University of Albany Men's Basketball beats University of Hartford, 73-63, Earning Share of 1st Place in America East

West Hartford, Conn. - Brent Wilson had 17 points and Jerel Hastings added a career-high 16 as UAlbany held off Hartford, 73-63, in America East Conference play on Saturday evening at Chase Arena. The Great Danes recorded their third consecutive road win.

Hartford (8-11, AE 2-2) trailed by as much as 18 early in the second half, but rallied behind Jaret Von Rosenberg. The junior guard had eight of his 12 points in a run of 14 unanswered. His three-point play sliced the deficit to 46-43 with 11:21 remaining. The Hawks, who had won six of seven at home entering the contest, stayed within three over the next five minutes.

UAlbany (9-9, AE 4-2) finally broke free when Jon Iati drilled a three-point field from right of the key and Brent Wilson scored off an inbounds pass for a 57-49 advantage. Wilson, who made 4-of-8 from beyond the arc, registered his fifth career double-double by grabbing 11 rebounds.

"There are stretches where we get complacent,” explained Wilson. “It's a whole new team and it's our (the seniors) job to get everyone together. We are starting to create an identity on the road. We were disappointed with the way we played at home against Binghamton (Jan. 12)."

Warren McLendon, who led all scorers with 19, closed the Hawks within 59-54 by delivering in the paint. But Iati would beat the shot clock with a rainbow 3-pointer on his team's next possession that seemed to seal the outcome. The Great Danes used the free throw line to hold their lead over the final two minutes.

Brian Lillis posted his third consecutive double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds, the first by a UAlbany player since 1998. The Great Danes moved into a virtual five-way tie for first place in the conference standings. Joe Zeglinski was the third Hawk in twin figures with 13 points.

"We set the tone on defense in the first half, but we couldn't make a shot on offense,” said UAlbany head coach Will Brown, whose team reached the .500 mark for the first time since mid-December. “The first six or seven minutes of the second half we just kept turning the ball over. We finally settled down and made some plays down the stretch."

The Great Danes held Hartford scoreless through the first media timeout and without a field goal for nine-plus minutes at the start. Meanwhile, Hastings, who scored 10 in the period, canned a pair of free throws for an 11-3 lead during that stretch. Hastings pushed the lead to double figures when he made a conventional three-point play as he was fouled on a basket in the lane.

UAlbany still led 23-11 with four minutes left in the stanza, but then ran off seven unanswered. Lillis connected off an offensive rebound and nailed a 17-footer from the right side, before Tim Ambrose hit two foul shots to provide his team with a 19-point cushion. The Hawks shot just 19 percent before the break on 4-of-21 attempts.

"One of our goals was to defend the three-point line,” said Lillis, whose team was confounded by a Hartford zone press for a majority of the second half. “They took advantage of our size advantage with their pressure (in the second half). They were scrappy and were beating our guys to the ball."