Mike McMahon/The Record

ALBANY - The Times Union Center box office will surely be contacting University at Albany coach Will Brown in the coming days.

Following his team's 74-62 victory over Siena, Brown said that he can guarantee an even larger crowd than the 11,311 that attended on Friday evening.

"If this game would have been played tomorrow (Saturday), there would have been 15,000 people here, sold out," said Brown.

The crowd was the largest since 2009, and was more than the average of 10,940, since the rivalry was renewed in 2001.

Brown does have a point though, as it was a very busy night locally. Both Union and RPI men's hockey teams were home and the Section II Class AA Super Bowl was being played at Bob Ford Field, at UAlbany. That game, between CBA and Shaker was one Brown pointed to.

"I bet ya half of them would have come," he said.

The game was played on Friday evening, due to the UAlbany women's schedule, which has a game on Sunday.

Last year, however the game was played on a Saturday and drew a crowd of 10,229. 

"It's hard to play it on any other day but Saturday," Brown said. "People will travel to come see this game if it's on a Saturday."

Brown even suggested that if the game can't be played as a doubleheader, maybe the women's teams could play on Friday evening and the men's squads could faceoff on Saturday, to make a whole weekend out of it.

"If it can't be a doubleheader, it can't be a doubleheader," he said. 

This was the first time the Albany Cup game was the season-opener, something that likely won't continue if this quote from Brown means anything.

"Next year, each of us will probably have three of four games under our belt, when we play," he said.

Mike McMahon/The Record

ALBANY - The University at Albany is still the top dog in the Capital District.

Sam Rowley and Peter Hooley each scored 17 points, as the Great Danes overcame a 16-point first-half deficit to beat Siena, 74-62.

“It means a lot, not just for the players, but for our school," said Hooley.

UAlbany played much better in the second half, getting 12 points from D.J. Evans and nine more from Gary Johnson.

The Saints played a terrific first half, but things came unglued in the second half. Siena was outscored 43-25 in the second half and shot just 27 percent (10-36) from the floor.

The Saints were led by freshman Maurice White, who scored 17 points, while junior Rob Poole added 15.

“It’s very encouraging," Poole said. If we come out in the second half like we did in the first half, we win that game.”

Here is a link to a photo gallery from photographer Mike McMahon. 

Mike McMahon/The Record

ALBANY - A thrilling first half to the Albany Cup game.

The Siena fanbase was energized from the tip, from their Saints' performance and the exuberant Jimmy Patsos working the sidelines.

UAlbany fell behind by as many as 16, 32-16, but closed to within seven at intermission.

The Saints are led by Rob Poole, who scored 10, while Maurice White came off the bench to add nine. Siena shot 50 percent (13-26) in the first half and held the rebounding advantage, 21-13.

D.J. Evans and Anders Haas each had six points in the first half for the Great Danes.

We started running a lot of college basketball stories in Thursday's paper, as the season gets underway across the nation, and here at home, on Friday.

The University at Albany and Siena College meet in a men's/women's doubleheader in downtown Albany, which is the perfect way to kick off the year. The program will play for the Albany Cup, which is awarded to the winning team (although it stays at the arena downtown). The UAlbany men's team has won two of the past three years, while the UAlbany women have won in three straight seasons.

Below are links to stories.

Siena hoops: In Patsos, they trust

Javion Ogunyemi to start for Siena

Sam Rowley emerges as lead for UAlbany

No doubt Albany is college hoops town

There is also a story on the UAlbany women's team (middle page on left "UAlbany women's plan is to continue to win") that doesn't have a link above.

The season kicks off on Friday and we'll be there to follow it each step of the way.

Today is the day.

The University at Albany and Siena College square off for Division I basketball supremacy.

The women tip at 5 p.m., and the men square off at 7 p.m.

Here is a preview of the women's game. Here is a link to the men's preview.

Below is more information about the men's matchup.

ALBANY CUP

Siena College and the University at Albany have met 51 times on the basketball floor. The Saints hold a 32-19 lead in all-time meetings and have a 9-2 lead in meetings since the rivalry was renewed in 2001, when the teams were both at the Division I level. Since 2001, the game has averaged 11,004 fans in 11 meeting, a total of 121,048 fans, all in downtown Albany. Below are all of the scores from the Division I meetings.

