Jacob Iati & Billy Allen Make Late Free Throws in University of Albany's 62-59 Big Purple Growl Victory - UAlbany Sports 2011

Albany, N.Y. - Jacob Iati and Billy Allen each made two free throws in the game's late stages as UAlbany held off Hartford, 62-59, in America East Conference play on Saturday, Feb. 5 at SEFCU Arena. The Big Purple Growl crowd of 4,037 was the largest at home this season.

Hartford (7-16, AE 4-6) trailed 57-49 with less than two minutes, but rallied behind the shooting of Joe Zeglinski. The senior guard, who netted 15 points, made two of his five 3-pointers in that stretch. The Hawks twice sliced the deficit to a single point, including 60-59 on Milton Burton's drive. Iati canned two foul shots with 2.6 seconds remaining and Burton misfired a three-point attempt at the end.

UAlbany (12-14, AE 5-6) was ahead by 10 early in the final period, before the visitors whittled away at the margin. Genesis Maciel, a 6-foot-9 junior, made all three of his 3-pointers in the second half, including one from the left wing that closed his team within 51-47. The Great Danes later doubled their margin when Luke Devlin made two free throws and Mike Black converted a drive from the right side.

"We had some guys who came through that haven't been in that situation," said UAlbany coach Will Brown, whose squad avenged a 20-point loss in the first meeting with Hartford on Jan. 9. "They are a difficult matchup and tough to defend. They spread you out and (Joe) Zeglinski is a warrior."

In the opening period, the Great Danes ran off 10 unanswered to build a 25-14 advantage. Tim Ambrose, who had 20 points and seven rebounds, and Logan Aronhalt buried back-to-back three-point field goals. Ambrose then connected on a fastbreak layup and Blake Metcalf made a spin move in the lane to complete the outburst. The Hawks, who managed just 26.7-percent shooting in the half, trailed 28-21 at the break after Ross Erickson scored on a follow shot of a missed jumper.

"I never know who many minutes I will play because it depends on the matchup," offered Iati, a reserve guard who also made a 3-pointer in the final period. "Point guards have to make plays and I had to do something with the shot clock winding down. We need to get some wins and separate ourselves from the pack."

Burton totaled 16 points for the Hawks, who shot 13-of-32 from the three-point arc. UAlbany's Devlin had 11 points and 11 rebounds. Aronhalt and Black each scored 11 for the Great Danes, who moved into fourth place in the America East standings.

Paw Prints: UAlbany ended a three-game losing streak in the series with Hartford, including a 62-42 defeat in this year's first meeting on Jan. 9th ... the Great Danes have won 10 of 14 Big Purple Growl games ... UAlbany's Winter Homecoming crowd was more than 4,000 for the seventh consecutive year ... Tim Ambrose moved past Don Cohen '61 into fifth on school's career scoring list with 1,481 points ... Ambrose scored 20-plus points for the 21st time as a collegian ... Luke Devlin recorded his fourth double-double of the season ... UAlbany will play in Madison Square Garden for the first time on Thursday, Feb. 10 as part of a college doubleheader with St. John's and Connecticut.


Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information