Men's Basketball Slips to Seventh Place in America East Standings Following 78-59 Defeat

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information

Albany, N.Y. – Sophomore guard Alvin Abreu had 19 points to pace four players in double figures in leading New Hampshire to a 78-59 America East Conference victory over UAlbany on Sunday, Feb. 15 at SEFCU Arena. The Great Danes have dropped five straight, their longest losing streak since December 2005.

New Hampshire (10-14, AE 5-7) leaped to a 12-1 lead at the start and never trailed. Abreu, who added eight rebounds, five assists and three steals to his scoring total, hit a three-point field goal and layup after his theft to ignite that run.

UAlbany (13-13, AE 5-8) sliced a 13-point deficit to 26-20 in the first half when Will Harris and Anthony Raffa converted back-to-back driving layups. But the Wildcats responded with nine straight points to take control. Tyrece Gibbs, a 6-foot-3 senior who had 12 of his 16 points in the period, canned a three-pointer from the top of the arc to push the lead back to double digits. Tyrone Conley hit a long-range jumper from the right wing to end that outburst, as his team carried a 40-24 advantage to the intermission.

The Wildcats, who shot a season-best 56.8 percent, including 12-of-20 from beyond the arc, were never really in trouble in the second half. UAlbany closed within 53-41 midway through the stanza, but UNH tallied eight of the game’s next nine points to lock up the road win. Eric Gilchrese, who scored 11 off the bench, made a jumper in the lane. Abreu, a member of last year’s conference all-rookie team, added two free throws and another 3-pointer for a commanding 61-42 cushion.

“We were concerned about dribble penetration and the three-point line,” said UAlbany coach Will Brown, whose team slipped to seventh place in the conference standings. “We didn’t guard the perimeter well and we got down early. When there was an opportunity in the second half to climb back into it, we didn’t help ourselves by missing free throws.”

Conley, who was 4-of-6 from three-point range, finished with 17 points for the Wildcats, who won in this arena for the first time in three years. UAlbany’s Harris accounted for 18 points and seven rebounds. Jerel Hastings added 11 points, his second highest total of the season. The Great Danes have lost five in a row in America East regular-season play from the first time since the 2003-04 campaign.

“We got off to a great start and our defensive intensity was there,” offered New Hampshire coach Bill Herron, whose club posted season-highs in field goal percentage and three-pointers by a UAlbany opponent. “With five regular-season games left, we are trying to get our team to win the next one. We are not going to finish in the top three, but we are in a fight for positions four through eight (in the standings).”