UAlbany Men's Basketball Rolls in 74-46 Win Over Canisius at SEFCU Arena

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information

Albany, N.Y. – Tim Ambrose scored 15 points to pace four players in double figures in leading UAlbany to a 74-46 non-league victory over Canisius on Saturday, Dec. 13 at SEFCU Arena.

UAlbany (6-4) snapped a 17-17 deadlock with 19 unanswered points to take control. The Great Danes, who were coming off a pair of road losses, got back on the winning track by holding the visitors scoreless for nearly seven minutes. Scotty McRae, a 6-foot-8 junior, made two free throws and converted a layup in transition to jump-start that run. McRae had a career-high 13 points and three blocks off the bench. The opening 12 minutes featured four lead changes and four ties.

Brett Gifford, a 6’11” center who grabbed a career-best 11 rebounds, later pushed the lead to double digits when he made consecutive baskets, including a bank shot from left of the lane following an offensive rebound. Jimmie Covington put back a missed field goal attempt and freshman guard Anthony Raffa canned a three-point field goal to end the outburst and give their team a 36-17 advantage. The Great Danes, who employed full-court pressure during the decisive run, made 7 of 11 from the field in that span.

Canisius (3-6) overcame an 18-point deficit to defeat UAlbany on its home floor last February. But the Golden Griffins, who were held to 30.9-percent shooting, including 3-of-21 from beyond the three-point line, could never get back into the contest and trailed 37-20 at halftime. Meanwhile, the Great Danes upped their margin to as much as 67-37 with 4:40 remaining when Will Harris drillied a 3-pointer from the top of the arc. Harris, a transfer from Virginia, netted 10 of his 14 points in the period. Ambrose added 10 of his scoring total after halftime.

“I didn’t know how we would responded after the tough loss at Lehigh (on Monday),” said UAlbany coach Will Brown, whose team limited Canisius to the lowest shooting percentage by an opponent this season and dominated the glass with a season-best 56 rebounds. “We had good energy tonight, but we shot less than 40 percent from the field. That says a lot of good things about our defense and rebounding.”

Frank Turner, a preseason All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference guard, had 14 points and five points while playing all 40 minutes for the Golden Griffins, who end their current five-game road swing against nationally-ranked Syracuse on Dec. 17. Julius Coles was also in double figures with 11.

“We were hungry for the victory (after Lehigh),” explained Gifford, who blocked a career-high four shots and added two steals. We pressed more than usual and followed the scouting report. We played together for forty minutes and if continue to do that we can do great things as a team.”

Raffa finished with 14 points and six rebounds for the Great Danes, who will not play at home again until meeting America East Conference opponent Boston University on Jan. 8. Ambrose, a 6-foot sophomore, extended his double-figure scoring streak to eight straight games.