University of Albany Women's Lacrosse Routs Fresno State 21-3 - UAlbany Sports 2013

ALBANY, N.Y. – The University at Albany women’s lacrosse team scored a season-high 21 goals on their way to a 21-3 rout over Fresno State on Thursday, March 21 at John Fallon Field. Sophomore Nichole Eamer scored a career-best five goals and six points to lead the Great Danes. Senior Rachel Burek chipped in a career-high six assists.

Six UAlbany players scored two goals or more. Behind Eamer, Burek highlighted the game with eight points. Senior Jess Antelmi added four goals (five points), with freshman Maureen Keggins and junior Ariana Parker each scoring three goals. Freshman Andrea Flood also scored two goals.

The contest began with Eamer scoring the first two goals within five minutes. Both were free position shots. From there, Burek assisted the next four of five goals. Starting at attack, Burek found Eamer to put the score at 7-0.

The Great Danes continued to put the foot on the gas as Parker added her tenth goal of the season to put the score at 9-0. Fresno State (1-5) looked to make a run with sophomore Marcy Levatino scoring the Bulldogs first goal. However, UAlbany finished the half with four more. Eamer put the halftime margin at 13, 15-2, as she scored her fourth goal of the half.

The second half opened up right where the first left off. The Great Danes scored two goals before the 20 minute mark, putting the lead to 17-2. During the span, freshman Katherine Sweeney found the back of the net for the first time in her career.

UAlbany held Fresno State scoreless in the second half until the 3:57 mark. They scored only one goal in the last 30 minutes. The Great Danes added seven more goals after the half. Freshman Christine Johnson put the exclamation point on the day, scoring the final goal with 18 seconds remaining.

The Great Danes dominated nearly every statistical aspect, including shots (45-7), draw controls (17-9), ground balls (23-13) and turnovers (23-9). Junior Anna Berman (5-3) recorded the win between the pipes. She had two saves and two goals allowed. Senior Katie Wilbur (1-3) took the loss for the Bulldogs.

UAlbany opens up conference play against New Hampshire on Sunday, March 24. First draw control is slated for noon.

University of Albany Women's Basketball Defeat Hartford, Wins Second Straight America East Championship Title - UAlbany Sports 2013

ALBANY, N.Y. -- Megan Craig scored a team-high 16 points en route to being named the America East Tournament's Most Outstanding Player to lead UAlbany to a 61-52 win over Hartford in the America East Championship on Saturday evening at SEFCU Arena. The Great Danes became the eighth team in league history to win back-to-back titles, and is just the fourth team to win both the regular season and tournament titles in the same season since 2001-02.

Lindsey Lowrie scored the first five points for the Great Danes on a game-opening 3-pointer and a layup at 17:15 to give UAlbany a 5-2 advantage. After a 4-point play by Amber Bepko that put Hartford on top, 8-5, UAlbany went on a 10-0 run that spanned the next 2:30. Hartford's Ruthanne Doherty ended the Great Dane rally with a basket at 13:40, but Lowrie answered at the other end with a 3-pointer from the top of the arc, keeping UAlbany on top, 18-10, with just over 13 minutes to play. Hartford scored back-to-back baskets to pull back within four, but a jumper by Forster kept the Great Danes on top.

UAlbany extended its advantage to eight on a layup by Shereesha Richards, but Hartford's Daphne Elliott nailed a 3-pointer to cut the Hawks deficit to 24-19 with 6:22 to play in the first. Hartford then went on a 7-2 run to take a 26-25 advantage with under a minute to go, prompting UAlbany to take a timeout. The Great Danes couldn't capitalize before the end of the half, however, which sent the Hawks to the locker room with the one-point lead.

The teams exchanged a pair of free throws to start the half to keep the two-point differential, before Keyana Williams sank one-of-two from the charity stripe to tie the game at 28-28 with 18:17 to play. UAlbany regained the lead, 32-31, on back-to-back baskets by Richards and Megan Craig at 14:38. However, a 3-pointer by Elliott at 14:11 put the Hawks back on top. The teams exchanged baskets before Ebone Henry finally got her first points of the day at the 9:24 mark, and a layup by Richards tied the game at 40-40. The Great Danes took their first lead since the first half on a runner by Henry before the under-eight minute media timeout at 7:48.

After a double-foul call - which was a flagrant on Hartford's Amber Bepko - UAlbany extended its lead to 46-40 on two made free throws by Lowrie and a basket by Craig with 7:25 to play. Hartford wouldn't go away quietly, cutting the score back to two, 50-48, on two free throws by Nikkia Smith with 3:32 to play. The teams exchanged baskets, before a layup by Smith tied the game at 52-all at 1:39. Royals put a layup in with just over a minute to go to put the Great Danes back on top, and UAlbany scored the final five points of the game from the free throw line to seal up the win.

UAlbany finished the game shooting 44.2 percent (23-52) from the floor, and out-rebounded Hartford, 38-31. The Great Danes are just the fourth team in America East history, and the first since Maine in 1996 to go undefeated in the America East regular season and win the tournament title.

With the UAlbany men's team winning the league title earlier on Saturday at Vermont, this marks the sixth time in league history that both the men's and women's programs from the same institution have won the basketball titles in the same season.

University of Albany Heads To NCAA's With Defeat Over Vermont - UAlbany Sports 2013

BURLINGTON, Vt. - A full team-effort that was led by Mike Black's 14-point performance pushed the University at Albany past Vermont, 53-49, in the America East Conference Finals on Saturday, March 16 at Patrick Gymnasium. This is the first time in conference tournament history that a number 4 seed took home the conference tournament championship.


Behind Black's 14 points, the Great Dane bench came up huge, scoring 27 of the team's 53 points. Junior forward Luke Devlin led the charge off the bench, scoring 12 points and shot a perfect 6-of-6 from the field and grabbed five rebounds. Redshirt-freshman guard Peter Hooley filled the stat sheet off the bench with eight points, four assists, four steals, and two rebounds.

Vermont began the contest with a big 10-0 run to start with 17:18 left in the half. Trey Blue led the charge with five points, one three-pointer off a missed free-throw to begin the run.

Black stopped the momentum with the Great Danes first basket to cut the deficit to eight, 10-2, with 16:57 remaining. The basket led to a 11-0 run and the Great Danes first lead of 11-10, with 11:19 left in the half.

UAlbany's defense forced five consecutive turnovers during a seven-minute stretch to obtain the early lead.

Vermont took the lead back at 14-11, with 9:09 remaining, and UAlbany responded with a 17-6 run to finish the half. The Catamounts turnovers were key for the Great Danes during the run, as Peter Hooley recorded three steals and converted all three with layups.

