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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Peter Hooley on SportsCenter

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

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

— Brian Sinkoff (@BrianSinkoff) March 14, 2015

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

University of Albany Women’s Lacrosse Out-Scores Cornell 7-3 in the Second Half to Take 12-11 Win - UAlbany Sports 2015

ITHACA, N.Y. – Despite a deficit at the half, University at Albany women’s lacrosse came back for a 12-11 win at Cornell (1-1) in icy, cold conditions. Rachel Bowles led the Danes with six goals and one assist for seven total points. Dakotah Savitcheff put the Purple & Gold on the board early after winning the opening draw. The sophomore got a feed from freshman Alie Jimerson to take the 1-0 lead. Cornell came back for two-straight goals, but Jimerson fed the crease again to hit Emma Powlin. UAlbany made its first two shots of the game to tie it at two. The Big Red responded for three straight goals, but the Danes finally earned a draw to make the score 5-3 with just under 15 minutes to play in the first half. Both teams had trouble clearing the ball out of their own end. A Cornell free position shot ringed off the post, but the Purple & Gold failed to clear, resulting in a 7-3 deficit moments later. The Big Red continued to retain possession in the UAlbany end before Powlin forced a turnover and headed the other way. Maureen Keggins notched her first of the day from Powelin with nine minutes to go. Cornell converted once more in the first half, but Bowles made the most of a man-up opportunity to reduce the margin to three goals, 8-5 at the break. John Battaglino’s squad came out ready to score in the second, tallying four unanswered goals in the first seven minutes. Bowles scored three of the four, and Emily Mizer recorded the other goal in the rally on a free position shot. A Bowles goal from Keggins gave UAlbany its first lead, 9-8 with 23 minutes left. The Big Red did not go away quietly, scoring three straight to reclaim the game 11-9. The Purple & Gold could not take advantage of a Cornell turnover on the ensuing play, but Courtney Henderson made a save on the other end get possession back. Battaglino called timeout to set up, and Keggins scored less than a minute later. Cornell was charged with two yellow cards late, allowing Bowles to score the man-up goal to tie the game with six minutes to play. With the game tied at 11, Christine Johnson won the draw to give the Danes control with five minutes to play. Bowles fed Katherine Sweeney for the game-winner, with Savitcheff snagging the ensuing draw to ensure the win. UAlbany women’s lacrosse is now 3-0 in 2015, and hosts Central Connecticut (1-2) on Saturday, March 7 at noon as part of a UAlbany lacrosse doubleheader.

America East Conference Tournament 2015

University of Albany Baseball Edged By Georgia Tech, 9-8, On Walk-Off Home Run - UAlbany Sports 2015

CONWAY, S.C. – Scoring six runs in the second inning Sunday at the Caravelle Resort’s Baseball at the Beach Tournament, the University at Albany baseball team held an 8-6 advantage into the bottom of the ninth, but Georgia Tech, the reigning ACC champion, rallied to score three runs on Arden Pabst’s walk-off home run to steal a 9-8 victory. The Great Danes close the opening weekend tournament with a 1-2 overall record, while Georgia Tech improved to 5-3 on the season. “Given the schedule, the guys were asked to compete at a very high level,” said head coach Jon Mueller. “We controlled the NC State game and this game, but we let Georgia Tech off the hook at the end of this one.” While the Yellow Jackets scored three runs in the bottom of the first, stringing together three singles and a double, UAlbany caught fire in the top of the second. Junior Evan Harasta led off with a double to left and sophomore Eric Mueller singled through the left side. Patient at the plate, freshman Shawn Blake drew a walk to load the bases, and rookie John Banes and senior Alex Lushkevich followed with RBI walks, bringing in two. With the bases still full, junior Karson Canaday took advantage with a bases-clearing double down the left field line for a 6-3 lead. Georgia Tech responded in the bottom half of the inning with one run on Kel Johnson’s RBI single. The Yellow Jackets added two more runs in the bottom of the third on a pair of doubles by Matt Gonzalez and Keenan Innis and Wade Bailey’s RBI single, tying the ballgame, 6-6. However, UAlbany relievers Joey Moore and Stephen Woods combined to hold Georgia Tech off the board through the next five innings. The Great Danes regained the lead, 7-6, in the top of the fourth, as Blake led off the inning with a triple to center and scored on a wild pitch. In the seventh, UAlbany tacked on an insurance run for an 8-6 advantage. Will Miller led off the frame with a single to left, advanced on Lushkevich’s sac bunt, and scored on a fielding error at third. However, in the bottom of the ninth, the Yellow Jackets rallied as Innis reached on a one-out fielding error and pinch hitter Daniel Gooden drew a walk, setting up Pabst’s heroics. Woods (0-1) took the loss for UAlbany, throwing 3.0 innings, allowing three runs (two earned) and struck out five. Senior starter Matt Gallup tossed the opening three frames, allowing six runs on nine hits, while striking out two. Georgia Tech’s Matt Phillips (1-0) earned the win, facing just one batter in the ninth. Totaling 10 hits as a team, Canaday (2-for-5, 3 RBI), Trevor DeMerritt (2-for-4), and Miller (2-for-4) each logged multi-hit performances. “When we play solid defense, we can play at a very high level,” added Mueller. “The guys competed very hard, which is a good sign for the rest of the season.” Up next, the Great Danes compete in the Bob Hannah Invitational in Newark, Del. Feb. 27-March 1.