Date    Score    Attendance
2011    Siena 64, UAlbany 60     8,252
2010     UAlbany 88, Siena 82 (OT)    10,753
2009     Siena 83, UAlbany 54     12,960
2008     Siena 71, UAlbany 64     13,251
2007     Siena 75, UAlbany 71     13,262
2006    Siena 76, UAlbany 75 (2OT)     11,271
2005    Siena 82, UAlbany 74 (OT)    8,641
2004     UAlbany 86, Siena 65     8,904
2003    Siena 71, UAlbany 50    11,797
2002     Siena 79, UAlbany 75     11,672
2001     Siena 60, UAlbany 48     10,285

ALBANY - The Siena Saints desperately needed a victory.

Losers of five in a row, the Saints would have a taken a win over any team they played. Getting a victory over your rival makes it that much sweeter though.

O.D. Anosike posted game-highs in points (21) and rebounds (18) , as Siena downed UAlbany 64-60, in front of 8,252 fans, in downtown Albany.

Siena reclaimed the Albany Cup, one year after losing to UAlbany 88-82, in overtime.

The Saints trailed by as many as 19 points in the first half, before staging a terrific comback.

Evan Hymes added 21 points, 19 of which he scored in the first half and Brandon Walters finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Mike Black led four Great Danes with 18 points, while both Logan Aronhalt and Jayson Guerrier added 13.

UAlbany scored just 23 points in the second half, shooting 9-for-30 (30 percent) from the field.

The Great Danes (4-4) take on Colgate on Wednesday, while the Saints (3-5) play UMass, on Friday evening.

Record File Photo

This game is always fun.

I've covered this matchup four times and it's been a great game on the court and a great atmosphere off of it.

Both schools really come out to support their teams.

I'll be interested to see if the game moving to Monday night, hurts attendance.

The game has normally been played on Saturday, but Siena had to play a second Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference game this weekend and so the game was moved.

UAlbany certainly has the more talented team, but Siena has owned the rivalry, winning eight of the past ten matchups since the rivalry was renewed in 2001.

I think it will be a closer game than most.

Jeff Couch/The Record

Siena has been close in many of its losses and it wouldn't surprise me if the Saints came out with some extra energy on this night.

Here is a link to the game advance.

Siena, UAlbany to play for Albany Cup - The Record

Here are the scores of the games for the past 10 years.

2010 - UAlbany 88-82 (OT)
2009 - Siena 83-54
2008 - Siena 71-64
2007 - Siena 75-71
2006 - Siena 76-75 (2OT)
2005 - Siena 82-74 (OT)
2004 - UAlbany 86-65
2003 - Siena 71-50
2002 - Siena 79-75
2001 - Siena 60-48

The Record

ALBANY - University at Albany coach Will Brown walked across the court and put on the headphones, just like he normally does to be interviewed by the radio broadcasters after a game.

He forgot one thing - the Albany Cup presentation.

You have to forgive Coach Brown. He is 2-8 all-time against Siena and had lost five in a row before Saturday's 88-82 overtime victory in front of 10,753.

Still, Brown realizes how big this win is for his program and this year's team.

"We grew up tonight, as a group," he said.

The Great Danes got great play from sophomore Logan Aronhalt.

It's still early, but if Aronhalt keeps playing this well, he is going to be an all-league type player if not the conference's player of the year.

He was terrific on Saturday, hitting his first six shots and finished with 24 points on 8-for-14 shooting.

Brown said he's dropped his weight from 217 to 202 pounds and his body fat from 12 percent down to 8.5.

"He tells me he still doesn't feel he has his quickness and his athleticism back, but the foot feels great."

Another big time player for UAlbany was sophomore guard Mike Black.

Brown said that Black was in tears with 9 minutes to go because of his sprained left ankle.

Black knew the team needed him and he gutted through the game.

"It was really killing me, but I was trying to block it out, trying to be tough," he said. "My team needed me to win this game, so I just tried not to think about the ankle."

The Great Danes will need Black again on Monday, when they travel to take on Yale.

ALBANY - The University at Albany captures the Albany Cup, which will stay in Albany (as it always does, I'm told).

Tim Ambrose, Mike Black and Logan Aronhalt combined for 67 of the Great Danes' 88 points and UAlbany defeated Siena for the first time since 2004.

Ryan Rossiter had game-highs 28 points and 13 rebounds for the Saints.

The Great Danes have won three in a row for the first time since January 2009 and four of their last six games.

ALBANY - UAlbany found itself in a rare position in this rivalry.

The Great Danes enjoyed a double-digit lead for a lot of the first half.