The Great Danes led by eight, 28-20, at the end of the first half. Black led all scorers at the half, with 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the floor.

The Catamounts started the second half, like the first half, on a 6-0 run to cut the lead to two, 28-26, with 15:49 remaining. Two big three-point plays by Ethan O'Day and Luke Apfeld were the sparked the charge.

UAlbany responded with a 10-5 run to extend its lead to five, 38-33, with 9:28 left in the contest. Jacob Iati found teammate Blake Metcalf wide open for the slam to cap the run.

With Vermont looking to gain momentum from an out-of-bounds play for O'Day to nailed a dunk, UAlbany's Black came right back down the floor and hit a big three to keep the Great Danes up six, 41-35, with 7:35 left.

The Catamonts came back with an 8-2 run to grab their first lead, 45-43, since the 11:20 mark of the first half. Sandro Carissimo hit back-to-back buckets capping the run to give Vermont the two-point lead with 2:50 remaining.

UAlbany's Iati responded with back-to-back three pointers, his first points of the game, to reclaim the lead, 49-45, with 1:10 remaining.

After Vermont's Trey Blue hit a layup to cut the deficit to two, 51-49, Great Dane junior center John Puk shut the door with the final two free throws to send his team dancing.

UAlbany's 24 wins are the most single season wins in program history. The Great Danes will wait to hear who and where they play on ESPN's Selection Show on Sunday, March 17.

University of Alban's Johnson Belts First Collegiate Homer as Softball Defeats Butler, 4-0 - UAlbany Sports 2013

KISSIMMEE, FLA –The University at Albany softball team triumphed over Butler University in a 4-0 win at the Rebel Games on Friday, March 15. Freshman Annie Johnson slugged her first collegiate homer in a three-hit performance to lead the Great Danes. Junior Brittany MacFawn also pitched a complete game one-hitter in the outing. This followed junior Emily Ostrom's one-hit performance yesterday.

Johnson opened up the scoring for UAlbany in the second inning. SophomoreAlexa Toole led off with a line drive single to center field. From there, Johnson stepped into a one strike pitch and launched it over the left field wall. It was her first collegiate homer.

MacFawn would need no more run support as the right-handed hurler did not allow a runner to safely touch first base after the third inning. The only exception was a single throwing error. MacFawn (3-5) pitched her eighth complete game of the season, striking out seven and walking zero over six innings. She is currently seventh in Great Dane program history with 43 complete games.

Reigning America East Rookie of the Year, Vicky McFarland, added two runs to put the game away in the sixth inning. She singled, scoring sophomore Bri Chevalier and Toole.

Johnson set a career-high in hits and RBIs. She went 3-for-4, driving in two and stealing a base. Toole also recorded a three-hit performance, driving in two. Taylor Lockwood was charged with the loss for Butler (8-12). She went 2.1 innings, allowing three hits off two earned runs.

UAlbany will play six more at the Rebel Games. They have tomorrow off before playing two on Sunday. The Great Danes will match up against UW- Green Bay at 11:00 a.m. followed by Rider University at 1:00 p.m.

University of Albany CAA Football Announces Complete 2013 Schedule - UAlbany Sports 2013

ALBANY, N.Y. – Entering an exciting new chapter of Great Dane football, the University at Albany has announced the 2013 schedule in its entirety. The slate will feature five home contests at Bob Ford Field – a brand new 8,500 seat stadium -- eight games against Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) opponents, and a meeting with a pending Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) adversary.

While the finishing touches are put on UAlbany’s new gridiron, the Great Danes will play the first two weeks of the season on the road, taking on a pair of familiar non-conference opponents in Duquesne and Colgate. UAlbany will play the Dukes of the Northeast Conference (NEC) in Pittsburgh Aug. 31st. The Danes own a 5-1 lead in the all-time series, including a 38-31 road win at Duquesne in 2012.

The following Saturday, the Great Danes have just a short bus trip to Hamilton, N.Y., facing NCAA Playoff participant and reigning Patriot League champion Colgate. UAlbany overcame the Raiders, 40-23, in 2012’s season-opener.

Perhaps the most anticipated game of the season takes place on Sept. 14th, as a brand new era of UAlbany football will officially begin on that day. The Great Danes will play their inaugural game at Bob Ford Field, kickoff their first CAA contest as a member of the league, and face Rhode Island for the first time in program history.

Back home again on Sept. 21st, UAlbany hosts another former conference colleague, the NEC’s Central Connecticut State. The meeting will mark the 18th between the two schools with the Great Danes leading the all-time series, 12-5.

For UAlbany’s final non-conference contest of the season, the Danes travel to Norfolk, Va. to battle Old Dominion Sept. 28th. Last season, the Monarchs closed its tenure with the CAA, while reaching the quarterfinals of the FCS Championship. Transitioning to Conference USA for 2015, ODU will compete as an independent for two seasons, as they elevate to the FBS level.

Back to battling CAA foes for the remainder of the slate, the Great Danes travel to James Madison on Oct. 5th and Delaware on Oct. 12th, before returning home Oct. 19th to host Towson. UAlbany will then hit the road to battle Richmond, a 2012 CAA co-champion, on Nov. 2nd.

The following two weekends, the Great Danes have the home field advantage, welcoming Maine Nov. 9th and 2012 NCAA Tournament participant New Hampshire Nov. 16th to the Capital Region.

UAlbany closes the 2013 regular season on Nov. 23rd at rival Stony Brook, who has made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the last two seasons. Like the Great Danes, Stony Brook will also be playing its inaugural CAA Football schedule next fall.

The CAA has proven to be one of the strongest and well respected conferences at the FCS level, as nine of the 11 teams competing in 2013 were ranked in the nation's top-25 last season. In addition, CAA Football has produced two national championship teams, four national championship game appearances, eight semifinal appearances and more than 30 postseason wins since 2007.

In the past, UAlbany has had success over CAA members, having tallied a 7-5 all-time record. The Great Danes have previously faced Delaware (1-1), Maine (4-2), Towson (2-1) and New Hampshire (0-1), and will also have an opportunity to expand on its rivalry with Stony Brook, having played the Seawolves 15 times in the past (10-5).

Wrapping up a 14-year tenure in the Northeast Conference with six championships, including a share of the title in 2012, the Great Danes are just months away from the new CAA era.

Football season tickets for 2013 are on sale now! Season tickets are available in three price options, beginning with the premium Gold Club seating. Gold Club is offered to UAlbany Athletic Department donors of $1,000 or more. Those seats are located on the lower level of the stadium between the 30-yard lines and can be purchased for $140 per season ticket plus a deposit on the donation.

