Logan Aronhalt Leads Second-Half Comeback in University of Albany's 66-63 A-East Win Against UMBC - UAlbany Sports 2011

Baltimore, Md. - Sophomore guard Logan Aronhalt scored 20 of his 28 points in the second half, as UAlbany overcame a huge deficit for a 66-63 win over UMBC in America East Conference play on Wednesday, Jan. 26 at Retriever Activities Center. The Great Danes recorded their third consecutive victory.

UMBC (3-18, AE 2-6) led 49-36 five minutes into the final period after Brian Neller, who had 13 points off the bench, canned a three-point field goal in transition. UAlbany (11-12, AE 4-4) was still down eleven with 13:12 remaining, before running off 10 straight to get back into the contest. Aronhalt scored eight in a row in that stretch, including a basket with an offensive rebound and a three-pointer from the left corner off an inbounds pass. Blake Metcalf's jump hook closed the gap to 51-50.

The Great Danes, who shot 57.7 percent from the field after the break, drew even twice, including 57-all when Tim Ambrose converted a driving layup. The Retrievers, who had won two of their previous three outings, went back ahead when Justin Fry hit a baseline jumper and Chase Plummer finished off a drive from the right.

But UAlbany battled back when Aronhalt made his sixth 3-pointer of the game and scored with an offensive rebound. Mike Black's fastbreak layup off a long pass from Ambrose put their team ahead, 64-63, with 21.7 seconds left. UMBC's Chris De La Rosa, who totaled 15 points and 10 assists, missed a potential go-ahead jumper and John Puk came down the defensive rebound. Aronhalt made both ends of a one-and-one with 1.3 seconds to play to seal the verdict.

"UMBC played with great energy in the first half," said UAlbany coach Will Brown, whose squad has won three straight against conference opposition for the first time since January 2009. "They forced tempo and were the more aggressive team. Tim Ambrose carried us for a long time and then Logan Aronhalt hit some huge shots in the second half. He's a rhythm guy and then he gets confidence."

The Retrievers reversed a 14-12 deficit midway through the first half with a run of 12 unanswered. George Washington transfer Travis King put his team ahead with a 3-pointer from left of the key. Laurence Jolicoeur scored with an offensive rebound and concluded the outburst with a three-point play.

De La Rosa, the conference's second-leading scorer, then went to work as his team built a 15-point margin. He connected on a 3-pointer and a driving shot. The Retrievers, who held the visitors to 10-of-39 shooting in the period, settled for a 39-27 halftime lead.

"We let them do what they wanted on offense (in the first half)," explained Aronhalt, who scored 20-plus points for the sixth time this season. "Our defense and rebounding really improved in the second half. We were able to push the ball and get some easy buckets."

UAlbany's Ambrose finished with 25 points, six rebounds, four assists and four steals. Fry was the third UMBC player in double figures with 13.

Paw Prints: UAlbany has won three in a row for the second time this season ... the Great Danes last won three consecutive America East Conference games from Jan. 8-14, 2009 ... UAlbany last won back-to-back conference road games in February 2008 ... Logan Aronhalt, whose scoring total was two off his career-high, tied a career-best with six three-point field goals ... Tim Ambrose had 20-plus points for 20th time as a collegian ...Aronhalt and Ambrose are the 20th UAlbany tandem to net 20-plus points in the same contest at the Division I level ... Ambrose moved past Rich Margison (1966-69) and Barry Cavanaugh (1975-79) into seventh place on the school's career scoring chart with 1,430 points ... UAlbany (11-12) had a 23-game record of 6-17 at this point in the 2009-10 season.

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information