University of Albany Men's Basketball Defeats Vermont Catamounts In America East Contest - UAlbany Sports

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information

Burlington, Vt. -- Freshman guard Anthony Raffa tied a career-high with 22 points and Will Harris added 20 as UAlbany knocked off Vermont, 82-77, in America East Conference play on Sunday, Jan. 11 at Patrick Gymnasium.

UAlbany (10-6, AE 2-1) trailed 43-40 early in the final period, but then went ahead on consecutive three-point field goals by Raffa, who scored 14 after halftime. Tim Ambrose, who added 17 points, eight rebounds and five assists, drilled a 3-pointer from the left wing to end that barrage.

The Great Danes, who shot 58.3 percent from the floor in the final stanza, later pushed out a 52-44 margin when reserve guard Louis Barraza buried another long-range jumper off a double-screen at the top of the arc. UAlbany held that working margin into the late stages of the contest until Harris sank two free throws for a 72-61 lead with 3:26 to play.

Vermont (9-6, AE 0-2) rallied with full-court pressure over the final minutes. Mike Trimboli, a three-time all-conference guard who had 21 points, closed the gap to 77-75 on a pair of foul shots with 47.5 seconds left. However, UAlbany held off the conference’s preseason favorite when Billy Allen and Jerel Hastings combined to make five from the line.

“We could have folded in the last two or three minutes, but we were able to escape with a win,” said UAlbany coach Will Brown, whose team made 48 percent from the field and canned a season-best eight 3-pointers. “They are as good as any team in our league. We got to halftime feeling good about ourselves after trailing by nine. We were in rhythm offensively and took good shots.”

The opening half produced end-to-end action, as UAlbany erased an early deficit with a 10-2 run. Harris, who scored 15 in the period, hit a turnaround on the left baseline to give his team the lead. The Catamounts, who shot 59.3 percent in the half, later trailed 23-20, but then struck for 10 unanswered. Joey Accaoui put his team in front with a fastbreak layup. Colin McIntosh's third consecutive basket ended that outburst.

Vermont upped their advantage to 34-25 on back-to-back buckets by Marqus Blakely, including a slam dunk following a steal. The Great Danes, who won for the third straight time on this floor, dating back to the 2007 America East championship final, got back into the contest by halftime when Ambrose canned a 3-pointer and Raffa made a pull-up bank shot.

“This is very meaningful (to beat Boston U. and Vermont),” offered Harris, a 6-foot-6 junior who grabbed nine rebounds and nearly had his third consecutive double-double. “Coach (Brown) puts together a good game plan and we just have to go out and execute.”

Blakely, last year’s America East player and defender of the year, totaled 11 points, seven assists, five rebounds and three blocks despite being saddled with foul trouble in the second half. McIntosh, who made 12 of 17 from the field, tied a career-high with 25 points.

“I have been frustrated the last two games,” explained Raffa, who also scored 22 against Pennsylvania in November. “I have not been aggressive against zone defenses. There were open gaps and I stepped up and starting hitting shots.”