The second option is the lower level reserved seating, located from the 10- to the 30-yard lines and can be purchased for $100 per season ticket. Lastly, upper level reserved seats are available for $75 per season ticket.

Individual game tickets will go on sale Aug. 1, 2013. Ticket prices for individual games will start at $15. Student tickets will remain free to all enrolled UAlbany students, with seating in both the lower and upper levels. Student tickets will be available at the start of the Fall 2013 semester.

For more information or to order season tickets, call the UAlbany Athletics Box Office at (518) 442-DANE.


2013 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

Aug. 31 @ Duquesne

Sept. 7 @ Colgate

Sept. 14 vs. Rhode Island* (Fireworks by SEFCU)

Sept. 21 vs. CCSU (Hall of Fame Game)

Sept. 28 @ Old Dominion

Oct. 5 @ James Madison*

Oct. 12 @ Delaware*

Oct. 19 vs. Towson* (Homecoming)

Oct. 26 BYE

Nov. 2 @ Richmond*

Nov. 9 vs. Maine*

Nov. 16 vs. UNH*

Nov. 23 @ Stony Brook*

University of Albany Women's Lacrosse Routs George Mason, 17-5 - UAlbany Sports 2013

ALBANY, N.Y. - Senior attack Rachael Burek recorded another stellar outing, with eight points en route to an University at Albany win over George Mason, 17-5, on Wednesday, March 13 at John Fallon Field. Burek, following her previous high of four assists against Manhattan earlier this season, recorded a career-best five assists today against the Patriots.

Three Great Danes tallied at least three goals and five recorded at least three points in the rout over the Patriots. Burek headlined with eight points, three goals and five assists, then was followed by Rachel Bowles' five goal game and Jess Antelmi's four-goal performance. Amanda Obenshain (3 assists) and Maureen Keggins (2 goals, 1 assists) each had three point games. Kathleen Lennon dominated the draw control circle again with a game-best and a career-best 12 draw controls.

Recently named America East Rookie of the Week Rachel Bowles began the contest off with two quick unassisted goals to give the Great Danes a 2-0 lead with 26:54 left in the first half. Then senior attack Jess Antelmi rattled off two quick goals, both assisted by Rachael Burek to extend the lead to 4-0, with 23:18 left.

Following two goals, one by Keggins and Allie Phelan, Burek offensive stick got hot with three straight goals in a matter of two minutes to bring the lead up to nine, 9-0, with 19:07 remaining in the contest.

George Mason (2-4) got on the board from Allie Hilderbrandt's stick to cut the deficit to eight, 9-1, with 15:26 left.

UAlbany (4-2) scored the next three of the four remaining goals in the half to extend the lead to 11, 13-2. Bowles tallied two of three team goals during the stretch.

The Great Danes did not take their foot off the gas, scoring the next four goals in the first five minutes of the second half to bring the lead to 14, 16-2, with 25:04. Bowles, the Cicero, N.Y. native, tallied her fifth goal of the contest during the run, which broke her previous career-best of four against Florida on Feb. 24, 2013.

The Patriots looked to make a run, scoring three of the next four goals, but that was not enough to cut into the deficit and fall by a final score of 17-5.

UAlbany junior goalkeeper Anna Berman recorded seven saves on 11 chances for her fourth win of the season. George Mason goalkeeper Brittany Pastrana was dealt the loss, having recorded one save on ten chances.

The Great Danes head south to Baltimore, Md. To face No. 14 Cornell, on a neutral site, on Sunday, March 17 at St. Paul's School for Girls. Game is set for 1 p.m.

University of Albany Tennis Defeats Both Siena & Hartford In Weekend Sweep - UAlbany Sports 2013

ALBANY, N.Y. – The University at women’s tennis team won two matches in 14 hours to raise their record to 5-5 on Saturday, March 9. First they defeated crosstown rival Siena, 4-3, before winning their first America East Conference dual match against Hartford, 6-1. Junior Rocio Lopez and sophomore team co-captain Kirsten Scott went undefeated on the day, teaming up for two doubles victories and winning both of their singles matches. The No. 1 doubles duo has now won three straight.

Siena: The Great Danes quickly dealt fatal blows to the Saints (2-3) No. 1 and No. 2 doubles teams to take the doubles point. Three of the singles matches were tough battles. Graduate student Irene Santos fought off multiple set points and came back to win the first set. The Spaniard, Santos, led 2-1, in the second when Lopez clinched the match and Santos was pulled off for health reasons.

Co-captain and sophomore Fran White nearly got her first win of the spring as she turned in a stellar performance at No. 6. White played a solid first set, narrowly losing.

The Great Danes proceeded to romp Siena in the three singles matches needed to clinch the win. Scott got the win first, followed by freshman standout Cat Crummey and lastly was Lopez winning easily.

Hartford: UAlbany (5-5, 1-0 AE) turned around after match one to battle Hartford (0-5) at Tri-City Fitness. In their first America East dual match of 2013, the Great Danes were victorious. Their only losses were No. 3 doubles and No. 6 singles due to default.

UAlbany went into doubles play with a default loss, therefore needing to win both matches to take the first point of the night. UAlbany took care of business as Lopez and Scott showed veteran leadership at the top spot. They shutout their opponent, 8-0. Crummey returned to the court from injury with freshman teammate Mireille Hermans defeated Jessica Galik and Hannah Goldman, 8-3, to clinch the first point.

In singles play, the Great Danes won their matches in order to cruise to victory. Lopez advanced to 9-1 in singles play on the season with a 6-2,6-2 win over Katina Zampas. Scott and Crummey, both recently off injury, also had strong performances. They won 6-1, 6-0 and 6-0, 6-1 respectively. Crummey clinched the match with the win.

"It was a long day, starting at 7:30 a.m. and ending at 10:30 p.m. It was a bit of a mental gut-check for everyone.” said coach Gordon Graham. “The team responded well with lots of positive energy. We will be fighting hard to keep that rolling.”

The next match for the Great Danes is Wednesday, March 13 as they host the Sacred Heart Pioneers at Tri-City Fitness in Latham. Match time is set for 2 p.m.

University of Albany Women' Lacrosse Uses Team Effort To Dominate Manhattan, 19-1 - UAlbany Sports 2013

ALBANY, N.Y. - A full team effort that had 10 different scorers by the University at Albany was the factor in the win over Mahattan, 19-1, on Monday, March 11 at John Fallon Field. Senior attack Rachael Burek led the offensive charge, facilitating four different goals and adding one goal for a game-best five points in the Great Dane victory.

