University of Albany Men's Basketball Rebounds in 78-60 Victory Against Pennsylvania at the Historic Palestra - UAlbany Sports 2009

Philadelphia, Pa. - Tim Ambrose had 20 points and Will Harris added 19 in leading UAlbany to a 78-60 non-league road win against Pennsylvania on Tuesday, Dec. 8 at The Palestra. The Great Danes ended a three-game skid.

Pennsylvania (0-6) trailed 39-32 at the halftime, but started the final period with baskets by Darren Smith and Rob Belcore. UAlbany (4-6) was still ahead, 47-42, but then erupted with a string of 10 consecutive points. Mike Johnson, who had 15 points and seven assists, canned a jumper in the lane and Billy Allen delivered a three-point field goal in transition. Brett Gifford scored on a follow shot in the lane and Ambrose made a free throw to end the run.

The Great Danes, who made a season-best 54.1 percent from the field, on 33-of-61 shooting, pushed their margin to 20 with 7:45 remaining. Jake Lindfors scored off a second-chance opportunity and made a driving layup, before Ambrose sank two foul shots for a 65-45 advantage. UAlbany led by as much as 23 in the stretch.

"This was a straight scout game where we had to execute the game plan," explained UAlbany coach Will Brown, whose team posted its largest road win margin since Feb. 22, 2007. "Mike Johnson did a good job on (Zack) Rosen, who is the heart and soul of their team. We forced them to defend for long periods of time and kept them from making a run in the second half."

In the first half, UAlbany snapped an 8-8 tie when Johnson made a 3-pointer from the left wing and Fran Urli scored in transition. Penn closed the gap to 20-19 as Dan Monckton hit a slam dunk following a steal. The Great Danes sped away with seven unanswered. Johnson made a basket and Ambrose followed with a three-point play as he was fouled while making a 16-footer in the circle. UAlbany held that eight-point margin for much of the period by shooting 51.5 percent from the floor.

"We have a shot to be a good team if we are focused and execute," said Johnson, whose squad struggled in a 29-point loss three days ago. "We gained some confidence (with this win), but we need to keep playing defense and take care of the ball."

Jack Eggleston had 15 points for the Quakers, who were held to 42-percent shooting. Mike Howlett and Rosen had 10 apiece. UAlbany's Harris, who is averaging more than 20 points in his last five starts, made 8-of-14 from the field and added six rebounds.


Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information