University of Albany Men's Lacrosse Earns First Shutout in DI Program History with 25-0 Victory - UAlbany Sports 2015

ALBANY, N.Y. – The #10/9 UAlbany men’s lacrosse team took down UMass Lowell 25-0 at home for the first-ever shutout in its Division I program history and its six-straight victory. UAlbany (7-1, 3-0 AE) dominated first-year program UMass Lowell (1-8, 0-3 AE) in every facet, outshooting its opponent 67-21, winning 23 of 29 faceoffs and scooping 65 ground balls to UML’s 24. “We got everyone a chance to play,” said UAlbany coach Scott Marr, whose UAlbany team has won 13-consecutive America East games. “UMass Lowell will be a good program, but we played at a very high level today.” Previously, UAlbany’s biggest margin of victory and top scoring defensive outcome came on April 30th, 2000 in a 24-1 win over Wagner. Connor Fields led UAlbany’s offense in the first half with a career-high nine points and seven goals, adding two assists. 17 different players scored points for UAlbany. Justin Reh scored a career-high eight points off a goal and seven assists, all coming in the second half. Lyle Thompson, Troy Reh and John Glancy each netted a pair of goals. “We were just trying to do our best and do what we do,” said Fields. “It is nice to have a game like this to get the confidence, and my teammates kept finding me for goals.” “The start of the game, our attitude was not to take [UMass Lowell] for granted,” said Thompson, whose two goals gives him 332 points in his collegiate career, just 22 points away from tying the all-time DI record of 354. On the defensive side, UAlbany’s three goalkeepers, Blaze Riorden, JD Colarusso and Trevor Cross combined for the shutout. Riorden got the victory with three saves in the first half. Colarusso had two saves in the majority of the second half while Cross, in his collegiate debut, had the sixth in the final 6:05. For UMass Lowell, Alex Desmarais got the loss with 10 saves and 13 goals allowed in the first 18 minutes. The defense exchanged shots with no one connecting in the opening five minutes. Thompson stole the ball on a UML clear attempt and scored himself to put UAlbany on the board. UAlbany kept winning faceoffs and stayed on offense, adding a Fields rebound goal, a Derrick Eccles rip and score, a John Maloney second chance shot from a Thompson saved shot, and a low shot from Fields for a goal for a 5-0 lead with 5:26 left in the 1st. After Fields added another goal minutes later, Cason Liles won faceoffs and helped UAlbany scored three goals in a span of 44 seconds from Thompson, Fields and Bennett Drake to lead 9-0 by the end of the first. Out of the gate in the second quarter, Derrick Eccles grabbed the faceoff, passed to Drake who passed to Fields for the goal. UAlbany added another couple of quick goals from Tim Cox, Kyle McClancy and Matt Garziano to lead 13-0 after 18 total minutes. UAlbany held on defense against a number of UMass Lowell shots for the next series of minutes, with Justin Reh setting up Fields for a goal, then he scored one of his own on a turnaround shot. Fields added one more as UAlbany took a 16-0 lead into the break. UAlbany went to its reserves for the next half. About three minutes in, Cody Kilcoyne picked up a ground ball from a scrum and scored his first UAlbany goal. Glancy added his first collegiate goal on a hidden ball trick in a man-up scenario. After peppering the goal with around five minutes left in the period, Mitch Rupp scored in a man-up situation, making it 19-0, the eventual score at the end of the third quarter. Troy Reh netted a goal about three minutes into the fourth quarter, with Josh Egan adding his first collegiate goal with 7:05 left in the period. The UAlbany defense held off a River Hawk attack that saw four shots in a span of 35 seconds. The reserves kept striking, with Glancy, Tom Nuckel, Troy Reh and Kevin McNally all adding late goals as the Great Danes held off UMass Lowell for the 25-0 shutout. UAlbany will head to the Carrier Dome for a battle against rival Syracuse, currently ranked #1 in the country in both polls, for a Thursday, April 2nd game at 7 p.m.

University of Albany Men's Lacrosse: Thompson’s 9 Goal Night Leads to 21-18 Shootout Victory at Harvard - UAlbany Sports 2015

