Score: UAlbany 71, Harvard 76

Location: Lavietes Pavilion in Cambridge, Mass.
 
Records: UAlbany (8-7, 0-0 America East) | Harvard (9-4, 0-0 IVY)
 
Short Story: The University at Albany men's basketball team battled back against the Harvard Crimson on the road on Tuesday night, but ultimately fell by a score of 76-71. Sebastian Thomas led the way for UAlbany with 24 points. UAlbany will move on to America East play starting this Saturday with a road trip to NJIT.

Key Stat Lines

• In addition to his team-high 24 points, Thomas also led the team in assists (5) and steals (5).
• Amar'e Marshall followed closely behind with 22 points, going 9-16 from the field with two blocks.
• Jonathan Beagles scored 16 points, 10 of which came in the first half. The big man led the team in rebounds with eight.
• UAlbany shot 48.3% (28-58) from the field but went just 4-21 from three-point range.
• Both teams finished with 35 rebounds.
• UAlbany gave up 17 turnovers, Harvard gave up 12.

How it Happened:

• Harvard claimed an early 5-2 advantage before Sebastian Thomas drove threw lane and finished at the rim with a spin move to make it a one-point game at the first media timeout.
• The scoring picked up over the next five minutes, with Harvard bringing a 16-14 advantage into the next stoppage in play. UAlbany started the game shooting 46.7% (7-15) from the field, going 0-3 from deep. Jonathan Beagle led all scorers with eight points, going 4-6 from the field.
• The Crimson extended the lead to six points, 24-18, with 7:52 remaining in the first. The biggest difference between the two opponents to start the contest was bench points, with Harvard players scoring 10 off the bench with UAlbany players unable to get on the board. All of UAlbany's 18 points came from within the paint.
• Three players were responsible for UAlbany's first 24 points – Thomas (8), Beagle (10), and Amar'e Marshall (6).
• An 11-2 run extended the Harvard lead to 35-24 with four minutes remaining in the first half.
• A three-pointer from Thomas ended the Harvard run, 11 straight points, with 2:47 remaining.
• UAlbany went to the locker room at halftime down 39-30. The Great Danes shot 44.8% (13-29) in the first half, going just 1-10 from three. Harvard shot 47.1% (16-24) from the field and went 3-11 from beyond the arc.
• UAlbany coughed up 10 turnovers in the first half compared to Harvard's five. The Crimson scored 14 points off of turnovers alone.
• 20 of Harvard's first-half points came from the bench. The UAlbany bench did not register a point in the first half, and only three players (Beagle, Marshall, Thomas) were able to find the net.
• UAlbany came out strong in the second half, cutting the deficit to five points on a 9-5 run to start. Beagle accounted for four points, Marshall hit a three, and Muneer Newton scored the first bench points of the night for the Great Danes with a tip-in.
• With just under 12 minutes remaining, the scoreboard read 53-47 in favor of the Crimson. UAlbany shot 50% on the front end of the second half, going 6-12 from the field. The Great Danes still struggled from long range though, going just 1-4 from three-point range and scoring 10 of its 17 second-half points from inside the paint.
• A 7-0 run from UAlbany made it 55-54 with 10:50 remaining. A three from Tyler Bertram started the run before back-to-back steals on the defensive end gave even more momentum to UAlbany.
• UAlbany kept it within two points at the four-minute mark, down 68-66. UAlbany was able to keep Harvard within striking distance but was unable to break through to take the lead.  
• UAlbany trailed by three, 73-70, with 21 seconds on the clock – needing to foul. Free throws from the Crimson, and a missed three from the Great Danes, essentially sealed the game.
   

Next: The Great Danes kick off America East action this Saturday as the team visits NJIT for a 3:30 p.m. game in Newark. Stay up to date with UAlbany men's basketball by following the team on X (@UAlbanyMBB) and Instagram (@ualbany_mbb) for all of the latest news and highlights throughout the year.