University of Albany Men's Lacrosse Uses 6-0 Run to Defeat Drexel 15-8 in Season Opener - UAlbany Sports 2015

PHILADELPHIA – The #13/10 UAlbany men’s lacrosse team battled the elements and ran past #19/RV Drexel with a 6-0 run in the middle of the game to earn a 15-8 victory on the road to open the 2015 season. Nine different Great Danes scored as UAlbany (1-0) snapped a five-game skid against Drexel (0-2), netting six-straight goals from 10:36 left in the 2nd to 10:30 left in the 3rd. It is also the second time in three years that the Great Danes defeated a ranked opponent on the road to begin the year. “We’ve lost to [Drexel] the last five years, to get a 1-0 start is great for our confidence moving forward,” said UAlbany coach Scott Marr. “We had a lot of contributions, it was great to get in a lot of new faces, and they did a wonderful job. To score 15 our first game and only give up eight, we are certainly pleased with that effort.” Freshman Connor Fields led UAlbany with six points off three goals and three assists, including four points in the 6-0 run. Seth Oakes scored four goals in his UAlbany debut, including two behind the back, while Jake Cullen scored two goals and an assist off the bench. “We were working the ball around and being unselfish,” said Fields. “We always were looking for one more pass, and we hit our shots.” On the defensive end, Blaze Riorden saved 16 shots, his best total in a season opener. “We were all on the same page, technically I lead the unit, but everyone has an equal role,” said Riorden. “We held them to eight goals, and five of them were man-up.” For Drexel, Cole Shafer had three goals and an assist to lead the team. Ryan Belka added two goals. Will Gabrielsen got the loss in goal, saving 10 shots in 60 minutes. At 1-0 Drexel early, Lyle Thompson made a spin move and scored to put UAlbany on the board. 20 seconds later, a Drexel faceoff violation gave UAlbany a man-up spot: John Maloney passed to Cullen for the goal. Seth Oakes added a third on a turnaround shot close to the circle for a 3-0 UAlbany run. Mitch De Snoo scored for Drexel 44 seconds later, setting the eventual end of first quarter score at 3-2. Thompson passed to a running Oakes for a behind-the-back shot and score in the opening minutes of the second. Drexel responded with Mason Pynn running towards the cage and scoring. Off another Drexel faceoff violation, Cullen scored off the pass from Fields for the goal. After over seven minutes without a score, Justin Reh fired low and scored from Derrick Eccles. Just before the end of the half, Fields made a turnaround shot and score to put UAlbany up 7-3 at the break. In the opening 4:30 of the second half, Maloney, Bennett Drake and Fields scored in succession to build UAlbany’s lead to 10-3. Drexel added two goals in two minutes to pull within five. In a man-up situation, UAlbany forced a turnover at the mid-line on a clear attempt, as the ball went from Fields to Maloney to Oakes to the goal. Oakes added another in the closing seconds of the quarter on a behind-the-back shot to push UAlbany up 12-5 by the end of the third. Given a man-up scenario at the start of the fourth, Fields netted his third from Maloney for a 13-5 lead. After a Belka goal by Drexel, neither side scored for the next seven minutes. Then, Ky Tarbell found Drake for the goal. Drexel added two more goals, with a Tarbell goal from Cullen with under three minutes left setting the eventual final score of 15-8. UAlbany is scheduled to play Bryant in Rhode Island on Tuesday, February 24th at 4 p.m.