UAlbany (3-2) opened up the contest firing with four straight goals just under seven minutes for a 4-0 lead with 23:44 left to play in the first half. Redshirt-freshman midfielder Rachel Bowles began the offensive strike with two of the first four goals, one from teammate Burek and the other off a free-position attempt.

Manhattan (1-5) scored its first goal of the day to cut the deficit within four, 5-1, with 9:25. The Jaspers' Stefanie Ranagan cut through the middle of the defense and score her lone goal of the contest.

The Great Danes responded with another four-goal run to end the half with an eight-goal lead, 9-1. Four different offensive players got into the scoring mix, as Jess Antelmi, Ariana Parker, Nichole Eamer, and Rachael Burek all found the back of the net during the run.

More offensive explosion continued in the second half for UAlbany with Parker and Eamer tallying goals in the first two minutes, both of which were assisted by Burek to extend the lead to 10, 11-1, with 28:03 left.

With the lead as high as 12, the Great Danes used their bench to get into the offensive mix. Freshmen Christine Johnson and Julie Cryderman each tallied their first career goals. Freshman Taylor Giglio recorded her first career point, assisting Cryderman. Earlier on in the contest, freshman Amanda Obenshain recorded her first career point with an assist to teammate Antelmi.

The Great Danes' sophomore midfielder Cassie Bouton finished the contest with her first a career goal to wrap-up the third win of the season.

UAlbany junior goalkeeper Anna Berman recorded two saves for her third victory of the season. Manhattan goalkeeper Christin Fiorinelli tallied nine saves on 28 chances in the loss. The Great Danes held advantages in every offensive and defensive category, except in saves.

The Great Danes continue their homestand on Wednesday, March 13 to face George Mason at John Fallon Field. Game is slated for noon.

University of Albany Men's Basketball Beats Stony Brook In America East Conference Semi Final - UAlbany Sports 2013

ALBANY, N.Y. - The University at Albany senior guard Mike Black did what he does best, hitting a last-second shot to push the Great Danes past Stony Brook, 61-59, in the America East Semifinals on Sunday, March 10 at SEFCU Arena. The 23 wins this season ties a Division I program record for most wins in a season.


This is the first time in four years that UAlbany was able to defeat Stony Brook in the conference tournament, as the Seawolves bounced the Great Danes in the previous three meetings, including last season's last-second tip-in.

The superhero tandem of Mike Black (16 points) and Jacob Iati (14 points) paced their squad, scoring a combined 30 of the team's 61 points. Before fouling out, sophomore forward Sam Rowley recorded five points, 11 rebounds, and two blocks on the night.

Stony Brook (24-7) looked to own the first 20 minutes of the contest, going on a 7-0 run and grab the early 7-0 lead with 16:44 left in the half. The early Warney layup sparked the Seawolf run.

UAlbany (23-10) responded back with 23-7 run that spanned over the next 12:21 to hold a 23-14 lead, with 4:23 remaining. The Great Danes held the Seawolf offense in check by not allowing a single point from the 10:55 mark to the 3:28 mark, which was a span of seven minutes.

Back-to-back threes by Black and Iati, then a highlight dunk from Johnson to go on a 10-3 run tied the contest at 10, with 13:50 left to begin the run.

Following an offensive miss, John Puk came down the middle of the paint and delivered a put back slam gave the Great Danes a 11-0 run to extend the lead to seven, 21-14, with 5:20 left.

Each team traded baskets for the final four minutes, as UAlbany held a five-point lead, 28-23, going into the second half. Following a 0-for-6 start shooting from the field, the Great Danes finished the half, shooting 10-for-19 and were led by Iati's seven first-half points.

Stony Brook came back in the second half, cutting the deficit to two, 35-33, with 11:41 remaining in the game. Seawolves' Dave Coley began the comeback with two quick baskets.

UAlbany retaliated with a 14-6 run to extend its lead to 10, 49-39, with 5:46 left. Iati sparked the Great Dane offense with a runner in the lane and a three-pointer from the right elbow.

Seawolves' Coley hit the next 3-of-4 free-throws to bring the game within seven, 49-42, with 4:27 left.

Great Danes' Peter Hooley came back with his trademark three from right corner to keep the lead to 10, 52-42, with 3:58 remaining.

With a UAlbany six-point lead, 58-52, at the 1:11 mark, Stony Brook rattled off five quick points to cut the deficit to one, 58-57, with 33 seconds left. The Seawolves' Carson Puriefoy hit a big three and America East Player of the Year, having not scored a single point to this mark, hit two free-throws to bring his team within a point.

Following a Luke Devlin made free-throw to put the game up two, 59-57, Stony Brook's Davy Coley hit the lane, was fouled and hit both free throws to tie the game at 59 with 12 seconds left.

As the inbounds was passed in, Coach Brown signaled Mike Black to do what he does best, win games, and he did so with the same exact drive down the lane as he did in Seattle, Washington to defeat the University of Washington to push the Great Danes to the America East Finals.

The Great Danes will play the University of Vermont on Saturday, March 16 in Patrick Gym for the America East Conference Tournament Championship.

University of Albany Women's Basketball Advances to Second Straight America East Championship Game

ALBANY, N.Y. – Lindsey Lowrie scored a game-high 18 points, while Julie Forster recorded her 30th career double-double of 11 points and 12 rebounds, leading top-seeded UAlbany to a 71-57 win over New Hampshire in the second America East Conference Women’s Basketball Semifinal on Sunday afternoon at SEFCU Arena. The Great Danes, who improve to 26-3 on the season, advance to their second straight league championship game, and will face second-seeded Hartford on Saturday, March 16, at 7 p.m. at SEFCU Arena.

New Hampshire scored first to start the game, getting a bucket from Cari Reed, but the Great Danes scored seven straight points, including four from Lowrie, giving the Great Danes a 7-4 advantage at the first media timeout of the half, with 15:19 to play. UAlbany got a steal from Ebone Henry, which turned into two more points from Lowrie with just over 12 minutes to play in the first half, pushing the Great Dane advantage to 11-6.

New Hampshire got a 3-pointer from Reed and a bucket in the paint from Morgan Frame to pull within 14-13 with 9:45 to play in the first, prompting UAlbany to take a timeout. Forster responded with a jumper, but New Hampshire got back-to-back buckets to take a 17-16 lead with 8:30 to play. The Great Danes regained a one-point advantage with two free throws by Sarah Royals, but Kaylee Fitzpatrick responded with a basket to give the Wildcats back the lead, 19-18, just before the under-eight minute media timeout at 7:41.