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Led by 12 points from Lyle Thompson, including a program single game record nine goals, the #10/9 UAlbany men’s lacrosse team used a five-goal run in the fourth quarter to win 21-18 over RV/RV Harvard on a rain-soaked Wednesday night. With the victory, UAlbany (6-1) earns its fifth-consecutive win and third against a team receiving votes in each lacrosse poll this season, including Drexel and Stony Brook. It is also the fourth win in as many chances for UAlbany against Harvard (4-5) all-time. “Give them credit offensively, it was a wide open game, and a fun one,” said UAlbany coach Scott Marr. “With Lyle [Thompson], it is pick your poison, and I do not know want you do. We’ve been playing in the elements, and when our transition game is there, it helps a lot.” With the game tied at 16 in the fourth quarter, UAlbany scored the next five goals in a span of seven minutes. Harvard scored twice late, but UAlbany ran out the clock to ensure the win. UAlbany outshot Harvard 57-39 in the game. Thompson tied a single game goals record with brother Miles Thompson, who had nine goals at Bryant on March 16th, 2013. “I am so used to being the feeder,” said Thompson, who earned his third double digit scoring day in the last four games. “I am normally reading the field. I knew I had to go to the net and shoot the ball.” Connor Fields scored three goals and an assist, scooping eight ground balls. Tim Cox finished with two goals and an assist, including the first goal of the fourth quarter 5-0 run, while Adam Osika earned his first two goals of the year. Blaze Riorden earned his sixth victory of the year with 14 saves in the game. For Harvard, Ian Ardrey netted four goals while Will Walker and Tim Edmonds each had hat tricks. The loss went to keeper Bryan Moore, who finished with 23 saves. Harvard scored the first two goals in the first quarter off a quick strike in transition and a diving shot by Keegan Michal. Thompson got UAlbany on the board with a bounce shot into the cage. The home team added two more in the following 90 seconds off a faceoff from Joe Lang and a low shot from Ian Ardrey. UAlbany responded with a low shot and score inside the left post corner, then 20 seconds later, Tim Cox made his defender fall, freeing him for the shot and score next to the cage. No team scored in the final 6:46 of the quarter as UAlbany trailed 4-3. The Crimson struck twice in a span of 67 seconds on transition goals to lead by three. The two sides exchanged a score for a 7-4 home team advantage. Thompson took the ball off the faceoff and fired a shot for a goal, then on the next possession, stripped the goalie of his stick, picked up the rock and scored. After Harvard scored again, Thompson pushed through a defender and scored again. UAlbany earned a 6-on-4 possession, passing around the fan to Jake Cullen for the score to tie the game. Edmonds scored a few minutes later to put Harvard back in the lead, then Thompson picked up a triple team, passing to an open Osika for the score with nine seconds left in the half. UAlbany and Harvard were tied at nine at the break. Minutes into the start of the third as the rain continued to fall, Fields fired a shot while being knocked to the ground and scored to give UAlbany the lead. 30 seconds later, Cox found Osika for another goal. Ardrey scored long range, which UAlbany countered with Fields running from a triple team to set up Seth Oakes for the hard shot and goal next to the cage. The furious pace continued as Harvard scored twice in a span of 47 seconds to tie the game at 12. Matthew Bertrams scored seconds later on a rebound shot off the faceoff, then Matt Garziano added another after receiving the pass from Thompson and running right side to the cage for the goal. UAlbany continued to attack as Thompson added another from long range, then 34 seconds afterwards, scored again on a hard shot while his stick was stripped to give UAlbany a four-goal lead. Walker and Ardrey scored close range goals for Harvard before the end of the quarter as UAlbany led 16-14 after three. The home team got back to a tie game after two goals by Sean McDonagh and Keegan Michel made it 16-16 as no team scored for the following four minutes. Cox broke the stalemate, using a spin move to get around a defender and scoring with 9:34 left to put UAlbany ahead. Connor Russell won another faceoff, leading to Kyle McClancy getting the pass and scoring from around the cage with a narrow angle. Again Russell won a faceoff, leading to Thompson drawing a defender, turning around and firing for the goal. As UAlbany held on defense, McClancy passed to Fields, who shot a low throw to the lower corner for a goal with under five minutes left. With 2:39 left, Thompson forced a turnover on the ride, fired and scored again to make it 21-16 UAlbany, completing the 5-0 run. Sean Coleman and Ardrey scored for Harvard with under two minutes left. Russell won the final faceoff as UAlbany held the ball the rest of the way to earn the 21-18 win. UAlbany returns home for a Saturday game at 1 p.m. against UMass Lowell.

#18 University of Albany Women’s Lacrosse Records 4th 20-Goal Game of Season - UAlbany Sports 2015

LOWELL, MASS. – University at Albany women’s lacrosse (7-1, 1-0 AE) tallied 21-straight goals to down UMass Lowell (0-8, 0-1 AE) 21-1 in Lowell, Mass., on Saturday afternoon. Rachel Bowles and Dakotah Savitcheff led the way with four goals apiece, while Alie Jimerson and Maureen Keggins had five assists each. The Danes won four of the first five draws to take an early lead in time of possession. UAlbany claimed a 4-0 advantage seven minutes into the game, including two goals from Bowles. The junior and Savitcheff combined for all eight of their goals in the first half. On the defensive end, the River Hawks failed to clear the ball out of their own end in the first half. The Danes scored 10 goals in 15 minutes to garner a running clock mid-way through the period. Christine Johnson netted her first goal of the season to advance to an 11-0 lead. Savitcheff tallied her 30th goal of the season three minutes later on an assist from Maureen Keggins. Keggins recorded three-straight points, including the ensuing goal and another dish to Emma Powlin for a 14-0 edge at the 7:30 mark of the first half. UAlbany led 15-0 at halftime. With the game safely in hand, the Danes saw Nichole Eamer and Amanda Obenshain score early in the second half. The Purple & Gold reached the 20-goal mark on a tally by Andrea Flood, with the assist credited to Emily Mizer. Scoring concluded for the Great Danes on a goal by Kenzie Neal with 11 minutes left to play. Saturday’s victory marks the fourth time the nation’s top scoring offense has recorded 20 goals. UAlbany’s 37 points marks a new single-game program record, after breaking the previous record earlier this season against Manhattan. Ten different UAlbany players scored, with Keggins recording a game-high eight points. Courtney Henderson came away with the win in goal. With four goals and one assist, Rachel Bowles passed former teammate Rachael Burek on the Division I career scoring list, now ranking fifth with 108 career goals. She is seventh on the D-I points leaderboard with 145. On Saturday March 28, UAlbany women’s lacrosse returns to John Fallon Field to face New Hampshire at noon.