University of Albany's Maureen Keggins Goes For Nine Points in Season-Opening Women’s Lacrosse Win at Quinnipiac - UAlbany sports 2015

HAMDEN, CONN. – In a dominant offensive showing, University at Albany women’s lacrosse (1-0) downed Quinnipiac (0-1) 21-5 in wintry conditions on Saturday afternoon. Senior attack Maureen Keggins led the Danes with five goals and four assists. An unanswered 6-0 rally by UAlbany gave John Battaglino’s squad an early advantage. Keggins got on the board in the first 20 seconds on an assist from freshman Alie Jimerson. The Purple & Gold’s leading returning scorer Rachel Bowles got in on the action for two unassisted goals in one minute, making the score 3-0. Sophomore attack Dakotah Savitcheff scored with just four minutes gone in the first half on another feed from Jimerson. Emily Mizer and Emma Powlin wrapped up the run with their first career goals, both unassisted. After Quinnipiac came back to score twice, Keggins regained offensive control for the Danes by contributing to three of the next four goals. The senior kicked off 10 unanswered goals for the Purple & Gold with an unassisted tally, followed by an assist on Katherine Sweeney’s first goal of 2015. Sweeney scored again from Bowles to make the score 9-2 with 10 minutes left in the first half. Keggins went for goal number three on the day, followed by the game’s only man-up score from Emma Powlin shortly after. Andrea Flood converted on UAlbany’s first free position goal of the day with 1:12 on the clock, and Keggins scored again with just 30 seconds left to put the Danes up 13-2 at the half. Savitcheff, Flood and Keggins didn’t let up at the crease, scoring each of the first three goals of the second half. Five minutes later, Powlin notched another unassisted goal, before Sarah Martin went for two goals with less than 10 minutes to play. Mizer and Powlin wrapped up scoring for the Great Danes, and Quinnipiac managed a last-minute goal to put the final score at 21-5. Eight different UAlbany players scored in the season-opening victory. Keggins became the fourth Division I Great Dane to amass nine points in a single game. The senior helped UAlbany out-shoot Quinnipiac 39-18. Powlin scored four goals in her collegiate debut. On the defensive end, the Purple & Gold held the Bobcats to 0-for-3 in free position shots. UAlbany also proved successful on all 11 of its clears out of the back. In her first career start, Courtney Henderson made five saves between the pipes. Three Danes tallied their first career points, including Emma Powlin, Alie Jimerson and Emily Mizer. Battaglino’s squad makes its John Fallon Field debut on Wednesday, taking the turf against Manhattan at 3:00 p.m.

University of Albany Women’s Track Claims Third Consecutive Indoor Conference Title - UAlbany Sports 2015

NEW YORK – For the third consecutive year, and fifth in their last six, the University at Albany women’s indoor track & field team won the America East Indoor Championships. In victory, the women scored 197.66 points, edging UMBC, who was second with 153 points, and last year’s runner-up Binghamton, who was third with 118 points. The women did not score in their first track event, the mile. Michelle Anthony and Niamani Morrison placed first and second in the 60 hurdles to open up track scoring for the Great Danes. Anthony ran 8.52 and Morrison ran 8.90. Grace Claxton set a new championship meet record in the 400, winning the event in 54.17, a new season best. Halie Snyder placed second in a new season best 55.92. In the 500, Kamilah Williams placed third with a time of 1:14.96. Aderinsola Ajala placed fourth in 1:15.28, a new personal best. Chanel Smith placed fifth in the 60 in 7.81. Kahlia Taylor placed sixth in 7.81. Michelle Anthony placed seventh in 7.84. Dominique Claudio placed second in the 800 in 2:10.58. Claxton, returning from the 400, placed fourth in the 200 in 24.74. Taylor, returning from the 60, placed fifth in 25.20. Anthony, tripling up from the 60 hurdles and 60 dash, placed sixth in 25.21. Smith, also returning from the 60, placed eighth in 25.40. In the field events, Alexx Baum won the triple jump in a season best 40’-7.75”. Solène Bastien was third in 40’-4”. T’Sian Haywood was eighth in 38’ Janice Johnson placed second in the shot put, throwing a new personal best of 45’-7.75”, surpassing her previous best by more than a foot. Chinwe Igwe placed sixth, throwing 41’-1.75”. Zoe Doolittle placed seventh with a mark of 40’-8.75”. Min Pacella placed second in the high jump, clearing a personal best and ECAC qualifying height of 5’-7”. Rochelle Reid was part of a five-way tie for the third best jump of the day, ultimately tying for third with Alisha Beeman from UMBC and Jackie Crunden from Binghamton in 5’-5”. The women won the 4x800 relay in 9:16.29, which also satisfies the ECAC standard. Chinira Lovick led off in 2:19.1, followed by Claudio in 2:16.4, Hannah Smith in 2:21.9, and Schuyler Pruyn in 2:18.7. The women also won the 4x400 relay to close the meet in 3:47.43. Ajala led off in 56.8, followed by Williams in 56.7, Snyder in 58.3, and Claxton in 55.4. The women compiled victories in six events during the championship meet. They share in their team victory with the UAlbany men, who scored 191 points to claim their 10th consecutive victory. They defeated runner-up Binghamton, who scored 133.33 points. The women’s coaching staff won the Coaching Staff of the Year Award, which they shared with the staff from UMBC. With conference championships now concluded, the Great Danes will visit Boston for the next two weeks for the Boston University Last Chance Meet next weekend, followed by the ECAC Championships in two weeks, also at Boston University. Additionally, Briana Cherry-Bronson and Michelle Anthony have qualified for the USA Indoor National Championships in the weight throw and 60 hurdles, respectively, which will take place next week at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston.