Fitzpatrick’s bucket kicked off a 5-2 run for the Wildcats, who held a 24-20 lead over the top-ranked Great Danes with 3:51 to play in the first half. Lowrie nailed a long three from the left side of the arc after the media timeout to pull UAlbany back to within one. Forster then recorded a steal and drew a hard foul under the basket, hitting one-of-two free throws to tie the game at 24-24 with 2:40 to play. Another defensive stop and basket by Megan Craig gave the Great Danes their first lead since the 8:15 mark. Reed ended the 10-0 UAlbany run with 35 seconds to play, but the Great Danes came up with another defensive stop to hold a 32-26 lead at the halftime break.

New Hampshire scored the first points of the second half, but Henry sank two free throws to maintain UAlbany’s six-point lead. The Great Danes used strong shooting from the charity stripe to continue to hold onto their lead, and led the Wildcats, 38-31 at the first media timeout of the half at 15:12. With a long 3-pointer from Lowrie at 14:25, UAlbany opened up its largest lead of the game, 41-31, and extended that by two after a turnover on the defensive end and a basket by Shereesha Richards on the ensuing possession.

The teams exchanged points over the next four minutes, with UAlbany maintaining its 12-point lead, 51-39, on two free throws by Henry at 9:34. However, some miscues by the Great Danes allowed New Hampshire to cut into the deficit, pulling back to within eight, 52-44, with 6:30 to play. A layup by Kaylee Kilpatrick and a 3-pointer from Kelsey Hogan extended the Wildcat run to 10-0, and pulled New Hampshire to within 52-49 with 5:35 to play, prompting a timeout from the Great Danes. Henry, who had all of her points from the free throw line in the game, finally connected on a layup at 5:02 to get the Great Danes back into the scoring column.

The Great Danes extended their lead back to ten, 65-55, with under a minute to go, as Henry lobbed an outlet pass to Richards, who was fouled by Frame on the made basket. The foul was ruled flagrant, and Richards made one-of-two from the line. Lowrie then hit four free throws to close out the scoring and set the final score.

"We held in the first half, and we stayed focused," said UAlbany head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson, who has now guided the Great Danes to their second straight America East Championship appearance. "We just wanted to stick together. It's about sticking together, and that's what we did today."

UAlbany also got double-figure scoring totals from Henry with 13, and Richards with 11. New Hampshire outshot the Great Danes, connecting on 44.0 percent (22-50) of their shots. However, UAlbany scored 20 points off turnovers, as the Wildcats gave up the ball 20 times.

"I just wanted to win, really bad," said Lowrie, who earned her first all-conference recognition this season as a third team selection. "I didn't want this to be my last game. And that's what went through my head the entire game."

University of Albany Men's Basketball Defeats Maine America East Quarterfinals - UAlbany Sports 2013

ALBANY, N.Y. – A hard-nose effort by sophomore forward Sam Rowley, having tallied 19 points, eight coming in the last 2 and half minutes pushed the University at Albany past Maine, 50-49, on Saturday, March 9 at SEFCU Arena. The Great Danes prepare for the No. 1 seed Stony Brook on Sunday, March 10 at 7 p.m.

Rowley paced all players with his 19 points and eight rebounds, on 7-of-14 shooting from the field. Senior guard Mike Black tallied nine points, shooting a perfect 4-of-4 from the free-throw line. Black's nine points pushed him over the 1,500-point barrier to become the 44th America East Conference player to accomplish the feat.

At the 7:40 mark in the second half, UAlbany (22-10) head coach Will Brown received a technical foul from the ref. Following a made free-throw from Maine's Zarko Valjarevic, Maine held an eight-point lead, 44-36.

The Great Dane technical foul sparked a 12-0 run, in a span of five minutes, and give them their first lead of the contest, 46-44, with 2:20 remaining on the clock. Rowley recorded six of the teams 12 points during the run and the team hit a perfect 6-of-6 during the stretch.

Following UAlbany's first lead, Maine responded back with two free-throws by Xavier Pollard and layup by Justin Edwards to regain the lead, 48-46, with 1:23 left in regulation.

Rowley responded with a solid post move down low to tie the contest at 48 with 70 seconds left.

On the Black Bears next posession, Mike Allison was put on the line and shot 1-of-2 to grab a one-point lead, 49-48, with 40 seconds left.

After a timeout with 32 second remaining, UAlbany went to Rowley one last time and he proved to be clutch, hitting the 5-foot bunny to give the Great Danes a one-point lead, 50-49, with just under 15 seconds.

Maine had one final shot from Justin Edwards, who was covered by three people, but it did not fall and allow UAlbany to move on to the America East Conference Semifinals.

University of Albany's Lyle Thompson Leads the Way as Men's Lacrosse Defeats #9/13 UMass, 15-9 - UAlbany Sports 2013

ALBANY, N.Y. -- Lyle Thompson scored five goals and handed out three assists to lead UAlbany to a 15-9 victory over #9/13 UMass on Tuesday afternoon in non-conference men's lacrosse action at John Fallon Field. The Great Danes improve to 2-2 on the season, while the Minutemen fall to 3-2 with their second straight loss.

The two teams played a mostly scoreless first quarter, with neither team scoring until just under the four-minute mark, when UAlbany freshman John Maloney scored his first collegiate goal off an assist from Ty Thompson. UMass tied the game less than a minute later after winning the ensuing faceoff, getting an unassisted shot from Kyle Smith. Lyle Thompson gave UAlbany the quarter-ending lead, scoring an unassisted goal with just five seconds to play.

The Minutemen scored first to start the second to tie the game for the second time on a goal from Dan Muller, but UAlbany responded with three straight goals. A pair of scores from Lyle Thompson sandwiched another goal from Maloney to put the Great Danes up, 5-2, with eight minutes to play in the first half. However, UMass scored the next three goals - two to end the second quarter, and one to start the third, to tie the game for the third time.

After Grant Whiteway's goal to start the third period, UAlbany got back-to-back goals from Maloney and Lyle Thompson to regain the advantage. The Minutement got a goal from Matt Whippen at 9:39 to pull back within one, 7-6, but three straight goals by the Great Danes would seal the game up. Derrick Eccles netted his second goal of the season at 6:53, before Ty Thompson assisted Will Fuller on a man-up opportunity at 5:35. Freshman Kevin McNally ended the streak with a goal at 3:24, getting an assist from Matt Garziano. UMass once again ended the quarter with a score, taking advantage of their only extra-man opportunity of the game with a score from Whiteway at 1:25.

