UAlbany men's basketball staves off Stony Brook to close out non-conference slate

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- After an eight-day layoff between games for the holiday break, the UAlbany men's basketball team took to the floor at the Broadview Center Sunday for the final time in 2024, and secured a 77-70 victory over former America East foe Stony Brook.

This was the first meeting between UAlbany and Stony Brook since the Seawolves left for the Coastal Athletic Association, and marked the end of the Great Danes' non-conference portion of their regular season schedule.
 
Coach Dwayne Killings: "Grateful for the win in our last non-conference game against a rival. They are a really good opponent, and I am proud of our guys. I think the preparation and their (student-athletes) approach to practices after the break...you could tell that there was a great deal of belief in each other and what we're trying to do this season in terms of conference play. We talked about this game; carrying momentum as we get ready for UMass Lowell to start the conference. So proud of them for that, and I thought [the] focus and attention to detail helped us get out to a fast start in the game. I thought things were clicking early, and we expected it to be a little choppy. We had a break; we weren't playing for a couple of days, but we found a way to win, and I'll take the win, and now we'll try to build on it."
 
Key Stats:

• Three Great Danes recorded double-digit scoring performances: Justin Neely (16), Amar'e Marshall (15) and Kacper Klaczek (10).
• Neely shot 5-7 (71.4%) from the field, while going 6-7 (85.7%) at the free throw line and leading the Great Danes in rebounds with nine (1 off – 8 def).
• Marshall led the Great Danes with four assists, shooting 3-6 (50.0%) from beyond the arc.
• Klaczek tallied a season-best three blocks.
• DeMarr Langford Jr. and Byron Joshua each registered two steals.

 
How it Happened:

• Byron Joshua and Amar'e Marshall started the game for the Great Danes, hitting back-to-back threes just over a minute in.
• Through the first five minutes of play, the Great Danes led 15-4, highlighted by six points from Marshall.
• UAlbany continued to lay it on with an 8-4 run, with Kacper Klaczek recording four of the eight points for the Great Danes, giving the team a 23-8 lead with 11:46 to play in the first half.
• Stony Brook answered by outscoring UAlbany 11-2, bringing its deficit to six, 25-19, with 6:28 to go before the half.
• A turnaround jumper from Justin Neely and an And-1 dunk from Klaczek put the Great Danes up 29-19 with 5:53 to play in the first.
• Zach Matulu snapped the Seawolves' 8-2 run by hitting a three, followed by a layup from Amir Lindsey to put the Great Danes ahead 36-27 with just over a minute to play in the half.
• The last 60 seconds of the half saw the Seawolves score four unanswered points as the Great Danes took a 36-31 lead going into the half.
• The Great Danes started off the second half strong with a 9-1 run just over two minutes in to take a 45-32 lead, highlighted by a three from Marshall.
• With a 47-36 lead, UAlbany pilled on the points, outscoring the Seawolves 6-0 following a jumper from Neely at 14:08.
• Stony Brook responded by outscoring UAlbany 7-1 over the next two minutes but still trailed 56-43 with 12:15 to play.
• Matulu once again snapped the Seawolves' run with another three as UAlbany would go on to take a 61-45 with just over 10 minutes remaining in the half.
• The Seawolves attempted to come back yet again with a 16-4 run, making it 65-61 Great Danes lead with 4:35 to play.
• An And-1 play for Stoney Brook would bring the Great Danes lead to just one possession, 67-64, with 3:28 to play.
• UAlbany would close out the game on a 10-6 run, securing its victory over rivals Stony Brook 77-70.

UP NEXT: UAlbany's men's basketball will return home on Saturday, January 4, for the first game of America East play when they host the top team in the conference, UMass Lowell. Tipoff is set for 4:00 p.m.