University of Men’s Track Wins 10th Consecutive Indoor Conference Title - UAlbany Sports 2015

NEW YORK – For the 10th consecutive season, the University at Albany men’s indoor track & field team has won the America East Indoor Championships. The men scored 191 points to claim victory, after leading through the first day with 44 points. Binghamton was runner-up for the second consecutive year, scoring 133.33 points. New Hampshire was third, scoring 115.33 points. In addition to 10 consecutive, this championship is also the men’s 12th in their last 13. The men had no entries in the first track event of the day, the mile. Devon Willis was the first UAlbany scorer on the track Saturday, placing third in the 60 hurdles with a time of 8.37, just off the personal best of 8.35 he set in the trials last night. Taariq Jones successfully defended his title in the 400, crossing the line in 48.37 to take first place. Youssef Benzamia placed second in 48.52. Jason Tomlinson won the 500 in 1:04.04. Robert Harris III placed second in the 60 in 6.94. His time was six-thousandths of a second behind the winner, Daryian Miles from UMBC. Jaymen Teemer placed fourth in 7.00. Winston McCormack Jr. was sixth in 7.09. Youness Benzaid placed second in the 800, with an open personal best of 1:51.92. John DeLallo won in the 1,000 in 2:25.76 after original winner Jesse Garn from Binghamton was disqualified for cutting in too early. Harris III earned his second second-place finish in the 200, finishing with a time of 22.08. McCormack Jr. placed fourth in 22.26. Cherron Royal placed eighth with a time of 22.61. Christopher Buchanan placed eighth in the 3,000, running a season best 8:31.56. In the field events, Alexander Bowen and Matthew Campbell swept the top two spots in the high jump, each clearing 6’-10.75”. The finishing order was determined by a jump-off. Bowen and Campbell both cleared 6’-10.75”, before passing the next height of 6’-11.75”. Both missed all three attempts at 7’-1”, and both had the same number of misses from earlier heights. Bowen won the jump-off, clearing 7’-1”, while Campbell placed second after missing the height in the jump-off. It was Bowen’s fourth consecutive indoor high jump title. Eric Del Vescovo placed fourth in the shot put in a new personal best of 49’-6.25”. UAlbany swept the top four places in the triple jump. Bowen claimed his second victory, winning the event with a mark of 48’-6.25”. Willis was second in 48’-4.75”. Jordan Crump-King was third in 48’-2.75”. And Colonel Fakarode was fourth in 47’-3”. The final three events of the heptathlon were contested on Saturday, with the day’s events beginning with the heptathlon 60 hurdles. Stefan Buechele, who was in 11th place with 2,359 points after the first four events, placed 10th in the hurdles in 9.43. Phillip Blanda, who was sixth with 2,598 points after the first day, placed 11th in the hurdles in 9.65. Buechele placed third in the pole vault, clearing a height of 13’-9”. Blanda placed 10th, clearing 10’-10”. Buechele placed second in the 1,000 in 2:44.66. Blanda placed 10th in 3:11.54. Ultimately, Buechele placed seventh overall, scoring 4,508 points, and Blanda placed ninth, scoring 4,194 points. UAlbany placed seventh in the 4x800 relay with a time of 8:06.96. Chad Barker led off, splitting 2:01.9. Raymond Farinella ran second, splitting 1:57.6. Simon Niwana ran third, splitting 2:01.4. And Harold Lamour anchored in 2:05.8. The men placed second in the 4x400 to close the meet, running a season best time of 3:15.34. Jones led off in 49.2, followed by Benzamia in 48.3, Ryan Small in 50.0, and finally Tomlinson in 47.6. In total, the men won six events over the two-day meet. They shared in victory with the UAlbany women, who won their third consecutive title, and fifth in six years. The women scored 197.66 points to defeat runner-up UMBC, who scored 153 points. The UAlbany coaching staff won the Coaching Staff of the Year Award, and Bowen won Most Outstanding Men’s Field Performer. With conference championships now concluded, the Great Danes will visit Boston for the next two weeks for the Boston University Last Chance Meet next weekend, followed by the IC4A Championships in two weeks, also at Boston University.