The Minutemen scored first to start the final period, but the two Thompson's on the field connected for a goal at 8:40, with Lyle passing off to Ty. UMass would attempt to stage a late comeback, pulling within two goals, 11-9, on a score from Kyle Smith, but Lyle assisted Jimmy Haugen's first collegiate goal at 2:56 to start a four-goal streak for the Great Danes. The Minutemen pulled goalkeeper Zachary Oliveri for 45 seconds, and UAlbany scored two open-net goals with scores from Lyle Thompson and Ryan Feuerstein. Backup netminder Reed Goodhue came into the game for the final 1:17 for UMass, but long pole defender Anthony Ostrander rocketed a shot past him with just 1:09 to play to set the final score.

"We needed to have a good game to get back on track," said UAlbany head coach Scott Marr, whose team is receiving votes in both national polls this week. "We needed to regain our mental focus. Everyone was paying attention to the small details, and we stepped up. We had different guys put the ball in the goal and Blaze [Riorden] and the defense played awesome."

UAlbany outshot UMass, 39-35, and held a 38-29 advantage in ground balls. Kevin Glueckert took all 28 faceoffs for the Great Danes, winning 15. UAlbany goalkeeper Blaze Riorden stopped 12 shots for the Great Danes, while Oliveri made 10 stops for UMass.

UAlbany Men's Lacrosse Upsets #13 Syracuse, 16-15, in Double Overtime to Kick Off 2013 with a Bang

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – It was a fitting Thompson-to-Thompson ending, as Lyle passed the ball to Miles, who found the back of the net with 3:03 to play in the second overtime, giving UAlbany men’s lacrosse its first-ever win over Syracuse. The Great Danes defeated the 13th-ranked Orange, 16-15, in the 2013 season opener for both programs. It was just the second overtime game in 11 meetings between the two teams, and the first double-overtime contest. It was the first season-opening loss for the Orange since 1996.

UAlbany got on the board first, as all three Thompsons were involved in the first two goals. Miles scored the Great Danes’ first goal, while Lyle assisted Ty at 10:23 to give UAlbany a 2-0 lead over the Orange. UAlbany kept it going with a goal by Will Fuller before Ty Thompson connected on a behind-the-back shot to push the Great Dane lead to 4-0 with 6:56 to play in the first quarter. Syracuse ended the UAlbany rally at 5:13 on a goal by Derek Maltz, but UAlbany pushed the lead to 5-1 at 3:03, as Ty completed a hat trick with an unassisted tally. The Orange scored one more time before the end of the period, getting a goal from Henry Schoonmaker with 8.1 seconds to go.



Syracuse scored first to start the second, as Luke Cometti took an assist from JoJo Marasco less than a minute into play. However, Miles Thompson responded, as he stole an outlet pass from Syracuse goalkeeper Bobby Wardwell, dodged, and found the back of the net with 11:35 to play. Fuller netted his second of the day with an unassisted goal at 8:06, pushing the UAlbany lead to 8-3. Syracuse took advantage of an extra-man opportunity with 5:31 left in the first half, as Matt Walters took an assist from Billy Ward to cut the Orange deficit to 8-4. Syracuse scored last to end the half with under a minute to go, as Marasco connected on an unassisted shot with 54 seconds to play.



UAlbany found the back of the net to start the third quarter, as Ryan Feuerstein took an assist from Matt Garziano at 14:30. However, Syracuse responded two minutes later, as Marasco netted his second goal of the day to cut the UAlbany lead to 9-6, with 12:58 to play. The Orange cut the Great Dane lead to two, 9-7, with just over nine minutes to play in the third, and pulled within one, 9-8, less than a minute later, as Ward, then Kevin Rice scored for Syracuse. 22 seconds later, Scott Loy tied the game, prompting UAlbany to take a timeout. Lyle Thompson put the Great Danes back on top with an unassisted goal at 6:51, and Kevin Glueckert won the ensuing faceoff to give UAlbany another possession. Another Thompson-to-Thompson connection gave the Great Danes back a two-goal lead, 11-9, as Lyle fed Ty in front of the goal at 4:41. Derrick Eccles scored his first collegiate goal at 3:28 on an assist from Miles Thompson, and Feuerstein scored his second goal of the game 25 seconds later, putting UAlbany back on top, 13-9.



The Great Danes got a goal from Ty Thompson, with an assist from Fuller, to push the lead back to four, 14-10, at 13:51 of the fourth period. Cometti responded at the other end following the faceoff, and the Great Danes were unable to take advantage of an extra-man opportunity. Ryan Barber scored an unassisted goal at 11:15 to pull back within two, and the Orange cut it back to one at 8:49 on a tally by Dylan Donahue. Stenberg netted his first of the season at 7:25 to push the lead back to 15-13, but Donahue struck again for the Orange at 4:21 to pull back within one, and then completed a trifecta off an assist from Marasco to tie the game at 15-15 with just under three minutes to play.



Syracuse dominated the first overtime period, taking five shots – three on goal, all stopped by Blaze Riorden – to UAlbany’s zero. The Great Danes won the faceoff to start the second OT, and Lyle found Miles in front of the net for the sudden victory goal.



“These guys have such a great feel for lacrosse and for each other," said UAlbany head coach Scott Marr, in reference to the Thompsons. "It makes it really easy for us to say ‘What’s working? What do you want to do?’ We put it in their hands basically."



The Orange held the advantage in most categories, but not by much. Syracuse outshot UAlbany, 47-45, and held a 36-32 advantage in groundballs. The Orange also won 20-of-35 faceoff opportunities, and the teams were tied with 15 turnovers apiece. However, freshman goalkeeper Riorden was stellar between the pipes for the Great Danes, making 13 saves in 64:57 minutes to earn his first collegiate win. Wardwell stopped seven shots for the Orange.

University of Albany Men’s Indoor Wins Eighth Straight America East Title - UAlbany Sports 2013

