lead by the five-minute mark, essentially sealing the game.
• The Great Danes recovered from a poor start of the second half to finish 11-27 from the field in the frame.

Next: The Great Danes take a week off for the holiday break before returning to action on Dec. 29 when the team hosts Bucknell at SEFCU Arena. Tip for the game is set for 7:00 p.m. 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.