University of Albany Baseball Opens Season With 9-6 Win Over NC State - UAlbany Sports 2015

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – The University at Albany baseball team opened the season Saturday at Pelicans Ballpark with a 9-6 victory over ACC power NC State. Competing in the Caravelle Resort’s Baseball at the Beach Tournament, UAlbany handed the Wolfpack (2-1) its first loss of the season, while improving to 1-0. Junior southpaw Brendan Ryan (1-0) earned the win, throwing four complete frames. He held NC State to a run and two hits, while striking out two. Fellow junior lefty Sam DeCelle picked up the save, striking out four in the final 3.1 innings, while allowing just one run and one hit. The game began with a duel on the hill, as neither Ryan nor NC State starter Cory Wilder surrendered a hit in the opening two frames. However, in the bottom of the third, the Great Danes took advantage of a hit batsman and four walks, bringing in Shawn Blake for the first run of the contest. Facing reliever Jon Olczak, junior Matt Hinchy ripped a two-out single to right field, plating Will Miller and Alex Lushkevich. Senior Craig Lepre capped the four-run frame with an RBI single through the left side, scoring junior Evan Harasta. While the Wolfpack answered with a run in the top of the fourth on Chance Shepard’s leadoff solo shot over the left field wall, UAlbany matched the output in the bottom half of the inning. After Blake knocked a leadoff double to left, sophomore Eric Mueller singled to right, and Lushkevich’s RBI fielder’s choice made the score 5-1. With middle reliever Terry Dugdale on the mound, NC State added two unearned runs in the top of the fifth. A leadoff bunt single and fielding error, coupled with a bases loaded walk and RBI single up the middle cut UAlbany’s lead to two, 5-3. Undeterred, the Great Danes responded with three runs in the bottom of the inning, using two hits and three errors to their gain. Hinchy got things going with a single through the right side and Lepre reached on a botched fielder’s choice opportunity. Playing his first game for UAlbany, junior Trevor DeMerritt knocked in Hinchy with an RBI single through the right side. Mueller brought home Lepre with an RBI fielder’s choice and DeMerritt also scored on the play as a result of an error at third for an 8-3 advantage. In the top of the sixth, NC State loaded the bases with a single and a pair of walks. Two-hitter Preston Palmeiro followed with a two-out three-run triple to right field, cutting the deficit to two, 8-6. However, those would be the Wolfpack’s final runs of the game, as DeCelle did not allow a hit in the final three innings. UAlbany added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth, as Miller reached on a leadoff throwing error. Stealing second and third, Harasta brought home the junior with a double down the right field line. At the plate, Hinchy led the Danes with his 2-for-4 performance with two runs batted in and a run scored. Harasta piloted the squad with two RBIs, going 1-for-3, while Lepre, DeMerritt, Blake, and Mueller each logged a hit in the victory. For NC State, Wilder (1-1) took the loss, allowing four runs in 2.2 innings. The Great Danes will look to take down another perennial power tonight when they square off against tournament host Coastal Carolina at 6:00 p.m. at Springs Brooks Stadium. The game will stream live on the Big South Network.

