Siena coach Mitch Buonaguro talks about the injury to freshman Ryan Oliver, who may be out for the remainder of the year after a knee procedure.

Jeff Couch - The Record

LOUDONVILLE - Reports from the Siena Athletic Department weren't great on Wednesday morning.

Freshman Ryan Oliver is likely out for the season, following a reaggravation of knee injury that will have a diagnostic scope in the coming days. This is on his surgically repaired knee

The scope should keep him out at least one month and more likely six weeks, so it appears his rookie season is over.

"He was playing well," said Siena coach Mitch Buonaguro, before practice. "It's tough because you wanted to count on him for a certain amount of minutes, he was playing a role. We thought we were going to have him back, we didn't think it was a serious as it was, but it hasn't progressed."

Oliver played in 17 games for the Saints and averaged 2.2 points per game, also making one start.

University at Albany basketball players Sam Rowley and Peter Hooley talk about the team's 65-49 loss to Stony Brook on Tuesday.

The loss is the Great Danes (5-4, 16-7) third straight and knocks them into fifth in the America East Conference standings. 

ALBANY - Stony Brook provided on the court what UAlbany has been unable to prove the past three games -- they are an elite team.

The Seawolves remained in first place and look to be the best team in the conference as we get closer to the postseason tournament.

The Great Danes (5-4, 16-7) are looking more like the team of the past few seasons, where they beat the teams they should and lose to the teams ahead of them.

In one week, UAlbany has fallen from first place in the America East Conference to fifth.

Peter Hooley led the way with 17 points, but the real story was Mike Black coming up scoreless for the first time since his freshman season. Black hasn't been held without a point since Dec. 8, 2009, when he played just three minutes in a victory at Penn.

Point guard Anthony Jackson led Stony Brook with 14 points, while freshman Jameel Warney finished with a double-double (10 pts. & 10 reb.). 

ALBANY - A half that started very poorly for the University at Albany didn't end that bad.

The Great Danes fell behind 8-2 and actually endured a 15-2 run later in the half, but trail by only six at intermission.

Gary Johnson gave UAlbany a huge spark, already reaching a career-high with eight points and completing two three-point plays. Peter Hooley also has eight points for the Great Danes. Mike Black and Jacob Iati are still struggling, combining for 1-6 shooting and just three points, all from Iati.

The Seawolves were led by Tommy Brenton, who has six points, three rebounds and an assist (also two fouls).

Jeff Couch - The Record

LOUDONVILLE - Trenity Burdine may be No. 2 for the Siena men's basketball team, but coach Mitch Buonaguro is looking for him to be No. 5.

The Saints have gotten solid contributions from four starters, when healthy, but that fifth spot has been an issue, especially from an offensive production standpoint.

"If we can Burdine to get double figures consistently or even eight-nine points, now we're a much different team," said Buonaguro, at his meeting with the media Tuesday afternoon.

Burdine, who has missed time this season due to an athletic department suspension and an academic suspension, provided a huge impact this past weekend for Siena. 

"Trenity offers a different dimension," said Buonaguro.

When Buonaguro recruited Burdine two years ago, he thought the first team all-state player from Reading, Pa., could be a dynamic player. While Burdine's career has been hampered by injuries and off the court issues, he could play a big role down the stretch. 

"Now, if he comes into his own the last nine-ten games, he's only going to make us a lot better," Buonaguro said. "He can score."

Burdine scored 11 points on Friday against Niagara and followed that up with a 13-point game against Marist. In the two games, he combined to shoot 10-16 (62.5%) from the floor, as the Saints posted two of their three highest scoring games. When Siena fell behind Marist on Sunday, they went on a huge 31-10 run to end the first half, what Buonaguro called his team's best offense of the season. 

"We're going to start doing some different things with him," said Buonaguro.

Buonaguro also likes using Burdine at the top of his three-quarters court pressure defense, similar to the position that Edwin Ubiles played a few seasons ago.

"He's 6-6, he's long and he's athletic," Buonaguro said of Burdine. "In that press that I use, that's what you need up there. Yeah, he makes the press better."

Burdine has also only turned the ball over eight times, or just 0.67 turnovers per game, while the team averages 14.9 turnovers per game.

"He doesn't turn the ball over and we've been struggling with turnovers," said Buonaguro.