University of Albany MLAX Pounds Hartford 24-6 for 2-0 Start in America East Play, Fourth-Straight Win - UAlbany Sports 2015

ALBANY, N.Y. – Scoring 13 of the game’s first 14 goals, the UAlbany men’s lacrosse team crushed Hartford 24-6 at home for the fourth-straight win and a 2-0 start to conference play. UAlbany (5-1, 2-0 AE) outscored Hartford (3-4, 1-1 AE) by at least five goals in the first, second and fourth quarters and did not allow more than two goals in any period. Combined with Tuesday’s victory over Canisius, UAlbany has outscored its foes 50-12 in its last two games. “We are starting to play with a lot of confidence,” said coach Scott Marr, whose UAlbany team has won its last 12 America East games. “I am pleased with the effort on both sides of the ball, and we played a complete game today.” With the win, UAlbany stands in first place in the America East, a half-game ahead of Binghamton at 1-0. Connor Fields set a new career-high in points with seven off five goals and two assists, adding another career-high with seven ground balls. “We were working the ball well, and we knew we were facing a good team, and we executed,” said Fields. “We are starting to get used to each other, and our chemistry is coming together.” Seth Oakes also earned a career-high with six points off four goals and two assists. Lyle Thompson finished with three goals, an assist and four ground balls. Bennett Drake scored a hat trick and Justin Reh had three assists. Blaze Riorden earned the win in goal, saving nine in 13 shots on goal in the first three quarters. Defensemen Eric Cantor and AJ Kluck each caused three turnovers. In all, 16 UAlbany players scored points and 24 Great Danes scooped at least one ground ball. For Hartford, Justin Huggins scored two goals and grabbed two ground balls. Rion Davison had a goal and an assist. The loss went to goalkeeper Ryan Vanderford, who had eight saves and 14 goals allowed in the first half. UAlbany struck first in the opening minutes with a shovel shot from Thompson. Minutes later, Oakes got the ball after a quick clear and scored a low shot. Kyle McClancy followed with a goal, scoring with John Maloney drawing a double team to open him up. After a missed shot, Matthew Bertrams got a second chance from Oakes and scored. Next possession, Fields stole Vanderford’s pass, found Thompson for the catch and shoot goal. 30 seconds later on a man-up situation, Oakes scored another for the 6-0 run. Huggins scored to put Hartford on the board with 1:45 left, leading UAlbany to lead 6-1 after the first period. UAlbany continued the attack into the second period, seeing Fields to pass to Bertrams for the rocket shot and score in the opening minutes. UAlbany rolled off three goals in a span of 92 seconds: Oakes scored on a man-up situation from Maloney, Fields fired a quick shot after being given space then scored another on a ground ball throw inbetween the keeper’s feet. With 8:12 left in the 2nd following two missed shots, McClancy got a third chance, running from around the cage and firing for the goal. Minutes later, Thompson drew a double team and passes to a charging Fields for the shot and score, then Thompson netted one of his own 37 seconds later on a shot just below the crossbar off a pass from Derrick Eccles. Hartford added two in the closing minutes of the half, with Tim Cox getting one back off the faceoff with one second left on the clock, giving UAlbany a 14-3 lead at the break. After nearly four minutes of no scoring in the third, Davison scored off a failed UAlbany clear. Each side was not able to score in the following four-and-a-half minutes. After Hartford got a man-up situation, Riorden made a save and cleared. Hartford knocked the ball loose, with Cody Kilcoyne emerging from the scrum with the ball. He passed to Oakes, who found Fields for the goal man-down. Two minutes later, Oakes found the net again right next to the circle from Reh. Before the end of the period, Drake scored a man-up goal with two seconds left to make it 17-4 after three quarters. UAlbany played many of its reserves starting in the fourth quarter, including JD Colarusso in goal. In the first five minutes, Fields and Tom Nuckel scored goals to extend the lead to 15. Kevin O’Shea scored on a low shot to stop the run for the Great Danes. Drake countered that score with a catch and shoot score from Ky Tarbell. A minute later, Chris Underwood led the UAlbany clear effort, finding Jake Cullen for the goal. After winning the next faceoff, UAlbany went to Tyler Aycock for a blazing shot and score inside the post. After Trevor O’Brien scored for Hartford, Justin Zelen and Drake each scored man-up goals, both assisted by Reh, to set the eventual final score at 24-6. UAlbany will hit the road on Wednesday to take on Harvard, ranked in the top-16 in both the coaches and media poll, on Wednesday, March 25th at 7 p.m.

