University of Albany Men's Basketball Gets Back on Winning Track in 87-63 Triumph Over Colgate; Suero Has 29 Points - UAlbany Sports 2011

Albany, N.Y. - Gerardo Suero had 29 points and his team shot better than 65 percent from field en route to an 87-63 non-conference win over Colgate on Wednesday, Dec. 7 at SEFCU Arena.

UAlbany (5-4) led by 13 at halftime and extended to a 22-point margin early in the second half behind Mike Black and Suero. Black, a junior guard who 16 points and five assists, made a three-point field goal and converted a drive for a 58-37 lead. Suero, who made 11 of 14 from the floor and 7 of 9 from the line, later hit two free throws for a 64-42 advantage.

Colgate (3-5) rallied over the next six minutes. Pat Moore, who had 18 points, made two long-range jumpers in that outburst. Mitch Rolls added a three-pointer from left of the key and a 14-footer the sliced the deficit to 69-59 with 8:24 remaining.

The Great Danes, who made 36-of-55 from the floor after coming off a road loss to their crosstown rival 48 hours earlier, ended the comeback bid with six straight points. Logan Aronhalt, who netted 16 points, made a jumper and two free throws sandwiched around Black's basket in transition following Luke Devlin's steal.

"The win against Colgate will make us feel better about going into final exams," UAlbany coach Will Brown said. "I was not surprised that (Gerardo) Suero shot better than he did against Siena. He played with more confidence. We attacked the basket and he was part of that."

UAlbany scored the opening 11 points of the contest, as Suero connected on three consecutive baskets. Colgate used the three-point arc to close the gap. Rolls drilled three 3-point shots, including a 23-footer that got his club within 18-15.

The Great Danes regrouped by exploding for 14 the game's next 16 points. Aronhalt sank a baseline jumper off an inbounds pass and canned a three-pointer in transition to ignite the run. John Puk, a 6-foot-10 sophomore, added back-to-back baskets, including a jump hook in the lane. Suero helped complete the outburst with a drive and a conventional three-point play when he was fouled on a fastbreak conversion.

"We didn't want to have a bad hangover (from the other night)," offered Black, who made 7 of 12 field goals. "We wanted to make a statement tonight. The extra day of preparation helped us execute our game plan better."

Yaw Gyawu, a 6-foot-5 senior, added 14 points off the bench for the Raiders, who dropped a 63-61 decision in last year's meeting between these teams.

Paw Prints: The Great Danes posted their best field goal percentage since moving to Division I in the 1999-2000 season ... UAlbany shot 61.8% in a 108-84 victory over Southern Vermont on Jan. 25, 2000 ... UAlbany and Colgate were meeting for the 17th time ... the Raiders have won on 13 occasions in a series that began on Feb. 26, 1916 ...

UAlbany is off for fall semester exams until Dec. 17, when the Great Danes travel to Cornell ... Gerardo Suero has scored in double figures in all nine games this season ... Suero's 29 points were two off his career-high set against Syracuse on Nov. 15 ... UAlbany is one of nine programs at the Division I level without a senior on the roster ... John Puk had a season-high seven points off the bench ... Colgate coach Matt Langel is in his first season after spending the last five years as a Temple University assistant.