University of Albany Men's Basketball Improves To 15-4, With All-Around Team Effort Against Conference Rival UNH, 68-62 - UAlbany Sports 2013

DURHAM, N.H. - For the first time in the past six trips at Lundholm Gym, the University at Albany takes care of business against New Hampshire, 68-62, on Wednesday, Jan 16. The Great Danes improve to 4-1 in league play, while the Wildcats fall to 0-4. "We have players who are buying into their roles, whether they are made to take shots or grab the rebounds, we are finding ways to win as a team," said Coach Brown on a strong team win on the road. "A lot of people question why we are 15-4, we may not be the most flashy team but players are understanding what they are capable to do on the floor and not try to go outside their realm." Mike Black led the Great Danes for the second consecutive game with a 20-plus point performance, scoring 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting along with six rebounds and four assists. Sam Rowley records his third consecutive game with a double-double, tallying 10 points and 10 rebounds. New Hampshire (4-12, 0-4 America East) came out with a vengeance, scoring 18 points in the first five minutes of the second half to cut the deficit to just one, 35-34, with 14:31 left. The Wildcats hit five-of-six from behind, two coming from Ferg Myrick. UAlbany (15-4, 4-1 America East) came back on a 14-5 run to extend the lead to 10, 49-39, with 9:31 remaining in the contest. Jayson Guerrier came off the bench and scored six of his points to help spark the run. The Great Danes extended their lead to as much as 13, 60-47, with 3:58 left. The Wildcats cut the lead down to six, 61-55, with an 11-4 run that was paced by a Patrick Konan and Scott Morris three-pointer. UAlbany held the lead for the final 1:14 and shot a perfect 4-of-4 to hold on to a six-point lead to finish the game. Great Danes brought a lock-down defense in the first half, holding the Wildcats to 16 points on 24 percent (7-29) shooting from the floor. The 16 points allowed was the lowest points given up in a half in program's Division I history. UAlbany finished the half on a 9-3 run with Metcalf scoring four of his seven first-half points during the stretch. The Great Danes were able to hold the Wildcats to no points from 11:15 mark down to the 3:30 mark, going seven minutes and 45 seconds without allowing a point. The Great Danes take their three-game winning streak to West Hartford, Conn. to play Hartford at the Chase Family Arena. Tip-off scheduled for 7 p.m.

University of Albany Women's Basketball Wins Fifth Straight, Defeating New Hampshire, 78-43 - UAlbany Sports 2013

ALBANY, N.Y. -- Ebone Henry and Lindsey Lowrie each scored a game-best 16 points, while Sarah Royals tied the single-game Division I assist record with 10 helpers, as UAlbany defeated New Hampshire, 78-43, in America East Conference women's basketball action on Wednesday afternoon at SEFCU Arena. The Great Danes welcomed local elementary school students to their home court for the annual Commitment to Education Day. UAlbany scored the first seven points of the game and never looked back. New Hampshire's Cari Reed hit a layup at 15:18 to cut the Great Dane advantage to two, 10-8, but that would be as close as the Wildcats would get for the remainder of the game. From that point, UAlbany scored nine of the next 11 points, building up a 19-10 advantage on a 3-pointer from Henry with 12:35 left to play in the first half. Henry gave the Great Danes their first double-digit lead of the game with a pair of free throws at 9:58, putting UAlbany ahead, 23-12. New Hampshire's Stephanie Spoto cut the lead back to nine at 7:35, but Lowrie nailed back-to-back 3-pointers to spark a 15-0 run for the Great Danes. The Wildcats ended the run with two free throws from Kaylee Kilpatrick at 3:42, but Lowrie sank her fifth trey of the half two minutes later to put UAlbany up, 41-16, with 1:42 on the clock. Shereesha Richards scored the final points of the half with a free throw with a second remaining to send the Great Danes to the locker room with a 42-20 lead. UAlbany came out just as hot in the second half, as Julie Forster and Henry sank the first two buckets of the stanza. Royals, who had seven assists at halftime, scored her first points of the game with a bucket from the charity stripe, putting the Great Danes up, 47-20, with 17:31 to play. UAlbany continued to extend their advantage, getting up by 32 points, 61-29, at 9:04 on back-to-back baskets and a free throw by Richards. After Reed nailed two free throws to cut the UAlbany lead back to 28 with just under seven minutes to play, the Great Danes scored eight of the next nine points to build up their biggest lead of the game, 73-35, with just over four minutes to play. New Hampshire managed to cut the deficit to 34 on two free throws by Elizabeth Belanger at 1:30, but Keyontae Williams nailed a 3-pointer as the clock dropped under one minute. Jilliane Friel closed out the scoring with a pair of shots from the charity stripe to set the final score. Richards finished with a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds to go along with four steals for the Great Danes, while Forster added eight points and seven boards. UAlbany shot 52.5 percent (31-59) from the floor, and outrebounded New Hampshire (6-10, AE 1-3) by a 45-25 margin. UAlbany, which improved to 13-3 overall and 4-0 in league play, will return to action on Saturday, hosting Hartford in a conference matchup at 2 p.m.

