University of Albany Men's Basketball Records First Win By Edging Defending Patriot League Champion American - UAlbany Sports 2009

Washington, D.C. - Tim Ambrose scored on a follow shot in the lane in the closing minutes and UAlbany hung on in the stretch for a 51-50 victory over American on Monday, Nov. 16 in the Eagles' home opener at Bender Arena.

UAlbany (1-2) trailed by as much as eight points early in the second half and were still behind 41-34 before making a move. Scotty McRae, who tallied a career-high 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds off the bench, sank a 16-footer in the circle and canned a three-point field goal from the top of the arc that closed the gap to a single possession.

The Great Danes, who were playing their third consecutive opponent that made last year's NCAA Tournament field, drew even at 41 apiece on Ambrose's 17-foot jumper following a steal. McRae gave his squad its first lead of the period when he sank a jumper in the key midway through the period.

Ambrose made a pair of foul shots and then found Will Harris curling off a screen for a 47-43 lead. But American (0-2) responded when Simon McCormack, a 6-foot-4 sophomore who netted 10 points, made two free throws and nailed a 10-foot jumper from left of the lane. Ambrose, a 6-foot junior who had 14 points, put his team back in front, 49-47, with a left wing jumper. Freshman guard Daniel Munoz regained the lead on a conventional three-point play when he was fouled while making a driving bank shot with 2:25 remaining.

After McRae misfired on a left-baseline shot, Ambrose scored with the offensive rebound. After a series of events, UAlbany guard Mike Johnson, who was making his first appearance of the season, stole an errant pass in the lane with 11.4 seconds to play. Ambrose would miss the front end of a one-and-one free throw opportunity, but Munoz missed a runner in the lane as time expired.

"They are a tough team and they bothered us when they went to a small lineup," said UAlbany coach Will Brown, whose squad ended a seven-game road losing streak by holding the Eagles to 38.2-percent shooting. "We played some match-up zone that last eight to 10 minutes and than helped. We have a young group that keeps fighting. We have to take a deep breath because we won a tight game and didn't play well."

The opening 13 minutes of play produced six lead changes. The Eagles, who have won back-to-back Patriot League titles and lowered their championship banner in a pre-game ceremony, eventually caught fire by stringing together a 16-4 run that reversed a three-point deficit. Mike Bersch converted a fastbreak layup from a driving Steve Luptak that put his team ahead. Freshman guard Blake Jolivette, a first-team all-state high school player from Houston, Texas, then connected on a pair of three-point field goals, including one from right of the key for a 23-18 advantage.

Stephen Lumpkins, a 6-foot-8 sophomore who had 12 points and seven rebounds, later scored on a tip-in, before Munoz finished off a fastbreak for a 29-20 lead. The Great Danes came back with five straight points when Jake Lindfors drilled a long-range jumper from the left wing and Johnson connected off his steal. Lumpkins converted a left-handed spin move in the lane to answer that spurt.

"We were making extra passes and missing early layups, but we were able to pull it through," Ambrose explained. "They couldn't space us out in their zone in the second half like they did in the first. We always had someone there in a matchup. It's good to get our first road win."

Harris finished with nine points and seven rebounds for the Great Danes, who snapped American's 12-game win streak at Bender Arena, the 13th longest home win skein in the nation.

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information