University of Albany Softball Tops Florida A&M, Falls To Florida Atlantic At FAU Invitational - UAlbany Sports 2015

BOCA RATON, Fla. – On day two of the Florida Atlantic Invitational, the University at Albany softball team again logged a split, overcoming Florida A&M, 4-3, before falling to the hosting FAU Owls, 10-1. The Great Danes are now 2-2 on the season. Serving as the visiting team in game one, the Great Danes took a quick 2-0 lead over Florida A&M in the top of the first. Senior Vicky McFarland led off with an infield single and then advanced to third following a stolen base and passed ball. Sophomore Kayla Bailey drove her home with an RBI single up the middle, and junior Maggie Cocks followed with a run-scoring triple to right. The Rattlers responded with three runs in the bottom of the third for a 3-2 advantage. Whitney Farris, Amanda Weaver and Jessica Nathan strung together a trio of singles, bringing in two with one out. However, UAlbany starting pitcher Erynn Sobieski recorded a strikeout and a groundout to get out of the jam. She did not allow another run the rest of the way. Trailing by one in the top of the fourth, Kelly Costello served as the spark, leading off with a single to short. She then stole second and moved to third on a throwing error, setting up Mackenzie Cleary’s game-tying RBI single to third. With one out, Cleary took advantage of the Rattlers’ miscues in the field, moving to second on an error and to third on a wild pitch. McFarland’s RBI groundout to second plated Cleary, representing the game-winning run. McFarland (2-for-3) and Cocks (2-for-4) led the Great Danes offensively with two hits apiece. Sobieski (1-0) earned the win, allowing three runs (two earned) on six hits, while striking out six in seven innings of work. Also with a complete game, Veronica Burse took the loss for Florida A&M, giving up four runs (three earned) on 10 hits, while recording three strikeouts. In the nightcap, Florida Atlantic accelerated to a 5-0 head start in the top of the first, using a leadoff hit batsman and four straight hits. With one run in and bases loaded, Melissa Martinez lined a three-run double to right-center. She eventually scored on a fielding error before the Great Danes were able to work their way out of the jam. FAU added two more in the top of the third on Martinez’s two-run home run to left, giving the Owls a 7-0 advantage. UAlbany got on the board in the bottom of the frame, as McFarland drew a leadoff walk, advanced to third on Alexa Toole’s infield single, and scored on Cocks’ sacrifice fly. Unfortunately, that would be UAlbany’s lone run of the contest, as Florida Atlantic hurler Kylee Hanson (3-0) held the Great Danes to just three hits, while striking out eight. The Owls gradually built their lead to nine, ending the game after six innings. FAU scored one run in the fifth, as Martinez lined an RBI triple -- She finished the game a single shy of the cycle. In the sixth, FAU strung together three singles and a sac fly to plate two more runs. Toole (1-for-2), Elizabeth Snow (1-for-2), and Marlin Solano (1-for-2) represented UAlbany’s three hits in the game. In the circle, Mackenzie Thompson (1-1) took the loss, tossing the opening three innings. Making her collegiate debut, freshman Nicole Parks threw the final three frames, allowing three runs and six hits, while striking out one. The Great Danes will play their final game in the FAU Invitational Sunday at 11:15 a.m., and will look for their second win over the Florida A&M Rattlers.

University of Albany: Career Night From Sanders Clinches Share of Regular Season Title in 70-64 Victory Over Hartford - UAlbany Sports 2015