UAlbany coach Will Brown talks about his team's upcoming game against Stony Brook and the struggles of top player Mike Black.



UAlbany redshirt freshman Peter Hooley talks about the Stony Brook game.

ALBANY - Unfortunately, the University at Albany has picked a bad time to lose its first back-to-back games of the season.

The Great Danes (5-3, 16-6) had a lead late, but the Catamounts (6-2, 13-7) were too strong down the stretch, posting their eighth straight victory in the head-to-head series.

Clancy Rugg led the way for Vermont with 14 points, but only four players scored and all of them were in double figures.

Mike Black, UAlbany's leading scorer, had his third straight rough game, shooting 3-15, but he did finish with a team-high 13 points. The Great Danes shot just 29,6 percent (16-54) for the game and only scored 15 points in the first half. That number marks the lowest of any half since the program turned Division I in 1999-00.

UAlbany must turn things around and in a hurry, as first-place Stony Brook comes to town on Tuesday.

ALBANY - There wasn't much positive to write about in the first half for either team.

The University at Albany suffered through its lowest scoring half of the year, scoring just 15 points. In two first halves against Vermont, the Great Danes could only muster 34 points.

The Catamounts didn't fare much better from a scoring aspect, but they did shoot 50 percent (10-20) from the field.

UAlbany shot just 18.5 percent (5-23) and Mike Black and Jacob Iati combined to shoot 0-11.

Ethan O'Day led Vermont with nine points.

I expect a much better second half...or at least I hope for one.

Siena sophomore Evan Hymes talks about the team's loss to Niagara on Friday evening.

ALBANY - In a season plagued by late-game situations, Siena was once again done in in the final minutes of Friday's game.

The Saints (2-7, 4-16) were down just one with less than four minutes to play, but it was Niagara that executed late to leave Albany with its first win since 2005.

Juan'ya Green led the Purple Eagles (8-1, 12-8), just missing a triple-double with 19 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds.

Evan Hymes matched a career-high with 30 points, including Siena's first 15 of the second half, but he committed two turnovers in the final three minutes that really hurt.

Rob Poole added 14 in his first game back from the flu, which sidelined him for four games, while O.D. Anosike finished with eight points and 10 rebounds.

Antonie Mason, son of former NBA player Anthony Mason, added 17 points for Niagara.

ALBANY - Siena played one of its best offensive halves

Despite playing without Imoh Silas (ankle), Ryan Oliver (knee) and Rakeem Brookins (back), the Saints played tough.

Siena was led offensively by Rob Poole, who missed the past four games due to the flu. Poole has 12 and Evan Hymes chipped in 11.

The Purple Eagles were led by a balanced attack. Juan'ya Green and Ameen Tanksley each have nine points.

The Saints trail by only two to a team that beat them by 23, just eight days ago. That's the good news. The bad news is that Niagara led by only six in that game and blew it open after intermission.

The game has also had some physicality, with Hymes picking up a flagrant and Joe Thomas picking up a technical foul. Tanksley also took a tumble, when colliding with Burdine and Anosike.

University at Albany senior Ebone Henry talks about the team's hot start to conference play and her chance to become the program's all-time leading scorer.

Siena sophomore Rob Poole talks about his return to the court after missing four games with the flu and the team's next game against Niagara.

ALBANY - University at Albany senior point guard Mike Black talks about his team's 85-80 overtime loss to Boston University.

ALBANY - What a game and what a tough loss for the University at Albany.

The Great Danes looked like they had overcame a bad first half to post a solid league win, when D.J. Irving happened.

Irving hit two 3-pointers in the final 10 seconds, as Boston University forced overtime and won the game from there.

Irving and Mike Black both finished with 20 points.

The Terriers scored 22 points in overtime and made its final eight shots from the field.

“Credit B.U.," Black said. "They made a lot of tough shots.”

UAlbany is now 1-22 over the past three seasons against Boston U. (0-7), Vermont (0-7) and Stony Brook (1-8), the last two of which make trips to town in the next seven days. 

ALBANY - The University at Albany played one of its worst home halves of the year in the first half.

The Great Danes are lucky to be down by only six, since they turned the ball over 11 times, attempted just four free throws and shot 29.2 percent (7-24) from the field.

Maurice Watson Jr. led Boston University, scoring 13 points on 5-8 shooting from the floor.

