Score: UAlbany 71, UMass Lowell 83

Location: Kennedy Family Athletic Complex | Lowell, Mass.

Records: UAlbany (4-12, 0-1 America East), UMass Lowell (6-10, 1-0 America East)

Short Story: The University at Albany men's basketball team, following a comeback effort, fell short to UMass Lowell in the opening game of conference play.

Key Stats:

• For the fourth straight game, Amir Lindsey paced UAlbany with 19 points, shooting 7-of-14 (50.0%) from the field, 1-of-3 (33.3%) from three-point range, and 4-of-5 (80.0%) at the free throw line.
• Lindsey also led the Great Danes with seven assists.
• Okechukwu Okeke finished with 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting (77.8%) and led the team with eight rebounds and four blocks. He also shared the team lead with one steal alongside Lindsey, Nas Muhammad, Tarique Foster, and Yaya Keita.
• As a team, UAlbany shot 29-of-62 (46.8%) from the field, 5-of-18 (27.8%) from beyond the arc, and 8-of-13 (61.5%) at the free throw line.
• UMass Lowell connected on 33-of-67 (49.3%) from the floor, 5-of-16 (31.3%) from three-point range, and 12-of-17 (70.6%) at the free throw line.

 
How it Happened:

• UMass Lowell scored the game's first four points before the Great Danes answered with an 8–0 run to take an 8–4 lead, with four different players scoring from inside the arc.
• The River Hawks responded with a 10–2 surge over three minutes to reclaim the lead, 14–10, seven minutes into the opening half.
• Okechukwu Okeke threw down his second dunk of the game to spark UAlbany, and a three-pointer from Amir Lindsey helped tie the game at 17–17 with 11:27 remaining.
• UML closed the half strong, using a 12–6 run over the final six minutes to extend its lead to 32–23, then pushing the margin to a half-high 36–26 with 46 seconds left.
• Isaac Abidde scored the final basket of the half on a spinning layup, sending the teams to the locker room with UMass Lowell ahead 36–28.
• The River Hawks opened the second half with a decisive 16–4 run over the first six minutes to build a 52–32 advantage.
• UAlbany battled over the next five minutes, outscoring UML 14–13 to make it a 65–46 game with 8:33 to play.
• Seven points from Abidde fueled a 18–10 Great Danes run over four minutes, trimming the deficit to 75–64 with three minutes remaining.
• Two late three-pointers from Tarique Foster brought UAlbany within eight points in the final two minutes after the Great Danes had trailed by as many as 23 earlier in the half.
• The comeback attempt came up short, as UMass Lowell sealed the 83–71 victory by converting its final four free throws.

 
UP NEXT: UAlbany returns to Broadview Center on Saturday, January 10, when they face Bryant on United Way $5 Kid's Day. Tipoff is set for 2:00 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 brand new official Facebook (UAlbany Men's Basketball) for all of the latest news and highlights throughout the year.