BOSTON, Mass. – With a conference record 231.50 points, the University at Albany ran away with its eighth straight America East men’s indoor track and field title Tuesday at the Reggie Lewis Center. In addition, the championship tied a conference record for total indoor titles, 10, done in the fastest amount of time for a member school – 11 years. In addition to winning six event titles, the Great Danes captured the Most Outstanding Field Performer, the top-scoring track athlete, and the Coaching Staff of the Year honors. Alexander Bowen, the Most Outstanding Field Performer, highlighted the meet with an America East record 7’ 3.25” leap in the high jump. Senior Jonathan Santana also earned meet honors, earning 28 points for his team. With a 48.60 time, Santana placed first in the 400m dash, followed by teammates Alex Petit-Frere (48.82) and Taariq Jones (48.94) in the top three slots. Santana also piloted the Great Danes in the 200m dash, finishing second with an IC4A qualifying time of 22.11. In the UAlbany-heavy field, six of the top seven finishers donned purple. Lastly, Santana anchored the 4x400m relay team to a first-place 3:17.41 mark. Petit-Frere, Charles Karam, and Ryan Small ran the first three legs of the winning performance. Karam also earned eight points for the Great Danes in the 500m dash, placing second with a time of 1:05.82. Andrew Pirnie finished second in the 800m with an IC4A qualifying time of 1:53.84, while John DeLallo captured the 1,000m title with a 2:27.64 mark. In addition, DeLallo placed fourth in the mile, meeting IC4A standards (4:14.89). In the 3,000m run, sophomore Christopher Buchanan was the runner-up in a time of 8:26.35. After winning the pole vault title on Monday, Alfonso Scannapieco captured the heptathlon crown with a total of 5,124 points, qualifying for IC4As. Teammate Sean Cooper placed second with 4,843 points, while Nick Mattera took fourth, earning 4,692 points. With the sweeping of both the men’s and women’s indoor titles Tuesday, the UAlbany athletic department has now won 60 conference championships at the Division I level. The championships also mark the first in the era of new University President Dr. Robert Jones. 1) Albany - 231.50 2) Binghamton - 134.50 3) UMBC - 130 4) Maine - 126 5) New Hampshire - 74.50 6) Vermont - 43.50 7) Stony Brook - 33 8) Hartford - 6

University of Albany Women’s Indoor Captures Third America East Title In Four Years - UAlbany Sports 2013

BOSTON, Mass. – Winning by a margin of over 100 points, the University at Albany captured its third America East women’s indoor track and field championship in four years Tuesday at the Reggie Lewis Center. The Great Danes totaled a conference record 233.50 points in the victory.


Winning eight individual titles, junior Kathryn Fanning led the squad with triumphs in the 1,000m (2:50.36) and mile run (4:46.64).

Senior Alli Rogers captured the 400m dash title with a mark of 55.34, while sophomore Michelle Anthony placed first in the 60m hurdles with a time of 8.72.

Freshman Annie Johnson, also a member of UAlbany’s softball team, placed second in the 60m dash with an ECAC qualifying time of 7.68. She was followed closely by Jillian Haynes’ 7.69 in third.

In the 200m dash, the Great Danes also took the second and third positions with Haynes (24.95) and Rogers (24.98) both hitting ECAC worthy marks.

Constantly racking up the points throughout the day on the track, Tynelle Taylor-Chase (1:16.52) and Dominique Claudio (1:16.82) placed third and fourth, respectively, in the 500m dash.

Brianne Bellon earned eight points for the Danes in the 800m run (2:13.45), while Miranda McConnell (9:45.97) and Brittney Lane (9:50.86) totaled 11 points, finishing in third and fourth places with ECAC-qualifying times in the 3,000m run.

UAlbany’s 4x400m and 4x800m relay teams both finished in second. The 4x400m squad consisting of Aderinsola Ajala, Taylor-Chase, Claudio, and Sherez Mohamed boasted a time of 3:49.31, while the 4x800m team with Mackenzie Carter, Brittney Killebrew, Jonelle White, and Bellon hit an ECAC-qualifying time of 9:16.18.

On the field side, Rochelle Reid’s 5’ 7” leap in the high jump earned the title for the junior. Teammate Ashley Grant placed second with a 5’ 5.25” mark and freshman Solene Bastien earned fourth with a jump of 5’ 3.75”.

Bastien captured the triple jump title with an ECAC-qualifying mark of 39’ 4”.

In the shot put, sophomore Janice Johnson finished in second place with a throw of 42’ 9”. Teammate Samantha Kosa came in fourth with her 42’ 2” toss.

With the sweeping of both the men’s and women’s indoor titles Tuesday, the UAlbany athletic department has now won 60 conference championships at the Division I level. The championships also mark the first in the era of new University President Dr. Robert Jones.


1) Albany - 233.50

2) UMBC - 131

3) Binghamton - 124.50

4) Vermont - 91

5) New Hampshire - 76.50

6) Maine - 64.50

7) Stony Brook - 44

8) Hartford - 15

University of Albany CAA Football Signs 21 For 2013 - UAlbany Sports 2013

ALBANY, N.Y. - University at Albany head coach Bob Ford announced his 2013 recruiting class Wednesday with the signing of 21 players to National Letters of Intent.

The class hails from seven states, including eight student-athletes from New York, four from both New Jersey and Florida, two from Maryland, and one each from Massachusetts, North Carolina, and Virginia.

With five athletes already on UAlbany's campus this spring semester, the Great Danes welcome enrollees Dorian Polk (Lockport, N.Y.), Malachi Lawrence (Bronx, N.Y.), Michael Senn (Orchard Park, N.Y.), Ian Maltz (Millstone Township, N.J.), and Jack Knecht (Haddonfield, N.J.) to the program.

Polk, a transfer from Erie Community College was the 2012 Scholar-Athlete of the Year at ECC, as well as an all-conference cornerback. Lawerence, a 6'3" wide receiver, comes to UAlbany from Nassau Community College where he recorded 18 catches for 340 yards and four touchdowns in his final year. Senn, an offensive lineman out of Orchard Park led his squad to a 2011 State Championship, while earning All-State recognition. Ian Maltz, a kicker from The Hun School, boasted a 65-yard average kickoff and 40.2 yards per punt, while making 9-of-9 field goal attempts in his senior season. He was recognized as one of the top kickers in the country and could be an answer for the kicking void in UAlbany's depth chart. Lastly, defensive end Jack Knecht was an all-conference pick, recording 48 tackles and three sacks in his final season at Haddonfield Memorial.

Offensively, the Great Danes signed 11 newcomers for the 2013 season. At the quarterback position, UAlbany brings in Kyle Downer (Oak Hill, Va.) and Shane Sweeney (Phelps, N.Y.). Downer, a 6'3" All-State honoree, passed for 1,409 yards (116-187-4) and 12 touchdowns, while rushing 1,460 yards and 25 touchdowns in his senior season. Tagged as a passing quarterback, Sweeney threw for 75 touchdowns and 4,662 yards in his high school career, including 2,005 yards (128-171) and 35 touchdowns in his senior year.

In the running back position, the Great Danes will welcome local product Ryan Griffin, a standout from Shaker High School. Griffin rushed for 1,100 yards and 20 touchdowns in his senior season, leading the Blue Bison to a Section II Championship, while earning Liberty League Player of the Year and All-State honors.

In addition to Lawrence, Brad Harris (Orlando, Fla.) and Austin Weeks (Durham, N.C) will join the current UAlbany wide receivers. Averaging 25 yards per reception, Harris made 28 catches for 704 yards and six touchdowns in his final year at Union High School. Weeks, a 2010 State Champion out of Hillside High School, made 36 receptions for 485 yards his senior season.