UAlbany was just lucky that Jayson Guerrier came to play, scoring 11 points off the bench, in 11 minutes. Mike Black was just 1-9 and Jacob Iati was only 1-5 from the floor.

The Great Danes will need a much better half, in order to put another victory in their win total.

That's the headline for today's story which previews tonight's game between UAlbany (5-1, 16-4) and Boston University (3-3, 9-10).

Here is a link.

Jacob Iati is averaging just 8.0 points per game, but as you'll read, that doesn't make a difference as long as the Great Danes keep winning.

AP

ALBANY - Peter Hooley knew that Hartford was in trouble as soon as he made his first few shots on Saturday evening.

Hooley posted career-highs in both points (18) and rebounds (12) on the way to his first career double-double, as the University at Albany downed Hartford 56-46.

“I would say everything, regarding me, is confidence," said Hooley on Monday.

Hooley's insertion into the starting lineup has been met with much success for the Great Danes (5-1, 16-4), who are now in first place in the America East, following Vermont's loss Tuesday evening at Maine.

“He creates a lot of stuff for us in our offense," said fellow guard Jacob Iati.

Hooley was going up against a familiar face on Saturday, in Hawks sophomore Corban Wroe, also a native of Australia.

When Hooley got off to such a good start, Wroe was surprised.

“You’re not supposed to be able to score the ball," he said.

“Funny how things change," Hooley told his "good mate" from back home.

UAlbany is 4-0 since Hooley and Sam Rowley moved into the starting lineup and those two have been very productive.

Hooley gets the rim effortlessly and as coach Will Brown said, he was playing north/south and attacking the basket on Saturday.

“If teams are going to shadow Jacob or shadow Mike (Black), there’s going to be a lot of openings for Peter to drive the ball," said Brown.

Hooley was set to make an impact last season before a stress fracture in his left foot kept him out after the first three games, forcing him to redshirt. Hooley was kept off the court for seven months and all he could do was lift.

“People don’t realize he’s still a freshman," said Brown.

Hooley was recruited for his all-around game, but he showed he can shoot the ball a little, making three treys in the Hartford win. 

“He’s a rhythm shooter," Brown said. "When he can get his feet set, he shoots it well.”

Hooley said he's at his best when he keeps everything simple.

“I always forget that I’m a freshman and I still have a lot to learn," he said.

Hooley has shown his passing prowess throughout the year. He's got 54 assists, second only to Black (58) on the team.

“When I was scoring a lot of points earlier in the year, I said a bunch of times it was because of Pete and Mike," Iati said. "I always threw him in the mix because he gets to the rim great.”

Hooley hasn't reached his potential and that could be a scary thought for opposing teams in the America East.

“Peter’s his own worst enemy," Brown said. "When he maintains his focus, he’s tough to handle.”

University at Albany coach Will Brown talks about the team's upcoming game against Boston University.

Siena got clobbered by Niagara on Thursday evening, losing 87-64. The Saints (2-5, 4-14) played all right in the first half, but the Purple Eagles (6-1, 10-8) really blew it open after intermission.

Here are some highlights, courtesy of the Siena Athletic Department. 



Here are some postgame comments, courtesy of the Siena Athletic Department.

The University at Albany won for the first time at New Hampshire, since 2007, on  Wednesday evening.

Here is a link to the writeup of the 68-62 victory for the Great Danes (4-1, 15-4).

UAlbany's next game is at Hartford, on Saturday.

Siena coach Mitch Buonaguro talks about his team's 66-53 victory over Saint Peter's on Sunday afternoon.

J.S. Carras - The Record

ALBANY - Rich Audu didn't start on Sunday, but the Siena freshman didn't let that affect him.

Audu had only averaged 10.4 minutes per game this season, but he played nearly four times that number in the Saints' 66-53 victory over Saint Peter's.

With four minutes remaining and Siena's lead cut to four, 51-47, Audu nailed back-to-back 3-pointers that put the game out of reach.

“Those three's were big," said sophomore Rakeem Brookins. They were tremendous.”

Audu started in place of Rob Poole (flu) on Friday night, but then saw a majority of the minutes go to fellow freshman Ryan Oliver. 

On Sunday, Oliver started, but came out after only one minute, due to a knee sprain and Audu stepped in. 

“I thought it took a while to get going, but he had a very good second half," said Siena coach Mitch Buonaguro. 

