Score: UAlbany 79, NJIT 73

Location: Joel & Diane Bloom Wellness and Events Center (WEC) in Newark, New Jersey
 
Records: UAlbany (9-7, 1-0 America East) | NJIT (4-9, 0-1 AE)
 
Short Story: The University at Albany men's basketball team got back in the win collum on Saturday afternoon, defeating rival NJIT 79-73 to move to 1-0 in America East conference play.

Key Stat Lines

• Big man Jonathan Beagle scored 17 of his 19 points in the second half, providing a spark for the Great Danes. He collected another double-double with 16 rebounds, 10 of which came in the first half.
• Sebastian Thomas led the way with 22 points on 6-16 shooting, going 4-8 from three and 6-8 from the charity stripe. He added three assists, a block, in a steal while playing all 40 minutes for UAlbany.
• Aaron Reddish moved into the starting rotation today and was strong early. He finished with 16 points, dropping 10 in the first half, also collecting nine rebounds.
• Marcus Jackson added 10 points, eight rebounds, and three assists.
• UAlbany shot 41.3% (26-63) from the floor and 33.3% (8-24) from three. NJIT shot 44.4% (28-63) from the field and 21.1% (4-19) from three.

How it Happened:

• The Great Danes took a 10-7 advantage into the first media timeout. Amar'e Marshall and Aaron Reddish each contributed five points, both knocking down a three in the process.
• An 8-0 run propelled the Highlanders into the lead before Sebastian Thomas buried a three to tie it at 13 with 12:45 remaining.
• UAlbany shot 50% in the front portion of the first half but trailed 22-18 with eight minutes on the clock. Reddish (8), Marshall (5), and Thomas (5) were the only players to score for UAlbany.
• Down 30-31, Tyler Bertram forced a steal on the defensive end then drove the lane on the other side of the court to put UAlbany back in the lead, 32-31, forcing NJIT to call timeout.
• NJIT took a one-point advantage, 35-34, into the locker room. UAlbany shot 38.7% (12-31) from the field and went 4-13 from deep. NJIT shot 41.9% from the field and went just 1-9 from beyond the arc.
• Reddish led UAlbany scorers with 10 in the first half. Jonathan Beagle recorded 10 rebounds in the first half alone.
• The Great Danes took another one-point lead, 41-40, by the first media timeout of the second half. Marshall, who was in foul trouble in the first half, returned to the game and made an instant impact, driving through the lane on a fast break for an early bucket.
• UAlbany built a six-point lead by the U12 media timeout, 54-48. Beagle (9), Bertram (5), and Marcus Jackson (5) started to find the basket to provide more points for the Great Danes.
• A monster slam from Beagle with eight minutes remaining got the bench off their feet, up two.
• UAlbany went on an 8-0 run to push its lead to nine points, the largest of the night, at 68-59 with four minutes remaining. Beagle continued his dominant second half, increasing his point total to 19 overall in 17 since the start of the second.
• UAlbany shot 43.8% (14-32) from the field and 36.4% (4-11) from three in the second half. NJIT shot 46.9% (15-32) from the field and 30% (3-10) from three.
   

Next: The Great Danes are set to play three straight home games beginning next Saturday from Broadview Center against Binghamton. 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.