UAlbany Men's Basketball Records Fifth Straight Victory in 57-47 Non-League Win Against Bryant University

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information

Albany, N.Y. – Freshman Anthony Raffa scored 17 and Brian Connelly added a season-high 13 points as UAlbany posted its fifth consecutive win in a 57-47 victory over Bryant in a non-league game on Monday, Dec. 1 at SEFCU Arena. The Great Danes, who improved to 5-2 overall, are off to their best start since the 1997-98 campaign.

UAlbany led 32-26 early in the second half, but then exploded with nine unanswered. Tim Ambrose, a 6-foot sophomore who did all of his scoring after the break with 13 points, drilled a three-point field goal from right of the key to push the lead to double digits. Jerel Hastings canned a 19-foot jumper in transition, before Raffa connected on a conventional three-point play. Following a stolen inbounds pass at mid-court, Ambrose fed the first-year guard who was fouled while making a layup for a 41-28 lead.

The Great Danes, who have won five in row for the first time since the late stages of the 2006-07 season, pushed their advantage to as much as 47-28 midway through the period. Ambrose converted a fastbreak and Louis Barraza drilled a 3-pointer from the top arc off an inbounds play during that span. Bryant (1-4) never got closer than the final score after that point.

“We shot the ball terrible against a team that played zone for 35-40 minutes,” said UAlbany coach Will Brown, whose team made just 32.1 percent on 18-of-56 attempts. “You need to be aggressive and attack against the zone and we settled for jump shots. However, our defense was solid and we are getting guys experience and minutes.”

The first half produced six ties and two lead changes as neither team was effective offensively. The Great Danes broke a 15-15 deadlock as Brian Connelly scored off an offensive rebound and made a pair of free throws. Connelly, a 6-foot-8 senior, had 12 of his final scoring total in the period. Bryant’s Barry Latham, who led his team with 16 points, closed the gap to 22-20 with a pair of free throws. But Barraza and Raffa each sank a three-point field goal over the next two minutes to give their team a six-point halftime cushion.

“We didn’t bring any energy at the tip and it was like a hockey game out there (in the first half),” offered Connelly, whose team was meeting Bryant for the second time this season after winning the first contest, 76-67, on Nov. 19. “But when you are not scoring you have to play defense.”

The Bulldogs, who are in their first season as a Division I program and were coming off a 30-point loss to second-ranked Connecticut, shot 32.7 percent from the floor. Chris Birrell, one of four starters returning from last year’s NCAA Division II Tournament team, added nine points and seven rebounds.

“We started slow and came out flat,” explained Raffa, who added six rebounds and five assists. “But it is nice to put together five wins and get some confidence going with a young team."