Audu had only played 156 minutes all season, but he played 39 on Sunday and every one was needed as the Saints' bench was small. 

“You have to remind yourself what your here for every day and you just have to maintain a love and a passion for this game because you're going to go through good times and you're going to go through bad times," he said. "But you have to stay even-keeled and level-headed.”

Audu is playing with a tape on the thumb of his right hand, which he injured about a week ago in practice, when he was falling.

“He's a shooting guard and that's what the whole community needs to see," Brookins said. "I'm happy he came in and shot the ball with confidence.”  

 Even after 39 minutes of game action, Audu didn't look like he had broken a sweat.

“I'm a little tired," said Audu smiling. "Our trainer DT (Dan Taylor) did a good job conditioning us before the season."

ALBANY - The Siena men's basketball team is on a roll.

The Saints (2-4, 4-13) picked up their second win in 72 hours, when they took down Saint Peter's, 66-53, on Sunday afternoon.

O.D. Anosike led the way with 20 points and seven rebounds, while Rakeem Brookins chipped in 18.

Siena won the game at the foul line, where they shot 27-for-36 (75%), led by Anosike, who was 12-for-17.

Desi Washington's 16 points led the Peacocks (1-5, 6-10). 

The University at Albany men's and women's basketball teams knocked off Maine on Saturday evening at SEFCU Arena.

The women's team clobbered its third league opponent, winning 71-39.

The men's team improved to 3-1 in league play, with a 76-63 win over the Black Bears. Here is a link to the game story, which appeared in Sunday's paper.

Below, are videos of Ebone Henry & Mike Black and Gary Johnson talking about the wins.

University at Albany senior point guard Mike Black talks about the team's upcoming America East Conference home game against Maine.

Sophomore Evan Hymes talks about the team's 57-54 victory over Canisius.

Here is video of the final play and highlights, courtesy of the Siena Athletic Department.

J.S. Carras - The Record

ALBANY - Evan Hymes hadn't been getting a good look at the basket the past two games.

All it took was one poke to the eye and he had one of his best shooting nights as a Siena player.

Hymes, who had shot 2-for-18 from the field over the past two games, was 8-for-12 on Friday night, as Siena took down Canisius, 57-54, and ended its 11-game losing streak.

“I've been putting in extra shots at practice," Hymes said, following the win. "I know I'm a capable shooter, it's just putting in the extra work and that's what I did and it showed tonight.”

Hymes took a vicious hit to the right eye from Canisius big man Chris Manhertz in the first half and looked like he wouldn't return.

In fact, he contact lens was knocked around in his eye and initially, he thought it had scratched the eyeball. It swelled up instantly and forced him back to the locker room.

After halftime, Hymes returned with an ice bag on his eye and sat out for the first few minutes of the second half.

Once he returned, he got right back into the flow and was a big reason why the Saints came out on top.

“I thought it was his best game of the year,” said Siena coach Mitch Buonaguro. “He could not have played better.”

Hymes hit two very long 3-pointers in the second half and his presence is certainly one of the reasons Siena came out victorious. 

ALBANY - Rakeem Brookins hit what he called the biggest shot of his life just before the clock expired on Friday evening.

The shot gave the Saints a 57-54 victory over Canisius, netting them their first league victory and snapping an 11-game losing streak.

Siena played without Rob Poole (flu) or Trenity Burdine (academics) and lost both Brookins (knee) and Evan Hymes (eye) during the game.

Hymes finished with a game-high 20 points, while Brookins added 13 for the Saints.

The Griffins were led by Isaac Sosa, who scored 13.

J.S. Carras - The Record

ALBANY - The mood in the UAlbany locker room at Patrick Gymnasium, in Burlington, Vt., last Saturday afternoon was one of shock.

The Great Danes were expecting a early-season battle for first place -- what they got was a massacre, a 70-45 loss, and they left with their pride diminished.

“Even Ohio State didn’t beat us like that," said senior point guard Mike Black. "It was shocking, heartbreaking. It was an eye-opener for us that day.”

UAlbany's next league game wasn't a must-win, it was only the third conference game, but that's how Monday's game against Binghamton felt.

“It was a must-win game in reality," said sophomore Sam Rowley, who scored 21 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, as the Great Danes bounced back with a 71-59 victory over the Bearcats.

