Score: UAlbany 87, Union 75

Location: McDonough Sports Complex on the campus of Hudson Valley Community College in Troy, N.Y.
 
Records: UAlbany (2-2, 0-0 America East) | Union (0-3, 0-0 Liberty)
 
Short Story: The University at Albany men's basketball team used the second half to defeat local school Union in the team's 2022-23 home opener. Freshman Jonathan Beagle, fresh off his first America East Rookie of the Week title, secured his first collegiate double-double with a career-high 17 points and 13 rebounds. The Great Danes, down going into the locker room at halftime, shot 58.1% in the second half to retake the lead and secure the win.
 
Coach Bobby Jordan
"First off, I just want to thank Coach [Dwayne] Killings, our athletic department, Mark Benson and Vic Cegles, for giving me the opportunity to coach these games. It's been a great experience for me, and I appreciate them having faith in me. In terms of the game, resiliency was the name of the game for our guys… Our guys did a great job of fighting through adversity and answering the bell like they did in the second half tonight."
 
Key Stat Lines

• Gerald Drumgoole Jr. led all UAlbany scorers with 26 points. He went 6-13 from the field, 4-10 from three, and a perfect 10-10 from the charity stripe. He also led the team in assists (5), steals (4), and minutes (33).
• Jonathan Beagle recorded his first collegiate double-double with a career-high 17 points and 13 rebounds. The freshman also had a team-high two blocks.
• Aaron Reddish had a season-high 17 points off the bench. He shot 75% from deep, hitting 3-4 long balls.
• Sarju Patel finished as the fourth Great Dane in double figures with 11 points. He went 4-9 from the field and 2-6 from three.
• UAlbany shot 50% (30-60) from the field and 37.5% (9-24) from three. Union shot 47.5% (29-61) from the field and 41.7% (5-12) from three.
• Union finished with 15 turnovers, UAlbany had 12
• UAlbany won the rebound war 37-30.

How it Happened:

• By the first media timeout, UAlbany jumped out to a 7-5 lead. Jonathan Beagle started 2-2 from the field and Gerald Drumgoole Jr. hit his first three of the night.
• By the halfway point of the first half UAlbany was able to build a 19-13 advantage. Aaron Reddish started hot from three, going 2-2 from deep.
• Union was able to shrink the lead to 25-24 by the final media timeout of the first half. Beagle led the team with seven points while also picking up eight rebounds.
• Union took its first lead of the night, 28-27, following a dunk from Edward Baptiste in the final two minutes.
• Right before the final buzzer, Union's Mike Manley was able to lay one in to take a 30-29 lead into the locker room.
• The Great Danes shot 41.4% (12-29) from the field and 23.1% (3-13) from three in the first half. The Dutchmen shot 40.6% (13-32) from the field and 25% (1-4) from three.
• UAlbany came out of the locker room hot, going on an 11-4 run to start the second half and take a 40-34 lead. Drumgoole led the charge with four free throws and a three-pointer that forced a Union timeout.
• Following the timeout, the Great Danes hit three three-pointers in a row – one from Reddish, one from Sarju Patel, and another from Drumgoole Jr.
• By the midway point, UAlbany was able to extend the lead to 55-47 after shooting 4-7 from deep.
• UAlbany shot 58.1% (18-31) from the field and 54.5% (6-11) from three in the second half. Union shot 55.2% (16-29) from the field and 50% (4-8) from three.

 
Next: The Great Danes hit the road to play St. Joseph's on Thursday night before traveling to Daytona Beach for the Sunshine Slam. 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.