Score: UAlbany 68, NJIT 77 
 
Location: Broadview Center| Albany, N.Y.  
 
Records: UAlbany (7-15, 3-4 America East), NJIT (10-12, 5-2 America East) 
 
Short Story: The University at Albany men's basketball team fell to NJIT, 77–68, on Thursday evening in the team's second Neon Night game.
 
Coach Killings: "I thought we did a good job fighting back into the game, but our mistakes cost us. We didn't box out, didn't finish possessions, and gave up a three to put us out of it. Once again, a guy off the bench hurt us. Quentin Duncan was 16 because we didn't get out to him. When we're focused, we've shown what we're capable of, but we haven't been consistent, and some of that is mental. Injuries aren't an excuse if you're on the floor; you must find a way to win. We've put ourselves in a hole we shouldn't be in, our toughness was challenged today, and NJIT was ready and won that battle."
 
Key Stats: 

• Amir Lindsey led UAlbany with 23 points and added five rebounds.
• Okechukwu Okeke paced the Great Danes on the glass with seven rebounds, while contributing eight points and two blocks.
• Three Great Danes grabbed at least five rebounds: Okeke (7), Isaac Abidde (6), and Abdoulaye Fall (5).
• UAlbany shot 26-of-65 (40.0%) from the field and 7-of-25 (28.0%) from three-point range.
• NJIT finished 28-of-60 (46.7%) from the floor, 8-of-22 (36.4%) from beyond the arc, and 13-of-16 (81.3%) at the free-throw line.

 
How it Happened: 

• UAlbany opened the scoring when Okechukwu Okeke threw down a dunk to give the Great Danes an early lead.
• The teams traded baskets over the first five minutes before NJIT edged ahead, 12–10, at the 15:00 mark.
• The Highlanders broke the back-and-forth with an 11–5 run from 14:42 to 9:48, extending their lead to 23–15.
• A defensive stalemate followed, with both teams scoring just six points over the next four and a half minutes to make it 29–21 with five minutes remaining in the half.
• UAlbany responded with a 9–3 run, scoring six straight points from 4:49 to 2:54, sparked by a Tarique Foster three that trimmed the deficit to 32–30.
• NJIT closed the half with seven unanswered points, though a late Foster three sent the teams into the break with the Highlanders leading 39–33.
• NJIT opened the second half with a 7–3 run over the first two minutes to push the lead to 46–36.
• The Great Danes answered with six unanswered points over the next two minutes, including four from Amir Lindsey, cutting the margin to 46–42 with 16:00 remaining.
• The Highlanders countered with five straight points and a 7–1 run from 15:27 to 13:50 to rebuild a 53–43 advantage.
• UAlbany surged back with an 11–0 run from 13:11 to 9:08, highlighted by five points from Lindsey, to take a 54–53 lead—its first since a 4–3 edge early in the game.
•  After a scoreless two-minute stretch, NJIT regained control with a 10–1 run from 7:03 to 4:32, pushing the lead to 63–55.
• Coming out of a UAlbany timeout at the 4:30 mark, the Purple and Gold went on a 7–2 run to cut the deficit to 65–62 with 2:30 remaining.
• NJIT sealed the game with a pair of three-pointers in the final two minutes, securing a 77–68 victory.

 
UP NEXT: UAlbany's men's basketball is back in action at home when they take on UMBC this Saturday night. Tipoff is set for 7:00 pm.
 
Social Central:  Stay up to date with UAlbany men's basketball by following the team on X (@UAlbanyMBB), Instagram (@ualbany_mbb), and the team's official Facebook (UAlbany Men's Basketball) for all of the latest news and highlights throughout the year.