Former University of Albany Great Danes, Samson Brown And Jim O’Neil, Hired By Buffalo Bills - UAlbany Sports 2013

ALBANY, N.Y. – In the coaching carousel currently taking place throughout the National Football League, former University at Albany standout player and assistant coach Samson Brown as well as 2001 UAlbany assistant Jim O’Neil have landed positions on the Buffalo Bills staff. Brown and O’Neil come most recently from the New York Jets organization under defensive coordinator Mike Pettine. With the hiring of new Bills head coach Doug Marrone (formerly the head coach of Syracuse University) Buffalo announced Pettine as their new defensive coordinator on Jan. 10th. Consequently, Brown received the nod as the Bills assistant defensive backs coach and O’Neil as the Bills’ linebackers coach. “I’m excited to announce the newest members of the Buffalo Bills coaching staff,” said Coach Marrone Tuesday. “When I began the hiring process for our staff, I sought after individuals that had a strong work ethic, passion for the game of football and experience which are all qualities demonstrated in each of our new hires.” Brown was a four-time All-Northeast Conference free safety at UAlbany. He totaled 52 tackles, 10 pass break-ups and two interceptions in leading the Great Danes to the 2002 conference championship. Brown, who was named to the All-NEC first team on three occasions, finished his career ranked among the school's all-time tackles leaders with 240. He was also named to the Football Gazette mid-major All-America squad. He earned a B.A. in information science and policy from UAlbany in 2003. Prior to joining Coach Bob Ford’s staff in 2007, the Bronx, N.Y. native coached the tight ends and assisted with special teams at Hofstra University. He also served as an intern coach for two years at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and one season at Siena College. At Rensselaer, Brown worked with the defensive backs, wide receivers, and special teams. He also interned with the New York Giants' scouting department. From 2007 to May of 2010, Brown gained experience coaching the outside linebackers, tight ends, and corners for his alma mater. He also interned with the Green Bay Packers in 2009, testing the waters of the NFL. He spent the 2010 and 2011 seasons with the NY Jets as a coaching assistant. Meanwhile, O’Neil enters his fifth season in the NFL. He joined the Jets’ coaching staff in 2009 as a defensive quality control coach before being elevated to assistant defensive backs coach for three seasons from 2010-12. The Jets’ passing defense finished second in the NFL in 2012 (189.8), fifth in 2011 (201.0), sixth in 2010 (200.6) and first in 2009 (153.7). While with the Jets from 2009-12, New York’s defense held opposing passers to an NFL-low 71.0 quarterback rating, completion percentage (52.6%), passing yards (186.3 per game) and forced the highest percentage of three-and-out drives (29.4%). Prior to entering the NFL coaching ranks with the Jets, O’Neil spent eight years with college programs. From 2006-08, he served as the recruiting coordinator and safeties coach at Eastern Michigan. His previous college stints include Towson in 2005 (defensive coordinator), Northwestern from 2003-04 (graduate assistant/defensive backs), Penn in 2002 (assistant offensive line) and UAlbany in 2001 (assistant offensive line/tight ends). O’Neil earned a bachelor’s degree in Sports Management from Towson, a Master of Art’s degree in Liberal Studies from Northwestern University and his Master of Science degree in Education from UAlbany. During both Brown and O’Neil’s tenures, the Jets experienced success, highlighted by an AFC Championship game appearance in 2010. The former Great Danes look to make an immediate impact on the Bills’ program that is in search of its first playoff presence since 1999. Buffalo finished the 2012 season with a 6-10 record.