Oklahoma Holds Off University of Albany Men's Basketball, 69-60, In NCAA Second Round - Ualbany Sports 2015

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Competing in the program’s fifth NCAA Tournament and third consecutively, the No. 14 seeded University at Albany men’s basketball team was held off by No. 3 Oklahoma, 69-60, Friday night at Nationwide Arena. With the Second Round loss, the Great Danes end their season with a 24-9 overall record, marking the best winning percentage (.727) in program history. “I'm proud of my basketball team. I thought we did a really good job competing against one of the best teams in the country,” said Head Coach Will Brown. “I felt coming in there was a chance we were going to be overmatched physically and athletically, especially in the front court. But, again, I thought we hung around.” The Great Danes had four players finish in double figures, marking the 11th time this season that four or more players scored 10 or more points in a game. Junior guard Peter Hooley led the way with 15 points, shooting 6-for-18 from the field, followed by junior Evan Singletary’s 13 points (5-for-10), senior Same Rowley’s 12 points and six rebounds, and Ray Sanders’ 11 points and seven boards. For Oklahoma, TaShawn Thomas logged a game-high 18 points, while Buddy Heild had 15, and Ryan Spanger led the Sooners on the glass with 11 rebounds along with nine points. While Oklahoma held the lead from their opening possession, UAlbany never let the margin exceed 12 points and cut the deficit to six with less than a minute remaining in the game. Winning the tip, OU scored on Spangler’s hook, but Sanders got the Danes on the board with his drive down the lane at the 17:55 mark, keeping the score even. Going 1-for-6 from the field as the Sooners built a 9-3 advantage, Coach Brown called timeout with 14:43 left in the first half. Immediately, out of the break, Singletary cut the margin to four with his take to the rim. Trading baskets, the Sooners retained a six-point lead, matching Hooley’s three and Rowley’s layup score-for-score, forcing Brown to slow the game down with his second timeout at the 12:27 mark. Again after regrouping, Hooley made it a four-point game, 16-12, with his bucket on the inbounds. Bodying up in the paint, Rowley muscled the ball off the board, leading to Hooley’s runner at the other end of the court that cut the deficit to three, 17-14. Scoring 12 of his 15 points in the first half, Hooley’s long trey sliced the margin to two, 19-17, with 8:55 left in the stanza. However, Oklahoma’s Isaiah Cousins and Hield did the same to make it a six-point game, 25-19, heading into the under-eight media timeout. The Great Danes got within two again, 25-23, on Singletary’s transition lay-in and Hooley’s acrobatic take up the middle at the 6:16 mark. While, the Sooners answered with a 6-0 run, UAlbany center Richard Peters snapped the streak with his offensive board and up-and-under put-back, making the score 31-25 with 3:35 left in the half. Oklahoma took its largest lead of the stanza, 35-25, on Thomas’ layup, but Sanders cut it to seven on his three with 10 seconds left. Unfortunately, the Sooners took a nine-point advantage into the break on Jordan Woodard’s buzzer beating layup. Out of the locker rooms, back-to-back buckets by Hooley and Rowley made it a five-point game, 37-32. While OU ballooned the lead back to eight twice, Sanders knocked down a pair of threes to keep the margin at five, 45-40, with 14:36 to go. However, the Sooners’ 7-0 run, capped by a layup and three by Frank Booker with 11:27 remaining, gave them their largest lead of the game, 52-40. The Danes continued to claw, as Wheeler Baker’s three at the 8:43 mark brought the margin back to single digits, and Singletary’s jumper and three made it a six-point contest, 60-54, with 3:53 to go. With time dwindling down, Oklahoma answered immediately on the other end of the floor on Cousins’ timely three. “I would have liked to have had the opportunity to see what happened if Cousins missed that shot,” said Brown. “We would have had the ball in our hands and off to the races.” Singletary cut it to six again, 65-59, on his three from the corner with 1:57 left, but that would be as close as the Great Danes would get. “Every time we seemed to get close, it seemed like they made a shot to hold us back a little bit,” said Rowley. Unable to get the ball to fall on two shots behind the arch, Rowley pulled down the defensive rebound, giving UAlbany a chance to make it a one-possession game with 56 seconds to go. However, Greig Stire’s layup bounced off the rim and into the hands of the Sooners. From there, the Danes were forced to foul and Oklahoma went 4-for-4 from the line to secure the win. “You've got to credit Oklahoma,” added Brown. “Very well coached team and they're a team that I know a lot of people expected to go deep in this tournament.” “I thought we played well today. I thought we gave it our all,” said Rowley. “But to beat these teams you need to play nearly a perfect game, and unfortunately we didn't do that tonight, nor did we do it the last year or the year before.” Rowley, a team captain, closed his career with 1,194 points and 756 rebounds, as well as three America East Tournament titles, a regular season title, and three NCAA Tournament appearances. Oklahoma (23-10) advances to the Third Round and will play the winner of the Providence and Dayton match-up.

Peter Hooley on SportsCenter

University of Albany Men's Basketball 2015 America East Championship - Video Highlights & Coverage

@UAHOOPSWB Congrats Will. Checkout video of the game winner from my seat!! #SCtop10 pic.twitter.com/ZRx6OZyaAq

— Brian Sinkoff (@BrianSinkoff) March 14, 2015

University of Albany's Peter Hooley’s Last-Second Trey Sends Men’s Basketball to the Big Dance for Third-Straight Year - UAlbany Sports 2015