Tight end Kalief Joyner (Brooklyn, N.Y.) comes to UAlbany after a year at Cheshire Academy in Connecticut, where he made 20 catches for 366 yards and two touchdowns. Joyner was also an all-league selection for the Christ the King Royals.

UAlbany will add four newcomers to the offensive line. In addition to Senn, Nick Nerolien (Lexington, Mass.), Chizi Mba (Union, N.J.), and JP McCauley (Queensbury, N.Y.) will look to make an impact. Nerolien, a 6'2", 285 pound force out of Lexington, boasted 44 solo tackles, 20 tackles for a loss, six sacks, and four forced fumbles in his senior campaign, while earning first-team all-league honors. At 6'4" and 295 pounds, McCauley was an All-New York State selection and Section II Class A First Team Offensive Lineman this last fall.

Defensively, the Great Danes add nine to the program. Along with Knecht, Mike Simone (Mahopac, N.Y.) will join the defensive ends after earning all-section, all-league, and all-state honors at Mahopac High School. Simone tallied 75 tackles, six sacks, and an interception as his squad's Most Valuable Player in 2012.

Defensive tackle DaeSean Timmons (Hyattsville, Md.) was a two-time all-conference pick, recording 74 solo tackles, 26 for a loss, and nine sacks in his senior season at DeMatha Catholic High School.

With the graduation of four major linebackers on UAlbany's two-deep, Marcel Ngachie (Silver Springs, Md.) and Martel Williams (Plantation, Fla.) will have the opportunity to immediately make an impact. Ngachie led Our Lady of Good Counsel to a 45-4 record and three WCAC Championships in his career, logging 71 tackles, 11 for a loss, five sacks, two forced fumbles, and an interception in 2012. Also with a highly successful high school tenure, Williams led St. Thomas Aquinas to a 7A State Championship, while recording 99 tackles, four sacks, and an interception.

Ben Pagan (Highstown, N.J.), a versatile player on the defensive side of the ball comes to UAlbany from the Peddie School. Pagan was a first team All-Prep selection, recording 83 tackles, five sacks, and a safety in his final season.

In addition to Polk, cornerback Anthony DeLuca (Longwood, Fla.) and safety Neil Morrison (Miramar, Fla.), will look to contribute to shutting down the opposition's passing game. DeLuca boasted 103 tackles, including 73 solo and six for a loss, four interceptions, and 17 pass-breakups in his three-season high school career, as well as earning 2012 all-conference honors.

With the 21 newcomers in 2013, UAlbany will kick off a new chapter of Great Dane football. Coach Ford will lead the Danes into both his and the program's 41st varsity season, into their first season in the prestigious Colonial Athletic Association, and into Bob Ford Field - a brand new 8,500 seat stadium.

University of Albany's Forster Scores 1,000th Point to Lead UAlbany to a 67-43 Win Over Binghamton - UAlbany Sports 2013

ALBANY, N.Y. -- Julie Forster scored 10 points, including the 1,000th of her career, while Ebone Henry netted a game-high 22 points to lead UAlbany to a 69-41 win over Binghamton in America East Conference women's basketball action on Saturday evening at the 16th Annual Big Purple Growl. The Great Danes, who remain undefeated in league play, now boast an 18-3 overall record with an unblemished 9-0 league slate. Binghamton drops to 4-18 overall, and 3-6 in the America East.

Henry scored the first basket of the game, and the Great Danes never looked back. After her first bucket, the senior guard, who was honored later in the evening for becoming the program's all-time leading scorer, scored four of the next six points, with baskets sandwiching a pair of free throws by Forster. After the second media timeout of the first half at 11:54, UAlbany used two free throws from Margarita Rosario and back-to-back layups by Shereesha Richards to build up a 12-point lead, 18-6, with 10:44 to play.

Binghamton was able to cut the UAlbany advantage back to single digits on a 3-pointer by Stephanie Jensen at 7:24 that pulled the Bearcats to within 22-13, but Keyana Williams put in consecutive baskets to extend the Great Dane lead back to 13 with just over five mintues to play. Henry and Richards accounted for the final UAlbany points of the half, with Henry hitting a jumper and a trey and Richards sinking two free throws. Vaneeshia Paulk scored Binghamton's final three points from the charity stripe, sending the teams to the locker room with UAlbany ahead, 33-16.

The Great Danes didn't let up after the break, and quckly build up a 23-point advantage on three consecutive 3-pointers - two from Lindsey Lowrie and one from Sarah Royals - to hold a 44-21 lead with 17:12 to play. UAlbany took its largest lead of the game, 48-23, on a layup by Henry at 14:07. Binghamton then attempted to rally, cutting the deficit to 15 on a jumper and 3-pointer by Mallory Lawes to pull within 50-35 with 11:30 to play.

UAlbany would not fold, however, and pushed the lead back to 26 on two free throws by Rosario at 1:40 that put the Great Danes on top, 65-39. With 42 seconds to play, Forster pulled down her own offensive rebound and converted it into a bucket to score her 1,000th career point and set the final score. She becomes the ninth women's basketball player in school history to reach the milestone, and the first player to ever score 1,000 points and pull down 1,000 rebounds.

Richards finished with 12 points for the Great Danes, while Williams pulled down a team-high eight rebounds. Henry, who went 6-for-6 from the free throw line, also added six rebounds, four assists, and two steals, while Royals handed out a game-high six helpers. UAlbany shot 46.9-percent (23-49) from the floor, while holding Binghamton to 32.0-percent (16-50) shooting.

The Great Danes will return to action on Wednesday, hosting UMBC at SEFCU Arena at 7 p.m. UAlbany posted an 87-33 win over the Retrievers in the America East opener earlier this season.

UAlbany's Ebone Henry Named America East Conference Player of the Week - Becomes All-Time Leading Scorer - UAlbany Sports 2013

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - UAlbany's Ebone Henry has been named the America East Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Week after setting the program record for points scored in a career, as announced by the the conference office. Henry led the Great Danes to a 2-0 week, as UAlbany remains the lone undefeated team in America East play. Henry, who became the all-time leading scoring in program history , averaged 18.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 7.0 steals in wins over Boston U. and Vermont. She shot 54.1 percent from the field, including 50 percent from 3-point range. In the win over the Terriers on the road, Henry scored 15 points to go along with four rebounds, four assists, and eight steals. At home on Saturday versus Vermont, Henry scored 21 points to become the program's scoring leader, besting a 27-year-old record. She also finished with seven rebounds, six assists, and six steals, shooting 6-for-13 from the floor and 7-of-8 from the free throw line.

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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