University of Albany's Sam Rowley Named America East Men's Basketball Player Of The Week - UAlbany Sports 2013

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - University at Albany's sophomore forward Sam Rowley recorded his first two career double-doubles this past week in his first two starts to garner him the America East Conference Player of the Week. Rowley's two double-doubles were the Great Danes first two of the season with the last one coming from Blake Metcalf, tallying 12 points and 11 rebounds against Cornell on Dec. 17, 2011. Before this past week, Rowley has been one of the best options off the bench contributing 6.6 points and 5.1 rebounds through the first 16 games. Then the sophomore forward had two strong conference games, recording eight points and seven rebounds in both games against UMBC and Vermont. Following those two performances, head coach Will Brown inserted Rowley into the starting lineup and the Sydney, Australia native showed why he belonged there. With a 21 point/ 13 rebound game against Binghamton and a 10 point/ 13 rebound finish against Maine, not only tallied his first two career double-doubles but gave him his first career conference accolade. Rowley and the Great Danes head to Durham, N.H. to play New Hampshire on Wednesday, Jan. 15. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. in the Lundholm Gym.

University of Albany Shereesha Richards Named Women's Basketball's America East Rookie of the Week for Fifth Time - UAlbany Sports 2013

CAMBRIDGE, MASS. -- Shereesha Richards was named the America East Conference Women's Basketball Rookie of the Week for the fifth time this season, as announced by the league office on Monday afternoon. Richards helped lead UAlbany to a 71-39 win over Maine in the team's first game at SEFCU Arena since Nov. 28. The freshman forward recorded 10 points, and was just short of a double-double with nine rebounds. Richards shot 50.0 percent (5-10) from the field, while also recording five steals and one assist in 24 minutes off the bench.

University of Albany's Black Leads Men's Basketball Over Maine With Career High 28 points - UAlbany Sports 2013

ALBANY, N.Y. – Senior guard Mike Black goes for a career-high 28 points to pace UAlbany past Maine, 76-63, on Saturday, Jan. 12 at SEFCU Arena. The Great Danes improve to 3-1 in league play, while Maine falls to 2-2. "I was not happy with the offense in the first half, shooting just six free throws so that was something we talked about in the locker room before we began the second half," said Coach Brown on the double-digit win over Maine. "How we won against Binghamton, by giving our bigs touches inside, is the recipe we need to use to finish out the season to be successful." Black led all scorers with 28 points on 9-of-17 shooting and recorded four assists, four rebounds, and three steals. Sam Rowley recorded his second consecutive double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds. The Great Danes shot 43.8 percent (7-16) from behind the arc. "I was tough on myself following my poor shooting performance against Binghamton and focused on getting shots up in practice leading up to tonight's game to do as well as I did tonight," said Black on his career-high 28 points. "I felt good tonight and I love playing Maine because my previous career-high (26 points) was during my sophomore season against them." A physical first half between both teams with UAlbany (14-4 getting the better end, leading 31-29. Black led all scorers with 16 points. The Great Danes shot 66.7 percent (6-9) from behind the arc, as Black shot a perfect 3-of-3. The second half belonged to the Great Danes, who were led by Rowley. Rowley, who had just two rebounds and no points, sparked UAlbany with 10 points and eight rebounds. Four of his 10 points came in a 14 second span to give UAlbany a 12-point lead, 54-42, with 9:40 remaining. Maine (7-10, 2-2 America East) responded with an 11-5 run to cut the deficit to six, 59-53, with 6:27 left in the contest. Justin Edwards chipped in with seven of his team-high 16 points during the stretch. However, UAlbany's defensive shut down Maine for the 6:26 and never allowed the Black Bear offense to get any closer. The Great Danes free throw shooters combined for 13-of-14 in the final six minutes of the game to grab their third conference victory of the season. UAlbany hits the road for the next two games with New Hampshire on Wednesday, Jan. 16 in the Lundholm Gym. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.