ALBANY, N.Y. – Fate stepped in on Saturday afternoon for Peter Hooley, as the junior sank a three with 1.6 seconds left to seal University at Albany men’s basketball’s (24-8) third-consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Danes defeated Stony Brook (23-11) 51-50 at a sold out SEFCU Arena. “Ray [Sanders] drove and put up a shot. Then Sam Rowley got a hand on it and tipped it back. I saw it rolling towards me, and Sam pointed to the rim,” said Hooley I guess he wanted me to throw it up to him, but I decided to shoot it anyway. When you’ve got angels watching you, you can do anything.” Both teams struggled from the field early on, with just six points between them in the first 10 minutes. UAlbany went 1-for-10 from the field in the first seven minutes with no turnovers. Hooley came off the bench to make the score 4-2, and Greig Stire made it 6-2 shortly thereafter at the 11-minute mark. Richard Peters got in on the scoring to give UAlbany what was its largest lead of the game, 10-4 with 8:30 on the clock. The Seawolves went on a 4-0 run to come within two, but another basket off the hands of Peters maintained a two-possession lead. But Stony Brook would not let up to end the half. UAlbany went 0-for-7 from the field to close the period, victims of a 10-4 Seawolves run. Stony Brook took a 20-16 lead into the locker room. The Purple & Gold’s 16 points in the opening stanza stands as the lowest total for a team at half of the league title game all-time. Jameel Warney had 12 of Stony Brook’s 20 first-half points. The America East Player of the Year also had nine boards at the break. The Danes shot just 6-for-29 (.207) from the field in the first half. Hooley led the way with six points. In the second half, UAlbany skirted with closing the game to one possession, but Stony Brook went up seven with 13 minutes to play, 33-28. After going 0-for-7 from the field with just two points in the first half, Sam Rowley heated up for six of the Purple & Gold’s first nine points of the second. The Seawolves answered the call, continuing to pound the glass to keep its distance. A Carson Puriefoy three gave Steve Pikiell’s squad its largest lead of the game, 41-33 with just over six minutes to play. Ray Sanders, Evan Singletary and Hooley combined for a 5-0 Dane run to cut the Stony Brook lead to three, 41-38, but Puriefoy came back with two more treys. The junior Seawolves guard finished with 18 points in the second half. Down seven with less than three minutes to play, UAlbany’s zone saw Stony Brook’s lead cut to four shortly after. A Rowley lay-in put the score at 49-46 with one minute to go. Mike Rowley stepped in to make two crucial free throws to make it a one-point game, 49-48 with 23 seconds to go. The sophomore grabbed an offensive board, one of 15 on the day for the Danes to draw the foul. Rowley had all seven of his rebounds in the second half. Hooley fouled one of Stony Brook’s best free throw shooters in Puriefoy on the inbounds. The junior missed the second of a two-shot opportunity to give the Danes a shot at a tie for two or the win for three. Sanders grabbed the rebound off the Puriefoy miss and drove left. The junior’s shot was strong off the glass, but a tip back to the top of the key fell directly into the hands of Hooley. The junior stepped in to sink the game-winner with 1.6 seconds on the clock for the 51-50 victory. UAlbany will make its third consecutive and fifth overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Danes are the first team to win the America East Title in three consecutive seasons since Vermont in 2003-05. The Purple & Gold’s five conference titles is third-most all-time among America East programs, and ties Will Brown for the most titles for any coach with Jim Calhoun at Northeastern. “We did what we do,” said Will Brown. “We find ways to win games, and we just made plays down the stretch. We played more zone in the second half than we have in all of our conference games combined this year. I don’t think we could’ve drawn up a more fitting ending, than for the ball to end up in Peter Hooley’s hands.” The Purple Fam helped the America East to its best postseason attendance since 2005, rounding out at 21,292. Peter Hooley’s inspiring performance earned him Reggie Lewis Most Outstanding Player honors for the second-straight year. He becomes the fifth player to take the award in consecutive tournaments. 2015 AMERICA EAST ALL-CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM: Most Outstanding Player: Peter Hooley UAlbany Peter Hooley, UAlbany Sam Rowley, UAlbany Carson Puriefoy, Stony Brook Jameel Warney, Stony Brook Jaleen Smith, New Hampshire The UAlbany Great Danes will await their fate in the NCAA Tournament, learning their selection on Sunday, March 15 on the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship Selection show on CBS at 6:00 p.m. ET.

University of Albany's Lylel Thompson: 12-Point Day Leads Men's Lacrosse to 17-15 Win at Stony Brook - UAlbany Sports 2015

