Men's Basketball Loses to Vermont, 79-70, in 12th Annual Big Purple Growl at SEFCU Arena

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information

Albany, N.Y. – Mike Trimboli had 20 points and Marqus Blakely added 19 points and 12 rebounds in leading Vermont to a 79-70 America East Conference victory over UAlbany on Saturday, Feb. 7 at SEFCU Arena. The contest was played before a capacity crowd of 4,538 on Big Purple Growl, the school’s winter homecoming.

Vermont (17-7, AE 8-3) led 34-30 early in the second half, but then ripped off 13 of the game’s next 16 points. Blakely, last year’s America East player and defender of the year, hit a one-hander on the move in the lane, before Garvey Young made a three-point play when he was fouled on a driving bank shot. Blakely added another pair of baskets, including a slam dunk on the left baseline. Young, who had nine points, converted a turnover into a layup and Blakely sank two foul shots for a 47-33 advantage.

UAlbany (13-10, AE 5-5) clawed its back into the fray behind the play of sophomore guard Tim Ambrose, who netted a career-high 29 points, all in the final period. Ambrose, who tied the school’s scoring mark for one half which was established in 1956, twice closed the gap to six, including 51-45 on a driving shot.

The Catamounts, who ended a four-game skid in this series, built their margin back to double figures. Blakely connected on a turnaround bank shot in the lane for a 61-51 lead with 4:26 remaining. However, the Great Danes made one last run with seven unanswered. Ambrose canned a jumper off the dribble and drilled two free throws. Louis Barraza, a sophomore who had a career-best 17 points off the bench, then delivered his fifth 3-pointer off a double-screen that got his club within one possession.

The Great Danes could have got even closer, but Will Harris missed the front end of a one-and-one with 2:14 to play. UVM’s Colin McIntosh, who had 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting, made the key shot when he buried a three-point field goal, under pressure, from the top of the arc for a 64-58 lead. The Catamounts held that margin the rest of the way by making 15-of-17 from the line in the stretch.

“Vermont runs everything through Blakely and he makes everyone on the floor better,” said UAlbany coach Will Brown, whose team had won nine of its previous 11 Big Purple Growl games. “We had plenty of opportunities to win the game. There were too many breakdowns on both ends of the floor and we didn’t get enough guys to contribute.”

The Catamounts, who dropped an 82-77 decision to UAlbany on their home floor in the first meeting this season, broke an early first-half deadlock with seven straight points. Trimboli, a 6-foot-1n senior who added six assists and four steals to his scoring total, made a 15-foot jumper to put his in front. Vermont would extend its lead to as much as 30-19 in the period when reserve guard Joey Accaoui nailed a 3-pointer from the right corner. UAlbany worked that deficit down to 34-28 by halftime.

“It’s tough to play without one of your stars,” said UAlbany forward Brian Connelly about Ambrose who sat all but two minutes in the opening half due to foul trouble. “We didn’t give up, but we didn’t get it done. We had too many mental lapses and the defense broke down several times.”

Ambrose made 11 of 17 from the field in reaching the 20-point mark for the fifth time this season. He added seven rebounds and three steals for the Great Danes, who played before a sellout for the fourth consecutive year in this homecoming game. Harris, the teams’ top scorer, was limited to two points on 1-of-9 from the field, as his nine-game, double-digit scoring streak came to an end.