In reality it wasn't a true must-win, but UAlbany needed to get back to its winning ways.

“We just needed to play," said coach Will Brown. "The way we played at Vermont wasn’t the way we’ve played all year long. We let them get in a comfort zone, we never got in any type of rhythm and we played on our heels the whole game. You live and you learn.”

In the midst of winter break, the team has been fully focused on basketball and they found out the best way to bounce back from a crushing defeat.

“The best way to move on from a loss is get a win the day or two days after," said Rowley. 

The Great Danes (2-1, 13-4) face another stiff challenge, when they host Maine (2-1, 7-9) on Saturday.

LOUDONVILLE - It sounds simple, but winning makes everything a little bit easier.

The Siena men's basketball team has been close -- but frankly close doesn't cut it.

The Saints (0-4, 2-13) haven't won since Nov. 17, nearly a week before Thanksgiving.

“We need a win," sophomore Evan Hymes said on Thursday. "Everybody knows that. We just have to keep competing every night.”

J.S. Carras - The Record

Siena is 2-7 in games decided by six or less points and they've lost four home games by a combined 12 points. Certainly that's about late-game execution, or lack thereof, but also some bad luck.

“It can be youth, it can be experience, you can point to a lot of things," said Saints coach Mitch Buonaguro. "But certainly we have to get a couple wins here for the team’s confidence level.”

And that's all it'll take -- one win, to get this team back thinking, no believing, that they can win.

In fact, despite an epic losing streak, the program's second longest, the players believe they still can turn things around.

“If we can get two here, at home, we’ll be right back in the mix of things," said senior O.D. Anosike. "We just have to focus on Canisius and really try to get a win.”

The Golden Griffins (3-1, 10-5) are currently in a four-way tie for first in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference standings, but they haven't finished in the top half of the league's standings since the 1998-99 season.

“The kids have bought in,” said first-year coach Jim Baron. “I think the area has bought in and winning helps. You have to win some games to get them to gel.”

The Saints have taken positive steps, but many times those have been quickly followed by those in the wrong direction.

“All of those good flashes give me confidence that we’re moving in the right direction," Anosike said. "It’s just a matter of putting it together consistently and doing it for 40 minutes.”

Siena sophomore Evan Hymes talks about the team's upcoming game against Canisius.

The University at Albany bounced back from its 25-point drubbing against Vermont, with a solid performance against Binghamton.

The Great Danes knocked off the Bearcats, 71-59, behind 21 points and 13 rebounds from sophomore Sam Rowley, in his first career start.

UAlbany (2-1, 13-4) is now off until Saturday's home game against Maine.

On the other hand, Siena continues to slide.

The Saints (0-4, 2-13) have now lost 11 straight games and are still in search of their first league victory.

After taking a step forward on Friday, in a narrow loss to a very talented Iona team, Siena was blown out on Sunday by Rider. 

The Saints are off until Friday night's game against Canisius. 

BURLINGTON, Vt. — Will Brown was anxious to see how his team stacked up to what he thought was a solid opponent.

Turns out, on this afternoon, the University at Albany didn’t belong on the same court as the preseason pick to repeat as America East champs.

Vermont burst out of the gates and never looked back, throttling the Great Danes, 70-45, at Patrick Gym.

“We were absolutely terrible,” Brown said. “It happens.”

The 25-point defeat marked UAlbany’s worst loss since a 78-51 loss at Georgia Tech, on Nov. 17, 2010. It’s also the worst America East loss since a 78-50 loss to Boston University, on Feb. 5, 2003.

“Vermont played very well,” Brown said. “You have to give them credit. As bad as I thought we played, I thought they played terrific.”

The Great Danes (1-1, 12-4) have now lost to the Catamounts (2-0, 9-5) seven consecutive times, dating back to the 2009 league tournament.

Vermont scored nine of the game’s first 11 points, getting baskets from all over the floor. When Trey Blue knocked down a jumper with 12:21 to play, UAlbany fell behind by double-digits, 17-7 and could never get closer.

“We were very impatient offensively early in the game and I think that hurt us more than anything,” Brown said. “Our impatience offensively led to 10 turnovers.”

The Catamounts led by 16 at halftime and continued to pour in on in the second half.

“We didn’t have a run in us,” said Brown.