STONY BROOK, N.Y. – In another back and forth battle on Long Island, the #15/11 UAlbany men’s lacrosse team again pulled out a victory over RV/RV Stony Brook, winning 17-15 off 12 points from Lyle Thompson. After losing its four-goal lead to enter the fourth quarter tied at 13, UAlbany (3-1, 1-0 AE) scored twice during a man-up minute. Stony Brook (5-2, 0-1 AE) twice pulled to within one, but goals by Seth Oakes kept UAlbany ahead for good in the fourth quarter. Lyle Thompson finished with 10 assists, a new single game program record, and two goals. His 12 points is the second-highest single game total in UAlbany history, just behind Miles Thompson’s 14-point day at Stony Brook on April 27th, 2013. Lyle Thompson now stands with 304 points in his career, the top mark in UAlbany history and tied for eighth in NCAA Division I history. Connor Fields scored four goals, a career-high, adding an assist for five points. Oakes scored four goals, John Maloney got three points off two goals and an assist and Matt Garziano netted two goals, each in the second quarter. Blaze Riorden got the victory in goal, finishing with six saves. For Stony Brook, Mike Rooney ended with five goals and four assists for nine points. Brody Eastwood scored four goals while Chris Hughes had two goals. UAlbany got off to a quick start with Fields scoring off the faceoff from Thompson. Two minutes later, Matthew Bertrams added an unassisted goal on a run to the cage. Stony Brook scored in quick fashion after that goal, then UAlbany countered with a goal from Tim Cox 50 seconds later. Stony Brook went ahead with three-straight goals from Eastwood, with the first two coming in a span of 33 seconds. The Iroquois connection got UAlbany back in front with Thompson assisting Oakes for a score then netting a shot of his own 50 seconds later. UAlbany led 5-4 after the first quarter. The Great Danes continued the run into the second period, with Thompson finding Garziano twice for goals in the quarter’s opening 91 seconds. After Matt Schultz scored for Stony Brook, the UAlbany attack corps connected again with Thompson assisting goals in a row to Fields. Each side exchanged a goal before the end of the period as UAlbany led 10-6 at the half. Oakes added another goal 50 seconds into the third quarter as UAlbany stood with a five goal lead at 11-6. Rooney scored twice in a period of 43 seconds to cut UAlbany’s lead to three. Thompson for UAlbany, Chris Hughes for Stony Brook and Maloney for UAlbany scored in succession to put UAlbany back up by four. Causing problems for UAlbany on the ride, Stony Brook scored four in a row, capped by a Rooney goal with 17 seconds left in the period, to tie the game at 13-13 going into the fourth. On a clear attempt, a Stony Brook penalty put UAlbany in an unreleasable man-up situation for one minute. UAlbany took advantage of it, seeing Bennett Drake and Maloney each scoring close range to make it a two-goal lead. Stony Brook won the next faceoff and scored with Alex Corpolongo. UAlbany got the goal back from a long range shot from Oakes from Thompson. Stony Brook scored man-up from Hughes, then UAlbany responded with a Oakes blazing low shot for the goal to go back up two with 5:39 left. With about four minutes left, the UAlbany defense defended again a one-minute man-down situation, blocking two shots and forcing another wide. Adam Osika raised his stick and knocked down a Stony Brook pass to force a turnover. UAlbany cleared and did not relinquish control the rest of the way to earn the 17-15 victory. The Great Danes will head to Buffalo for a 4 p.m. Tuesday game against Canisius. The game will be broadcast live on Time Warner Cable SportsChannel.

University of Albany Women's Basketball Defeats Hartford 84-75 to Earn its 4th-Consecutive America East Title - UAlbany Sports 2015

ALBANY, N.Y. – UAlbany seniors Sarah Royals and Margarita Rosario will graduate never having fallen in the America East Tournament. The UAlbany women’s basketball team shot 62.5% to take down Hartford 84-75 for its fourth-straight America East title and earns an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament. 2-seed UAlbany (24-8) led wire-to-wire at the SEFCU Arena, holding off 5-seed Hartford (16-17) in the second half to earn the win. With UAlbany leading by 10 at the half, Hartford came to within one possession with 14:44 remaining. The Great Danes broke away with a 12-2 run and never looked back. “A lot of credit to Hartford, they played hard, and they played a great game tonight,” says UAlbany coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson. “We wanted to get the ball to Shereesha [Richards], and we did. [The team] are great listeners, and they respond well.” UAlbany becomes the first team to earn four-consecutive America East titles since Maine did from the 1993-94 to 1996-97 seasons. 62.5% on field goal shooting is the highest percentage by a team in an America East title game. The Great Danes will find out where they are going in the NCAA Tournament on Monday, March 16th at 7 p.m. live on ESPN. Shereesha Richards earned Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament for the second-consecutive year, finishing with 28 points off 12-20 shooting, adding six rebounds. She passed Ebone Henry to become UAlbany’s all-time leading scorer with 1,656 points in her career, setting a new single single scoring record as well with 682 points this season. She is also the first player in America East Tournament history since 1997 to earn at least 20 points in all three games. “I am looking forward to going back [to the tournament], and we cannot wait. My teammates always know I am getting beat up, and they do their job.” Imani Tate, also named to the All-Tournament Team, went 9-13 from the field and nearly finished with a triple-double off 18 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. “I know I have to step up and make shots so they can cover me honestly, so I can free up Shereesha [Richards],” said Tate. The third UAlbany member on the All-Tournament Team, Royals concluded with eight points and eight assists, joining the 1,000-point club with her performance. “The feeling doesn’t get old, I am just happy I did not get stitches this time,” said Royals. Off the bench, Tiana-Jo Carter tied a career-high 16 points, shooting 8-9 from the floor. Zakiya Saunders also was a reserve, earning seven points and eight assists. Rosario tallied three assists, three points and two boards while Cassandra Edwards got four points in the first half. For Hartford, Cherelle Moore scored 22 points off 11-19 shooting, adding seven rebounds. Deanna Mayza shot 8-12 for 22 points and five assists. Each made the All-Tournament Team. UAlbany pushed the tempo to start the game, forcing steals on Hartford passes. With Edwards getting points in the paint and Tate forcing turnovers, UAlbany got off to a 7-0 start in the opening minutes. Hartford started getting off three-point shots against UAlbany’s zone, while the Great Danes continued to attack the basket in transition. The two sides exchanged points with Hartford hitting a couple of threes and Richards hitting shots on jumpers. UAlbany led 20-10 with 11:41 left. The back and forth continued as UAlbany kept finding its shots underneath the basket and Hartford hit jumpers. Tate and Richards led the way as UAlbany stayed ahead by double digits with a 32-18 lead with six minutes left in the half. Hartford hit two baskets in a row to pull within nine, later using another couple of fields goals to pull within seven. Rosario hit a wing three to end the run. Each side added a basket before the end of the half as UAlbany led 39-29 at the break. The Hawks came out aggressively in the second half, starting on a 13-6 run, including three Moore layups, to pull within three at 45-42 with 5:18 elapsed in the period. Tate and Richards took control, routinely going into the paint and looking for shots. With those two contributing every basket, UAlbany went on a 12-2 run in a span of four minutes to lead 57-44 with 10:40 left. Mayza kept getting points for Hartford, which UAlbany countered with Richards to hold the double-digit lead. Layups by Richards and Carter made it 69-53 UAlbany with 6:11 left. Hartford kept hitting baskets, which UAlbany answered with Carter underneath. Back and forth the teams went as the home team continued to hold a lead as Hartford would score a layup, then UAlbany responded with Carter hitting a layup the other way. Richards and Carter hit more layups towards the end of the game, effectively sealing the title. Hartford finished the game with the last five points as UAlbany took the victory 84-75. UAlbany defeated Vermont and UMBC to earn a place in the America East title game. 2015 America East All-Tournament Team --Shereesha Richards, UAlbany (Most Outstanding Player) --Imani Tate, UAlbany --Sarah Royals, UAlbany --Cherelle Moore, Hartford --Deanna Mayza, Hartford

