University of Albany Sets Program's Division I Record in 76-37 America East Win Against Binghamton - UAlbany Sports 2011

Albany, N.Y. - Mike Black had 15 points to pace four players in double figures, as UAlbany led wire-to-wire in a 76-37 America East Conference victory over Binghamton on Thursday, Jan. 20 at SEFCU Arena. The Great Danes posted their largest win margin since moving to the NCAA Division I level in the 1999-2000 campaign.

UAlbany (10-12, AE 3-4) leaped to 12-2 lead at the start. Black, who made 6-of-9 from the field, hit a fastbreak layup following a blocked shot and canned a three-point field goal in transition. Tim Ambrose, who totaled 14 points, seven rebounds and five assists, made a bank shot to finish off a fastbreak and converted another shot after a steal.

The Great Danes' zone defense bothered the visitors, as Binghamton (6-13, AE 3-3) made just 2-of-18 from the floor over the opening fourteen minutes. Meanwhile, the Great Danes ran off 17 unanswered to build a 29-5 advantage. Ambrose, a 6-foot senior, scored off a curl move and connected on a driving bank shot from the left side. Freshman Luke Devlin, who had 12 points, made a pair of three-pointers from the top of the arc late in that decisive run.

The Great Danes, who led 39-13 at the intermission after holding Binghamton 13.3-percent shooting in the half, pushed out to a 52-22 lead midway through the second half when Devlin drilled one of his four 3-pointers. UAlbany kept a working 30-point margin until the final five minutes.

"It was an overall team effort," said Ambrose, whose team held Binghamton to 21.1-percent shooting for the game and blocked a season-best 11 shots. "(The win) was not easy. Everything went our way. We all had the same energy and communicated on defense."

UAlbany's bench helped extend the lead in the late stages. Ralph Watts, the fourth Great Dane in twin figures, had a career-high 10 points and made all four of his field goal attempts. Sophomore guard Jacob Iati added a pair of long-range jumpers, as his team made 11-of-27 from behind the arc.

Mahamoud Jabbi, a 6-foot-7 senior, had 14 points and 13 rebounds for the Bearcats, who suffered their third consecutive defeat after starting conference play with three wins in a row.

"Our defense and rebounding led to some transition opportunities," explained UAlbany coach Will Brown, whose team allowed the lowest point total by an America East regular-season opponent in program history. "We've had so many close games that we deserved to have one like this. We were unselfish, moved the ball from side to side and kept our foot on the gas pedal."

Paw Prints: UAlbany broke the program's Division I record for win margin, eclipsing the previous mark set in a 70-38 win over Columbia on Nov. 17, 2007 ... the Great Danes also set a program standard for lowest point total by an America East opponent in regular-season play ... Hartford scored 42 points against UAlbany on Jan. 27, 2005 ... Tim Ambrose moved among the school's top 10 in career scoring and has 1,405 points ... Ambrose is tied with Will Brand (1998-2002) for ninth place on the all-time chart ... John Puk matched a career-high with four blocked shots ... the Great Danes had a season-high 11 blocks as a team ... freshman Luke Devlin has scored in double figure in three of his last four games ... UAlbany ended a three-game losing streak in the Binghamton series ... the two programs met for the 86th time.

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information