Vermont went up by as many as 28 points, 60-32, when Sandro Carissimo hit a 3-pointer with eight minutes to play. The Catamounts made six 3-pointers and shot 52.8 percent (28-53) from the floor.

“You have to give them a lot of credit,” Brown said. “They shot the ball unbelievably well.”

Blue led Vermont with 15 points off the bench, while three other players, including Carissimo added a dozen.

Mike Black was the only Great Danes players in double figures, scoring 14.

“It’s not the end of the world,” Brown said. “I’d be more disappointed if this was in the SEFCU, but they did what they were supposed to do.”

Brown is confident that his team will bounce back, when they head to Binghamton on Monday. 

“If we hang our heads, we’re going to go on the road and get beat on Monday,” he said. “That’s not going to happen. We’re going to win on Monday.”

Here are both calls, Siena and Canisius, from the half-court heave that won the game for the Golden Griffins. Tiahana Mills hit an incredible shot to give Canisius a 65-62 victory, just seconds after Kanika Cummings had tied the game for Siena.

The Canisius call was the No. 1 play on SportsCenter.

First, Siena's call from Mike Demos.



Here's Canisius play-by-play guy Mike Scott's call.

Siena sophomore Rakeem Brookins talks about the team's 66-62 loss to Iona on Friday evening.

ALBANY - The Siena men's basketball team is far from taking any moral victories.

However, the Saints played well on Friday evening, but still couldn't snap a losing stretch that dates back to Thanksgiving.

Iona made plays late in the game and escaped with a 66-62 victory.

“It's very disappointing," said Siena coach Mitch Buonaguro. "I thought our kids played well enough to win.”

O.D. Anosike registered his 11th double-double, tying for game-high honors with 19 points and grabbing 15 rebounds. Rob Poole added 18 points for the Saints (0-3, 2-12).

Lamont "Momo" Jones led four players in double figures with 19 points for the Gaels (2-1, 8-6).

The Saints played without sophomore Trenity Burdine, who was suspended one game for an academic issue. Burdine was suspended for the first three games of the season after violating athletic department policy. 

Siena next heads to Rider on Sunday, still in search of its first conference victory and trying to snap a 10-game losing streak.

ALBANY – The University at Albany is no longer the summer home to the New York Giants.

After 16 years of holding their training camp on the UAlbany campus, the Giants announced on Friday that they would not return in 2013.

Instead, the team, coming off a 9-7 season, will hold training camp this summer at the Timex Performance Center, their year-round facility.

“The University at Albany and the Capital Region have been great hosts for us during our training camps,” Giants President and Chief Executive Officer John Mara and Chairman and Executive Vice President Steve Tisch said in a join statement. “UAlbany truly has been the summer home of the Giants. We are grateful to Mayor (Jerry) Jennings and to (UAlbany Director of Athletics) Dr. (Lee) McElroy and his staff in the athletic department for making us feel welcome and providing the resources we needed to prepare for the season.”

The Giants, who did not rule out a return to the Capital District, have been practicing at UAlbany since 1996, only missing one year, 2011, due to the lockout.

“We're proud to have hosted the New York Giants summer camp for 16 seasons,” said the University in a statement. “The relationship has provided us with yet another avenue to promote our great university and what we feel is a first-class athletic program and group of student-athletes. We will miss the excitement and engagement the team brings to our campus, and we extend our best wishes to the Giants for next season.”

The Giants informed McElroy and Jennings this week of their intention to not return for training camp this summer.

“We have enjoyed serving as the summer home of the New York Giants,” said McElroy. “We certainly understand the Giants' desire to remain at the Timex Performance center, which is a state-of-the-art training facility. We have assured Mr. Mara and Mr. Tisch that if they ever decide to take their training camp away from East Rutherford again that we would be interested in once again serving as their home away from home.”

Over the past few years, coach Tom Coughlin has been upset with the lack of an inside facility on the campus. With the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, teams can only practice once a day and those practices are allowed to be rescheduled.

“We are fortunate to have a facility in the Timex Performance Center that allows us to hold training camp here,” Tisch and Mara said in their statement. “We have told Mayor Jennings and Dr. McElroy that we will evaluate our training camp situation on an ongoing basis and certainly would not rule out a return to Albany in the future if it makes sense for both parties.”

The 16 training camps at UAlbany are the most at any site in the 88-year history of the team.