Riorden Career-High 21 Saves, Thompson Seven Points Leads #12 University of Albany MLAX to Hold Off UMass 10-9 - UAlbany Sports 2015

ALBANY, N.Y. – With Blaze Riorden saving a career-high 21 shots and Lyle Thompson finishing with seven points, the UAlbany men’s lacrosse team held off UMass 10-9 to win its home opener on Saturday. With its opponent leading 4-3 midway through the 2nd quarter, UAlbany (2-1) rolled off six-straight goals to earn a five-goal lead. UMass (0-5) outscored UAlbany 4-1 in the fourth quarter, but the Great Danes held for the victory. “I thought our defense, along with a super day by Blaze [Riorden] in the net, won the game for us,” said UAlbany coach Scott Marr. “They did a phenomenal job with as many times we had to play defense with a tough day at the faceoff and tunrovers, but they held them to less than ten goals, an outstanding job.” Riorden surpassed his original career-high of 20, which he had twice before over the last two seasons. On the offensive side, Thompson earned a season-high seven points off a goal and six assists. He now has 292 career points, just one away from tying the program record of 293 by his brother Miles Thompson. Seth Oakes and Connor Fields each earned hat tricks, while John Maloney scored a pair of goals. For UMass, Brendan Hegarty scored three goals and scooped three ground balls. Dan Muller had two goals and an assist. Zach Oliveri got the loss with 15 saves on 25 shots on goal. In the first quarter, UAlbany struck first with a couple of catch and shoot plays from Thompson. First found Oakes, second got to Fields for a 2-0 UAlbany lead. UMass got looks next to the cage and rolled off three-straight goals, sandwiched by two from Hegarty. Thompson connected again with Oakes for the catch and shoot goal to put the first quarter score at 3-3. Andrew Sokol scored for UMass for the only goal by either side in the opening 7:30 of the second. Thompson again found his marks on passes, getting two straight to Fields for goals and a UAlbany lead. Then Tim Cox set up Thompson for his goal of the game. Later on a man-up situation, a missed Oakes shot was picked up and scored by Maloney to put UAlbany up 7-4, the eventual halftime score. As Riorden continued to make saves to hold off UMass, Oakes added another goal from Thompson. Later, Matt Garziano got a second chance on his own miss and scored with 10:02 left in the period to complete the 6-0 run as UAlbany led 9-4. After UMass scored a minute after winning the next faceoff, the teams went back and forth without any more scoring in the quarter. Riorden added four more saves to total 18 in the first three periods as UAlbany led 9-5 going into the last quarter. The team exchanged scores in the first five minutes as Peter Lindley scored a couple minutes in, countered by a rebound goal by Maloney for a 10-6 UAlbany lead. UAlbany held off UMass for the next five-and-a-half minutes. UMass dominated possession and scored twice, the second coming with eight seconds left. UMass won the last faceoff but UAlbany held on in the final seconds to earn the 10-9 victory. UAlbany begins conference play next week, taking on Stony Brook on Long Island on Saturday, March 14th at 1 p.m.

University of Albany's Savitcheff Scores Seven in 21-3 Women’s Lacrosse Victory Over Central Connecticut - UAlbany Sports 2015

