ALBANY, N.Y. – The University at Albany men's basketball team is heading to Newark, New Jersey, to face NJIT for the second game of the team's three-game road trip. Tipoff for the matchup is scheduled for 7:00 p.m., with snow in the forecast all day Saturday. The game will be available on ESPN3 and broadcast on ESPN Radio 104.5 The Team in Albany.
 
Game Info
Saturday, Jan. 29 – at NJIT
NJIT Wellness and Events Center in Newark, N.J.
7:00 p.m. EST
ESPN3 | ESPN Radio 104.5 The Team | Live Stats
 
Leading the Pack

• The Great Danes come into Saturday's game having won four of their last five conference games, with victories coming against UMass Lowell (twice), NJIT, and UMBC, and the lone loss coming at the hands of Stony Brook.
• The Great Danes are averaging 62.0 ppg, with opponents averaging 66.4 ppg. The team is shooting 40.2% from the field, 29.3% from three, and 70.4% from the charity stripe.
• In conference-only games, UAlbany sits in seventh with the fewest amount of points allowed (67.8) and third in total offense (69.0).
• With De'Vondre Perry sidelined for the season, Matt Cerruti is leading the team in scoring with 11.1 per game. The Huntington Valley, Pa., native is shooting 44.1% from three and 45.6% from the field, averaging over 30 minutes per game on the court.
• Jamel Horton follows closely behind with 10.8 points per game. He leads the team in assists with 73 on the season. He is shooting 39.9% from the field, totaling 60 rebounds on the year.  
• Justin Neely, a four-time America East Rookie of the Week, leads the team in rebounds with 95 on the season – averaging 5.6 per contest.

 
Hear from Coach Dwayne Killings
"We have a chance to play a really good NJIT again, this time on the road. I think the team has been doing a lot of really great things, although they haven't been getting the success they want. Matt Faw has been back on the court to help them offensively, give them some more fire power. The message to our team today was about being present. I know the Vermont game is waiting for us on Monday, but we first have to get to Monday… A great opportunity for our team."
 
Last Time Out
The Great Danes got back into the win column on Wednesday night with a 64-62 road win over UMass Lowell.

• Paul Newman led the way with 16 points, 13 rebounds, four blocks, a steal and an assist.
• Matt Cerruti also dropped 16 in the win, grabbing five rebounds to go along with an assist.
• Jamel Horton had 13 points and a team-high six assists.
• Jarvis Doles was the fourth Great Dane in double-figures, finishing with 11. He also had five rebounds and a block.
• UAlbany shot 43.1% (25-58) from the field and 30.0% (3-10) from three. UMass Lowell shot 37.9% (22-58) from the field and 25.0% (4-16) from three.
• UAlbany won the rebounding battle, 36-34.
• UMass Lowell led for 23:08, more than 50% of the game. UAlbany led for just 12:30.
• UAlbany finished with 15 turnovers, UMass Lowell finished with 13.

Scouting NJIT
The Highlanders sport a record of 8-10 heading into Saturday's game, with an America East record of 3-5. The team is looking to snap out of a five-game losing streak that stretches all the way back to Jan. 12. Before the streak, NJIT had one its first three conference games over Maine, UMass Lowell, and Binghamton.

The last time the Highlanders hit the court was this past Wednesday, falling on the road to UMBC by a score of 69-73. In that game, Miles Coleman finished with 19 points to lead the Highlanders, while Matt Faw just missed out on a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds. James Lee (12 points), Butler (10 points), and Diakite (10 points) all scored in double figures as NJIT had five different players with 10+ points for the first time this season.

Last Time Against the Highlanders
The two America East foes met at SEFCU Arena back on January 15, with the Great Danes winning 71-56.

• Matt Cerruti led the way with 18 points, going 4-7 from beyond the arc and collecting six rebounds.
• Jamel Horton dropped 14 points, leading the team with eight rebounds and five assists.
• Luke Fizulich scored nine points off the bench in 15 minutes of play on a career day.
• The team shot 38.7% (24-62) from the field and 28.0% (7-25) from three. NJIT shot 30.9% (17-55) from the field and 35.3% (6-17) from three.
• NJIT won the rebound war, 40-38.
• The UAlbany defense forced 15 NJIT turnovers.
• UAlbany finished going 16-19 from the free throw line.

#AEHoops Notes (1.24.22)

• Vermont is off to a 5-0 start in #AEHoops play for the fifth time in the last six seasons and has won its five games by an average of 20.0 points per game.
• The Catamounts, winners of seven in a row and eight of their last nine, rank 70thh in the country, behind only Iona among regional peers.
• Stony Brook has won three in a row and five of its last six to start conference play 4-1.
• The Catamounts visit the Seawolves on Wednesday in a matchup of the top two teams in the league standings.
• Vermont matched the conference's single-game record and set a new program standard by hitting 19 three-pointers in a 98-65 win over Stony Brook on Jan. 6.
• Stony Brook is the league's top scoring team averaging 72.9 points per game while Vermont is the top defense holding teams to 61.9 points per contest.
• Binghamton is off to its best #AEHoops start in 13 seasons. The Bearcats last started 4-2 during the 2008-09 championship winning season.
• 10 conference games have been postponed to date. Every effort will be made to reschedule postponed games.
• Three teams (Vermont, UMass Lowell and Stony Brook) posted eight non-conference wins.
• UMass Lowell had its best-ever record entering conference play at 8-4, including wins at Dayton and George Washington.
• Vermont is 8-4 and finished non-league play with a .667 win percentage for the fourth time under John Becker.
• America East teams beat two ACC squads in non-league play. UMBC trounced Pittsburgh, 87-77, on Nov. 27 while UAlbany beat Boston College, 61-57, on Dec. 13.
• The Catamounts finished non-league play with a .667 win percentage for the fourth time under John Becker.

 
Rookie Madness
Freshman Justin Neely has been named the America East Rookie of the Week four times this year, earning back-to-back titles on Nov. 22 and Nov. 29, on Dec. 13, and most recently on Dec. 27. The rookie is averaging over 18 minutes per game, fifth on the team, and leads the team in rebounds.
 
Postponements
UAlbany has had two games postponed this season due to COVID-19, a Dec. 28 matchup against Bucknell and a Jan. 2 matchup against Vermont. The America East announced that UAlbany's matchup with Vermont has been rescheduled to January 31 at 7:00 p.m. in Burlington. The Bucknell game has yet to be rescheduled. 
 
To view all America East schedule adjustments, click here.
 
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 Drumgoole 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).
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.