University of Albany's Scannapieco, Morris Earn Victories At Nittany Lion T&F Challenge - UAlbany Sports 2013

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The University at Albany men’s indoor track and field program featured seven IC4A qualifying performances Saturday afternoon at Penn State’s Nittany Lion Challenge. Junior Alfonso Scannapieco highlighted the field with his first-place 16-04.75 pole vault leap. Classmate Kareem Morris also finished first with a 60m dash time of 6.92, which qualified him for the IC4A Championship later in the season. Donald Williams Jr. earned second in the event, also with an IC4A proficient time of 6.94. Other IC4A qualifiers included sophomore John DeLallo (mile), Donald Williams (60m), Alex Petit-Frere (400m), Stephen Crouse (triple jump), and the 4x400m relay squad. DeLallo placed second with a personal-best 4:13.52 in the mile. Petit-Frere finished third in the 400m with a time of 49.10, while Crouse earned second in the triple jump with a leap of 47-10.50. Already hitting the qualifying mark this season, Alexander Bowen Jr. placed second in the high jump with a program-record 7-01.00 mark. The 4x400m relay team consisting of Taariq Jones, Charles Karam, Petit-Frere, and Jonathon Santana placed third in the event with a time of 3:17.36. Other strong performances included Chris Buchanan’s second-place run of 8:35.74 in the 3,000m, while Ethan Clary placed fourth with an 8:41.23 mark. In addition, Shane Wagner (8.41) and Rudje Beckford (8.44) finished fourth and fifth in the 60m hurdles. In the field, Kareem Morris (22-04.50) and Brendan Behan (40-07.50) both placed fourth in the long jump and shot put, respectively. The Great Danes are back in action Friday, when they host the UAlbany Great Dane Classic at the NYC Armory.

University of Albany's Fanning Shatters Meet And Program Mile Record At Nittany Lion T&F Challenge - UAlbany Sports 2013

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Junior Kathryn Fanning was the highlight of the University at Albany women’s indoor track and field team’s performance Saturday afternoon at Penn State’s Nittany Lion Challenge. Fanning shattered her own program record in the mile and set a new meet standard with a 4:45.88 time. The outstanding run ranks second in the nation and also qualified the Manlius, N.Y. native for the ECAC Championship in Boston, Mass. later this season. Senior Patricia McNish, sophomore Michelle Anthony, senior Ali Rogers, junior Brianne Bellon and classmate Rochelle Reid also had ECAC qualifying performances at the meet. McNish placed first with her 19-07.50 leap in the long jump. Anthony posted a personal-best 8.77 mark in the 60m hurdles, while Rogers placed fourth with a 56.16 time in the 400m. Bellon earned a trip to Boston with a 2:55.39 1,000m time, good for fifth, while Reid placed sixth with a personal-best 5-07.00 high jump performance. Junior Jillian Haynes earned the first-place victory against a very talented field of athletes, running a 7.71 time in the 60m dash. In a UAlbany heavy final, freshman Kahlia Taylor (7.85), classmate Ashlee Maduro (7.89), and Anthony (8.01 F; 7.97 P) captured third, fourth, and fifth, respectively. Despite an eighth-place finish in the shot put (41-08.50) and tenth-place weight throw mark (41-07.00), sophomore Janice Johnson recorded career-bests in both events. In the 800m, senior Kendra Adams earned fourth with her time of 2:21.71. The Great Danes are back in action Friday, when they host the UAlbany Great Dane Classic at the NYC Armory.

University of Albany's Forster Records Double-Double to Lead Women Basketball to 71-39 Rout of Maine - UAlbany Sports 2013

