Score: UAlbany 86, NJIT 59

Location: Wellness and Events Center | Newark, N.J.

Records: UAlbany (16-14, 8-7 America East), NJIT (5-25, 2-13 America East)

Short Story: The University at Albany men's basketball program dominated NJIT on the Highlanders' senior night by a score of 86-59.

Coach Dwayne Killings: "We shared the ball, and I think we gave ourselves up. I mean, these guys, they want to win, and they want to win this time of year… I think the team's got to be the hero, we have to make the right reads and right plays… It's not so much about the offensive decisions that we're making, we're making winning decisions, and we challenge the team to get consumed in winning and I think we're starting to understand what that means and what that looks like."

Key Stats:

• Five Great Danes recorded double-digit scoring figures with Byron Joshua (17), Kacper Klaczek (16), Amar'e Marshall (10), Bautista Giralt (10, and DeMarr Langford Jr. (10)
• Byron Joshua led the Great Danes with 17 points and seven assists.
• DeMarr Langford Jr. grabbed a team-high nine rebounds.
• Kacper Klaczek tallied the most blocks of any Great Dane with two along with the most time spent out on the court with 33 minutes of play.
• Amir Lindsey recorded a total of three steals for a team high.
• The Great Danes shot 34-61 (55.7%) from the field, 11-28 (39.2%) from the three, and 7-13 (53.8%) from the free throw line.

How it Happened:

• NJIT started the game on an 8-0 run before the Great Danes answered back outscoring the Highlanders 12-2 to take a 12-10 lead four minutes into the game, highlighted by four points from Amar'e Marshall.
• Threes from Byron Joshua, Kheni Briggs, and Zach Matulu helped UAlbany jump ahead 23-14 with 12:30 to play in the first.
• NJIT would look to chip away at UAlbany's lead following a 14-9 run over the next five minutes as the Great Danes led 32-28.
• An 18-4 run in the final seven minutes of the first half by the Purple and Gold would push UAlbany to its largest lead of the game, 50-32.
• The Great Danes' big run was led by seven points from Briggs and Kacper Klaczek.
• UAlbany and NJIT opened the first four minutes of the game trading baskets to stay an 18-point game, 57-39, with Klaczek recording five points for the Purple and Gold.
• A three from Amir Lindsey followed by a dunk from Klaczek would help push the Great Danes to a 23-point lead, 64-41, with 11:48 to play.
• With 8:23 to play, the Great Danes pushed their lead to 26, 70-44, thanks to four points from Joshua.
• A big seven-point stretch in the final minutes from Bautista Giralt in the final minutes of the game helped the Great Danes power to an 18-15 run to win 86-59.

 
UP NEXT: UAlbany's men's basketball team will head to Burlington, Vt. On Tuesday, March 4 for the final regular season game of the 2024-25 season. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 pm in Patrick Gymnasium.

Social Central: 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.