ALBANY, N.Y. – With a career-high 19 points, Ray Sanders led University at Albany men’s basketball (19-8, 13-1 AE) to a 70-64 win against Hartford (13-14, 6-8 AE) at SEFCU Arena on Friday night. The junior added seven rebounds, five assists and three steals to his stat line, good for at least a share of the America East regular season title for the Danes. Both teams came out hot from the field, as Hartford started 4-for-6 and UAlbany went 4-for-8; but the Hawks kept the good shooting alive mid-way through the half. In a four-minute span, Hartford went 2-for-3 while the Danes managed just 1-for-5 from the field. With the pace slowing down considerably, both squads experienced scoring droughts. Each team had five turnovers by the 8:45 mark, benefiting the Hawks for an 18-11 lead and their largest of the contest. On the ensuing possession, Peter Hooley ended UAlbany’s scoring drought at four minutes with a three. After four turnovers and 20% from the field, Hooley narrowed the Hartford advantage to four, 21-14 with eight minutes to go in the first half. Hartford showed a variety of defensive looks towards the end of the half, switching between man, 2-3 zone and 1-3-1. The Danes responded by getting to the foul line, going 4-for-4 to help fuel an 8-0 run. Hooley picked off a pass at half-court and went the other way for the lay-in with three minutes on the clock, giving the Danes their first lead since the 19:02 mark. UAlbany went into the locker room with the game deadlocked at 25, its second straight game with a tie at half. Evan Singletary got in on the scoring action early in the second stanza, scoring four points in the opening 3:30. Singletary, Sanders and Mike Rowley combined to go 9-for-9 from the charity stripe in the first seven minutes of the half. By the under-16 media timeout, the Purple & Gold was 9-for-11 (.818) from the line, while the Hawks had taken just one free throw. Greig Stire became the eighth Dane to score, as he got a baseline pass from Sanders for the easy lay-in. A Hooley three followed by a traditional three-point play by Sanders put Will Brown’s squad up 11, 45-34 with 12 minutes to play. Sanders was the only UAlbany player to score over the next five minutes, as Hartford came within four, 50-46 with eight minutes to play. The junior made a momentum-changing play, as Sam Rowley nearly turned the ball over in the paint. Sanders went after the loose ball to find Dallas Ennema on the baseline for a three-pointer for a seven-point cushion. After Hartford narrowed the margin to four points again, two more traditional three-point plays from Sam Rowley and Sanders put the game out of reach for the Hawks. Sanders led all scorers with 19 points, including an 11-for-12 (.917) clip from the charity stripe. Sam Rowley finished one rebound shy of a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds. The senior is now four offensive rebounds away from becoming the Division I career leader in the category. Singletary (14) and Hooley (10) joined Sanders and Rowley in double figures. UAlbany went 25-for-30 (.833) from the free throw line, while Hartford went 6-for-8 (.750). With the victory, UAlbany matches its highest all-time America East regular season win total with 13. The Danes went 13-3 in both 2005-06 and 2006-07. The Purple & Gold (19-8, 13-1 AE) has a chance to clinch the America East Regular Season title outright for the first time since 2005-06 with a win at UMBC (3-23, 1-12 AE) on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m.

Hooley

University of Albany Men's Basketball's Hooley Returns to Net 1000th Point in 65-59 Win at NJIT - UAlbany Sports 2015

NEWARK, N.J. – In his first game since a three-week leave of absence, University at Albany junior guard Peter Hooley scored his 1000th point to help the Danes (18-7, 12-0 AE) to a 66-59 victory at NJIT (15-11) on Friday night. The Purple & Gold won its 13th consecutive game. “We knew coming into this game that it was going to be very difficult,” said head coach Will Brown. “Outside of the first 10 minutes in the first half I thought we played very well…It was a good win, and it’s great to have Peter [Hooley] back.” A packed gym led to early shooting woes for Brown’s squad, a 6-for-17 clip mid-way through the first half. NJIT got out to an early advantage behind an 8-2 run with two early threes. The Highlanders went 10-for-19 (.526) from the field to start the game. Wheeler Baker and Ray Sanders drained back-to-back threes to cut the NJIT edge to three points; but a 6-0 spurt put the Highlands back up nine, 27-18 with less than seven minutes to go in the first half. Hooley’s first three points on the ensuing possession, followed by a three from Dallas Ennema brought the lead to just three, 27-24. Hooley hit a second three at the 4:29 mark to surpass 1,000 points for his career and tie the game at 27. The teams went into the break deadlocked at 30. UAlbany went 6-for-8 from three-point land to close the opening stanza. After starting the game 4-for-13 (.308) from the field, the Danes closed the first half on a 12-3 run. NJIT went five minutes without a field goal before hitting a three in the final minute. Playing from behind for the entire first half, Ennema came out of the gate to hit a jumper for a 32-30 lead. The Highlanders responded with a three, but went 0-for-5 from the field to start the second half. UAlbany took advantage with a 7-0 run as NJIT went six minutes without a field goal. Sam Rowley and Hooley guided the Purple & Gold to a six-point lead on two occasions, but NJIT pushed back mid-way through the half. By the nine-minute mark, the game had tallied its fourth tie at 50 points apiece. A four-for-four streak at the free throw line courtesy of Sam Rowley and Evan Singletary put the margin at four points, 54-50 with just under eight minutes to play. Sanders and Rowley made one free throw each of a two-shot opportunity with 2:29 on the clock for a 60-54 UAlbany edge. The Danes sent NJIT’s Daquan Holiday to the charity stripe down the stretch, and he managed to make enough free throws to narrow the lead to 60-59 with 23 seconds to play. Singletary came up with yet another clutch lay-in on the ensuing possession, putting a three-point buffer in place, 62-59. Ennema was fouled on the rebound in UAlbany’s end, and went to the line for two free throws. The sophomore missed both, but Hooley swung in for the offensive board to seal the win. Sanders made one free throw to make it a two-possession game with nine seconds left. Five Danes scored in double figures, led by Sam Rowley with 16. The senior also had eight rebounds. Sanders added 12, followed by 10 from Ennema, Singletary and Hooley. Hooley became the 10th Division I Dane to eclipse the 1,000-point mark. The Danes put their 13-game winning streak on the line Tuesday night when they face Stony Brook (16-10, 7-4 AE) at 7:00 p.m. Will Brown’s squad will play three of its last four regular season games at home.