“It has been a tremendous experience for our city to have the Giants here,” said Mayor Jennings. “We value our relationship with John Mara and Steve Tisch and their organization, and I have told them they are always welcome. This is Giants country and we wish them nothing but the best.”

The dates for the Giants' 2013 training camp will be announced later this spring when the preseason schedule is finalized.

ALBANY - There is more news for Siena - and it's not good.

The school announced that sophomore Trenity Burdine will be suspended for tonight's game against Iona, due academic issues.

Burdine was also suspended the first three games of the 2012-13 season for violation of athletic department policy.

Burdine is averaging 5.2 points per game and has started four times for the Saints (2-11) this year.

Siena coach Mitch Buonaguro looks ahead to playing against Iona, on Friday night, in Albany.

The Saints have won 11 of the past 12 games between these two schools in Albany, including last year's 65-62 victory.

University at Albany coach Will Brown talks about his team's 65-48 America East Conference victory over UMBC on Wednesday evening.

ALBANY - The University at Albany picked up its first America East Conference victory on Wednesday evening.

Jacob Iati and Mike Black combined for 32 points and the Great Danes (1-0, 12-3) won with relative ease, knocking of UMBC 65-48.

Next up, is a big test against Vermont, on Saturday afternoon, at Patrick Gym.

ALBANY - University at Albany didn't play its best half, but they are out in front of their first league opponent of the year.

Jacob Iati scored eight of the Great Danes' first 10 points and finished the half with a game-high 10. Mike Black was slow getting started, but he scored nine straight UAlbany points.

Brian Neller leads UMBC with eight points, while Ryan Cook added seven.

J.S. Carras - The Record

LOUDONVILLE - Siena coach Mitch Buonaguro believes in his team.

There's nothing wrong with that. But the Saints, who have lost nine straight games, have been struggling and there's no question about that.

Still, on Wednesday Buonaguro said he believes his team is better than its 2-11 record. 

"The record's very misleading," he said. "Five or six of the games were very winnable."

Siena may have been able to a win a few, but the old adage is you are what your record says you are. The Saints are just one more loss from matching the worst start in program history, matching the 1970-71 team that started 2-12.  

"When you add everything up, I think the record is a little misleading," Buonaguro said. "I think we're a little better than the record."

Buonaguro is talking about adding up his team's youth and some of the things they've done wrong so far like turning the ball over and poor free-throw shooting.

"There's five or six things, when you analyze it, will add up to 2-11," he said. "But if two of those things change, we're 6-7. I can think of five games, where if we just shot free throws average, in the 60s, we probably would have won."

Both of Siena's wins have come in close games, but the team hasn't won since before Thanksgiving, when they topped Northern Kentucky, 56-52 (Nov. 17). The Saints are 2-6 in games decided by six points or less, including two 1-point losses at home (Vermont, UMass).

Siena has had trouble lately, losing their last three games by an average of 18 points per game and allowed an average of 78.7 points over those three games, all losses.

The biggest loss came in the most recent game, losing 80-52 to La Salle, on Saturday. Buonaguro said Wednesday he didn't even think that game, which was a 34-point deficit at times, was that bad. 

"When I did look at the tape, it really wasn't as bad as I thought," he said.

The Saints are struggling, but Buonaguro still believes his team should have more wins if things had gone their way.

"This is a team that could very easily be 6-7 if things bounced the right way," he said. 

Siena takes on Iona on Friday evening. Since 2000, the Saints are 11-1 against Iona in Albany, including last year's 65-62 victory.

J.S. Carras - The Record

The University at Albany has had a great start to the 2012-13 season and now they have to carry what they've accomplished in the non-conference season to the league portion of the schedule.

The Great Danes take on the University of Maryland-Baltimore County on Wednesday evening.

Here is my link to the advance that appeared in Wednesday's paper.

Here are the league's standings and matchup for the first day of league play.

UAlbany, 0-0, 11-3
Stony Brook, 0-0, 9-4
Vermont, 0-0, 7-5
Hartford, 0-0, 7-6
Boston U., 0-0, 6-7
Maine, 0-0, 5-8
New Hampshire, 0-0, 4-8
Binghamton, 0-0, 2-11
UMBC, 0-0, 2-11

Wednesday's Games

UMBC at UAlbany
Boston U. at Maine
Vermont at New Hampshire
Binghamton at Hartford