Logan Aronhalt's Career-High 30 Points Leads University of Albany Men's Basketball to Win at Legends Classic Subregional - UAlbany Sports 2010

Detroit, Mich. - Sophomore guard Logan Aronhalt had 23 of his career-high 30 points in the second half, as UAlbany posted a 75-65 victory over Niagara on the second day of the Legends Classic's Detroit Subregional on Saturday, Nov. 27 at the University of Detroit Mercy's Calihan Hall.

UAlbany (2-5) led 45-43 in the final period, but then pulled away with 18 of the game's next 23 points. Aronhalt struck for 17 consecutive points in that decisive run, including five consecutive three-point field goals. He buried one from the right wing on a kick-out pass from Blake Metcalf to push the lead to double figures. Aronhalt, who made 11-of-16 from the field and 6-of-9 from the three-point line, later canned a jumper in transition and Mike Black sank one of two free throws for a 63-49 margin with 8:26 to play.

The Great Danes, who were coming off a double-overtime loss to Detroit the previous night, maintained a double-digit lead until Niagara (2-3) threatened in the final minutes. Anthony Nelson, a preseason All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference guard, connected off his steal to close the gap to 69-62. But UAlbany's Tim Ambrose tallied five of his 14 points in the stretch to keep his team safely ahead.

"We had a lot of people step up," said UAlbany coach Will Brown, whose freshman forward Luke Devlin was sidelined in the first half when he took an elbow to the head. "We started to get into the flow (in the second half). Niagara made their run and we got a little rattled, but we responded. I am learning about this team every day."

The Purple Eagles snapped an 11-11 deadlock in the first half when freshman Malcolm Lemmons nailed a three-pointer and Kashief Edwards, a 6-foot-6 junior who had 19 points and eight rebounds, hit a layup after his steal. Niagara later moved out to a 27-21 advantage when Scooter Gillette (9 points, 5 rebounds) was fouled as he scored in the lane for a three-point play.

The Great Danes were still trailing 29-25, before ripping off eight straight points. Ambrose, a 6-foot senior, canned a 3-pointer from beyond the NBA three-point arc and Aronhalt followed with a long-range jumper from the left corner. Mike Black, who had 15 of his career-best 19 points in the opening half, completed the spurt by connecting on a transition drive through traffic. UAlbany settled for a 36-33 halftime margin.

"We had better communication (on defense) and recognized their sets better in the second half," offered Aronhalt, whose team held Niagara to 35.2-percent shooting, including 4-of-28 from beyond the arc. "When I saw the 2-3 zone, my eyes lit up. Everyone did a good job of looking for me. That's the best that I've shot the ball since I've been in college."

Nelson, a 6-foot-1 senior, finished with 11 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and four steals. Lemmons scored 15 for the Purple Eagles, who defeated Bowling Green, 65-61, in Friday's subregional play. UAlbany's John Puk, a redshirt freshman center, grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds.

Paw Prints: UAlbany defeated Niagara for just the second time in 11 meetings ... the Purple Eagles won the last matchup, a 74-66 decision on Nov. 21, 2000 ... the Great Danes shot a season-best 53.8 percent from the field ... Niagara is the second of three Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference opponents on the schedule ... Logan Aronhalt is the first UAlbany to player to score 30 since Jason Siggers netted 34 at Vermont on Jan. 13, 2007 ... Mike Black's career-high 19 bettered his 18-point efforts against Boston University and Binghamton last year as a freshman ... Tim Ambrose climbed to No. 17 on the program's career scoring chart with 1,163 points ... Ambrose moved past Antione Johnson (1999-2003), who had 1,157 as a collegian ... Johnson is native of nearby Southfield-Lathrup (Mich.) High School ... Detroit recorded its second win in Legends Classic subregional action in Saturday's 71-62 triumph against Bowling Green.


Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information