ALBANY, N.Y. - UAlbany had five players score in double digits for the first time since 2008, led by Julie Forster, who recorded a double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds, as the Great Danes posted a 71-39 win over Maine in America East Conference women's basketball action on Saturday evening at SEFCU Arena. UAlbany improves to 12-3 overall, and 3-0 in league play, while Maine drops to 1-15 and 0-3. The Great Danes got out to an uncharacteristically slow start, with the Black Bears scoring the first basket of the game. However, a bucket by Ebone Henry and an old-fashioned three-point play by Forster tied the game at 5-5 at the first media timeout of the half at 15:58. Lindsey Lowrie drained a 3-pointer from the right side of the arc coming out of the break to give UAlbany its first lead of the game. From there, the Great Danes embarked on an 8-2 run, to push their advantage to 14-7 before Ashleigh Roberts ended the rally with a basket at 9:34.Lowrie helped UAlbany build up a 10-point lead, 21-11, with 7:17 left to play, after draining back-to-back 3-pointers. After an additional trey by Henry at 5:21, the Great Danes finished out the half by going on an 11-2 run, capped off by a jumper by Forster with 21 seconds to go, sending UAlbany to the locker room with a 34-16 lead. The Great Danes continued their rout in the second half, as Margarita Rosario drained a 3-pointer to put UAlbany up by 20, 44-24, with 14:47 to play. Forster followed with the next five points for the Great Danes on a jumper and a 3-pointer before Maine ended the run with a jumper by Mikaela Gustafsson. However, the Black Bears had no answer for UAlbany, as the Great Danes extended their lead to 32, 66-34, with 4:30 left to play in the game. Behind strong performances from bench players Shereesha Richards, who totaled 10 points, nine rebounds, and five steals, and Megan Craig, who added 12 points, the Great Danes rolled to the finish, defeating their third straight opponent by a giant margin. In the first three games of the league slate, UAlbany is winning by an average of 37 points. Along with Forster, Richards, and Craig, Henry and Lowrie netted 12 points apiece. Lowrie and Sarah Royals also handed out five assists each, helping the Great Danes reach the 20-assist mark for the first time since 2004. UAlbany shot 42.9 percent (27-63) from the floor, and outrebounded Maine, 46-28. "We are playing as hard as we can," said UAlbany head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson, whose team faces New Hampshire in their next contest. "We have lots of players who are x-factors. We move and share the ball, and it's more fun for them to play that way. They are hungry and humble, and we want to stay that way." The Great Danes will host New Hampshire in league play on Wednesday at noon, in the annual Commitment to Education Day, welcoming over 1,100 local elementary school students to SEFCU Arena.

UAlbany Women's Basketball Signs Three Players for 2013-14 Season

ALBANY, N.Y. - University at Albany head women's basketball coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson has announced the three members of the 2013 recruiting class, as announced on Thursday. The Great Danes will welcome Cassandra Edwards, Imani Tate, and Zakiya Saunders to the team next fall. Edwards, a 5-foot-11 guard, hails from Brampton, Ontario. She led Notre Dame Secondary School to three consecutive ROPSSAA Finals and three straight OFSAA tournaments. In 2011-12, Edwards was Notre Dame's girl's basketball MVP, while also earning the OFSAA Sportsmanship Award. She also played in the Phase One All-Canada Classic, and was named a JUEL All-Star. In 2010, Edwards was named a University and College Sultan Prospect MVP, and also earned the Brampton Chrysler Athletic Award of Excellence. Edwards has been a member of the U15 Ontario Provincial Team, which was the National U15 Champion. Tate is a 5-foot-8 guard from Bronx, N.Y. The Bishop Loughlin High School team MVP in 2012, she is currently the 44th-ranked guard in the country by ESPN HoopGurlz and is 59th among her position as ranked by Girl's Basketball Report. She was a member of the 2012 Class A All-Tournament Team at the NY State Federation Tournament, and was the 2012 Mecca Tournament MVP. A Coaches Award winner in 2010, Tate also earned the Rose Classic Super Jam Sportsmanship award in 2012. Also a volleyball standout for Bishop Loughlin, Tate was the team MVP this fall, earning New York Post First Team and Daily News Second Team honors, while also being named a Daily News Top-25 All-Star. Saunders is a 5-foot-10 guard, and will join the Great Danes from Carthage Central High School in Fort Drum, N.Y. Saunders has played the last two seasons for Carthage after moving to New York from Fort Lee, Va., as her father is a Master Sargent in the U.S. Army. While at Prince George High School, Saunders was named the team's most improved player as a freshman. Since moving to Fort Drum, she has been named the Frontier League MVP and was named to the Section III All-Tournament Team. As a member of the Jr. ROTC, Saunders has earned the Presidential Physical Fitness Award and the Commendation Award. As a high school freshman, she was also a member of the Central District Championship 1,600-meter relay team. "We are extremely excited about our three phenomenal young women who have decided to become a part of our Great Dane family," said Abrahamson-Henderson, who guided the UAlbany program to its first-ever America East Conference championship and NCAA Tournament berth a year ago, in just her second season with the Great Danes. "They are all extremely talented basketball players, but, most importantly, exceptional people from great families."

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