ALBANY, N.Y.- In its third game with 20 goals or more, University at Albany women’s lacrosse (4-0) downed Central Connecticut (1-5) 21-3 at John Fallon Field on Saturday afternoon. Sophomore attack Dakotah Savitcheff led the Danes with seven goals. Central Connecticut got on the board first, after UAlbany turned the ball over on the opening draw. Savitcheff found the back of the cage to tie the game at one from Maureen Keggins five minutes later. The Purple & Gold went down 2-1 after two shots on goal by Rachel Bowles were saved on the other end. Emma Powlin won the first of her five draws on the day on the ensuing play, and made her way towards the offensive end shortly after. She put the score even at two goals apiece on an assist from Bowles. Bowles scored the go-ahead goal, her eighth of the season with 17 minutes to play in the first. As part of a 12-goal unanswered rally for UAlbany to end the first half, Savitcheff scored four goals, while Bowles recorded three. Keggins, Katherine Sweeney, Nichole Eamer and Julie Cryderman also ripped for the back of the net before the end of the first half. The Danes out-shot the Blue Devils 29-3 in the first 30 minutes, and took an 11-6 advantage on draw controls. UAlbany won six of the last seven draws to conclude the half. Central Connecticut’s bid for the comeback ended quickly to open the second. The Blue Devils scored the first goal of the half, but Powlin responded five minutes later to spur a seven-goal rally. The freshman was assisted by Sarah Martin, who recorded her first assist of the season on the play. Sweeney, Savitcheff, Cryderman and Kenzie Neal notched goals before the game was through. Eleven Danes recorded at least one point, with nine tallying multiple points. Three UAlbany players dished out three assists, and six scored two goals or more. Christine Johnson led John Battaglino’s squad with six draw controls. Freshman Emma Powlin added five to help UAlbany control the game in the midfield. In the cage, Courtney Henderson had four saves to advance her record to 4-0 in 2015. With a six-point performance, Rachel Bowles moved up another spot on the Division I career points leaderboard to No. 8. The junior passed Christine Grueniger with 129 points to date. Dakotah Savitcheff became just the fifth Division I Dane to score seven goals or more in a single game. UAlbany women’s lacrosse looks to extend its undefeated record to 5-0 against No. 2 North Carolina on Friday, March 13.

University of Albany's Will Brown Named America East Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year - UAlbany Sports 2015

BOSTON, MASS. – University at Albany men’s basketball head coach Will Brown was named America East Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year on Monday as part of the conference’s regular season awards. In addition, Sam Rowley and Evan Singletary were named to the All-Conference First Team, Peter Hooley earned a spot on the Second Team, and Ray Sanders took Third Team and All-Defensive accolades. Will Brown was named America East Coach of the Year for the first time on Monday, in his 14th season. He picked up his 200th career win on Jan. 14 over Binghamton. Brown led UAlbany to its second league regular season crown, and its best all-time America East regular season record at 15-1. The Danes went 13 games without a loss in 2015, including a 12-0 start in league play for its longest Division I program winning streak. Brown collected his fourth 20-win season last week against UMBC, after losing three starters and adding nine newcomers in 2014-15. The Danes have also been ranked in the College Insider Mid-Major Poll for four consecutive weeks, the first time Will Brown has seen a squad ranked in back-to-back weeks all-time. The Purple & Gold takes its 15-1 record and No. 1 seed to the America East Playoffs stage on Wednesday. Sam Rowley took a spot on the America East All-Conference First Team, thanks to eight double-doubles in 2014-15. He ranks fourth in the league in conference-only scoring (15.1 ppg) and rebounding (7.5 rpg). In addition, he posts an 86.3% shooting clip from the free throw line in America East play. He was a two-time America East Player of the Week, and scored his 1000th career point in a 47-44 victory over Vermont on Jan. 28. The senior has posted 15 double-digit scoring games in a row, and eight 10+ rebound performances to date. Rowley was also named to the All-Academic team for the third consecutive year. For the first time since 2006-07, two Danes were named to the America East All-Conference First Team. Evan Singletary joins Rowley on the First Team after averaging 12.9 points, 3.8 assists and 3.5 rebounds in league play. Singletary led the conference in assist-turnover ratio, and had more than one assist in every league regular season game. The junior hit a number of game-winning shots this season, including a trey with two seconds left at Vermont for a 47-44 victory. He was the America East Player of the Week on Feb. 9, and stands as the only first-year junior college transfer on the First Team. Hooley was voted onto the Second Team by the league’s coaches, despite an eight-game absence to be with his late mother in his native Australia. The junior was the team’s leading scorer and ranked second in the conference up until a Jan. 14 home game against Binghamton. Since his return to league play against Stony Brook on Feb. 17, he has recorded double digit scoring in three of his last four games, including 18 points against Vermont in the regular season finale. Hooley was named to the Capital One Academic All-District First Team and the America East All-Academic team for the second straight season. Sanders earned a nod on the Third Team and All-Defensive team thanks to 25 steals in league play, averaging 1.6 per game to rank fourth. He recorded his first double-double as a Great Dane on Jan. 28 in a crucial game at Vermont with 10 points and 13 rebounds. Typically assigned to the opposition’s top scorer, Sanders has tallied at least one steal in his last four games. The junior is averaging 11.2 points per game and 5.3 rebounds per game against America East foes. On the All-Academic side, Hooley, Rowley and Dallas Ennema gave the Danes three members of the five-player squad. Hooley is a double journalism and psychology major with a 3.54 GPA. Rowley is a double major in math and business administration, posting a cumulative GPA of 3.60. Ennema is an intended accounting major with a 3.56 GPA. FACTS ABOUT THIS YEAR’S TEAM: For the first time since 2006-07, UAlbany has two players on the First Team. Between the first, second and third teams, the Danes have their all-time largest total number of members between the three squads with four. Ray Sanders is the fourth Dane all-time to earn All-Defensive accolades. For the first time since 2010-11, the Purple & Gold has three student-athletes on the All-Academic team. Sam Rowley is just the fourth America East student-athlete among current league members to be a three-time All-Academic selection.