University of Albany WBB Jumps a Pair of Spots to #17 in Mid-Major Poll - UAlbany Sports 2015

ALBANY, N.Y. – After winning a pair of America East victories, the UAlbany women’s basketball team is up to #17 in the College Insider Mid-Major Top-25, released on Tuesday. It is the fourth-consecutive poll that the Great Danes have been ranked in the top-20 of the poll. UAlbany got 228 points in the poll and has been in the top-25 every week this season. The Great Danes are the highest-ranked mid-major in the state of New York, three spots above #20 Marist, and the highest-ranked in the America East Conference, six spots up on #23 Maine. Princeton, the last undefeated women’s basketball team in Division I, is #1 in the poll with 768 points and 28 of 31 first-place votes. James Madison is second while Chattanooga is third.

University of Albany's Ennema and Sam Rowley Fuel Record-Tying 12th Consecutive America East Win at Binghamton - UAlbany Sports 2015

VESTAL, N.Y. – Dallas Ennema and Sam Rowley combined for 38 of University at Albany’s (17-7, 12-0 AE) 62 points to lead the Danes to a 62-46 victory at Binghamton (4-23, 3-9 AE) on Tuesday night. Ennema tallied a new career high with 18 points, while Rowley matched a career-best in rebounds with 15. “It was a good win for us on the road,” said head coach Will Brown. “Binghamton is a team that presents some challenges for us because they play on the small side. We’re more of a traditional team that plays a forward and a center. I thought our guys did a great job defending the dribble. It’s nice to get a road win, now we just have to move forward and continue trying to get better.” Both teams started slow from the field, as it took 10 minutes for either squad to reach double digits. The Danes went scoreless for a five-minute period early on, but stayed in the game thanks to four points from Sam Rowley and a traditional three-point play by Ray Sanders. Binghamton showed zone early on, but Dallas Ennema stepped up to make two three-pointers against it. He gave UAlbany the lead back after the score had been deadlocked at 10-10. Eight-straight points from Sam Rowley helped fuel a 16-0 run for the Purple & Gold. By the four-minute mark in the first half, Ennema had already marked a new career high with 13 points. He went to the line after being fouled on a three to make all three free throws, good for 16 first-half points and a 31-13 lead. The Danes did not score for the remainder of the half, but retained a 31-17 advantage at the break. Ennema made all of UAlbany’s three treys in the opening stanza. After taking the lead back at the 8:25 mark, the Great Danes went 7-for-9 from the field over the next five minutes. Ennema (16), Rowley (14) and Sanders (3) were the only three scorers for the Purple & Gold in the first stanza. Mike Rowley and Evan Singletary both had two early fouls. After lengthening the lead to 19 points to kick off the second half, Binghamton came back within 13, 40-27 at the 12:30 mark. Ennema bailed out the Danes with a jumper after a turnover on the previous possession. But two more turnovers from the Purple & Gold and a 9-2 run by the Bearcats put the lead at just seven. UAlbany responded with an 11-2 spurt of its own, fueled by four points from Sam Rowley and six from Ray Sanders. Rowley put the game out of reach with two minutes to go, finishing with 20 points and 15 rebounds. Ennema notched a career-high 18 points with six rebounds. The sophomore also recorded a goose egg in the turnover column. Rowley and Singletary finished with a game-high four assists apiece. The Danes also shot 13-for-24 (.542) from the field in the second half. UAlbany has now won 12 consecutive games, matching the all-time longest America East regular season winning streak. The record of 12 games was first set by Vermont in 2004-05, when the Catamounts went 15-1. The Purple & Gold has recorded its second-highest number of league wins, having won 13 in 2005-06 and 2006-07. The Danes have won seven straight games on the road, and clinched a home quarterfinal game in the 2015 America East Playoffs with the victory in Vestal. UAlbany men’s basketball takes a break from conference play against NJIT (15-10) on Friday at 7:00 p.m. The Purple & Gold will welcome back junior guard Peter Hooley for the nonconference match-up.