Logan Aronhalt continues to impress, as he finished the first half with 15 points on 6-for-9 shooting.

Siena has also found themselves in a rare spot - trailing and not looking very good.

UAlbany brought out the press, for the first time this season and it caused 13 first-half turnovers for Siena

Ryan Rossiter and Clarence Jackson, who combine to average almost 38 points per game, have just 14 total points.

Siena junior Owen Wignot left the floor after taking an elbow from Ambrose.

Kyle Downey played for the first time this season and was 0-for-2 in five minutes of action.

Like many times in this rivalry, the crowd is going crazy and it should be a terrific second half.

ALBANY - The Saints lead at halftime.

Missy Ramsey started the game and leads the way for Siena with seven points.

The Saints were 4-for-6 from beyond the arc in the first half.

The Great Danes were led by Felicia Johnson, who scored nine points. Julie Forster added seven for UAlbany.

ALBANY - I'm here in downtown Albany, just 20 minutes from the tip of University at Albany vs. Siena, the women's version.

Men tip at 7 p.m. or 30 minutes after the women's game ends.

For updates, feel free to follow me on twitter at www.twitter.com/AndrewSantillo.

I will post updates at halftime and the end of both games.

Good luck to both teams and their fans.

I decided to take a look at the matchups that will occur when Siena faces the University at Albany on Saturday night.

POINT GUARD
Rakeem Brookins vs. Mike Black This might be the most exciting matchup between two newer players to the rivalry, who are among the most athletic and creative with the ball. If Black (ankle) was 100 percent, this would be an even better matchup. Brookins is averaging 8.7 points per game and has burst onto the scene for the Saints. Black came on last year for the Great Danes and this season, the team has played well with him (he missed four games with the ankle injury). UAlbany is 2-2 with him in the lineup, but could have won the season-opener against Cornell if he hadn't misses the game's final 25 minutes. Brookins may end up being the better player, but he still has much to learn about playing point guard at the collegiate level. Right no,w Black is more essential for UAlbany's success and the more talented player.
Edge: Black

SHOOTING GUARD
Clarence Jackson vs. Tim Ambrose
This is another terrific matchup between two players who will have scored 1,000 points in their college careers (Jackson is just 54 points shy of the mark). Ambrose has terrific athletic ability, which is well documented, but he also has had trouble making smart decisions over his career. Ambrose also is about as athletic as you can get, as his nearly 500 career rebounds shows. Jackson has the ability and frame to get to the basket and the shooter's touch to let it fly from anywhere on the court. The only problem with Clarence is he's too inconsistent and when he's off his game, you can tell. Ambrose is a terrific talent, but I'd take Jackson in this matchup
Edge: Jackson

SMALL FORWARD
Owen Wignot vs. Logan Aronhalt
This is a matchup that wouldn't have drawn much attention before this season. Aronhalt is finally healthy after dealing with a foot injury and it shows as he's up to 19.5 points per game and 25 points per game in their three wins. UAlbany coach Will Brown has said that he thinks Aronhalt can be an all-league type of player and he's certainly showed it the past few games. Aronhalt can shoot the ball and take into the basket. Wignot is a good player, who has shown flashes of being a real force for the Saints. He's got the ability to do some great things, a dunk against Georgia Tech comes to mind. Wignot is averaging 8.2 points and 3.3 rebounds per game and is still pretty much under most teams radars. He's also shooting 50 percent from the floor and 61 percent from beyond the arc. While I like Wignot, I have to go with Aronhalt here.
Edge: Aronhalt

POWER FORWARD
O.D. Anosike vs. Luke Devlin
Devlin has started off as a nice player for the Great Danes and I think he will have a nice career. He gives UAlbany some size and the ability to shoot the ball. The Aussie has the ability to score and rebound and if he becomes a little more physical, I think he could be an all-league type of player for sure. If Anosike can stay on the floor and out of foul trouble, he's going be a dominating Robin to Ryan Rossiter's Batman down low for the Saints, especially come MAAC schedule. Anosike is a tremendously agile big and he can get up and down the floor. I like Devlin, but right now I like Anosike more.
Edge: Anosike

CENTER
Ryan Rossiter vs. John Puk
Let me put this simply, Rossiter would win a one-on-one matchup with almost any big man in the country. I like Puk a lot (from what I've seen), but he's going to have his hands full with a guy who is averaging 20 points and 14 rebounds per game. Puk has been playing quite well, despite having a sore Achilles. Someone said to me recently, you can almost pencil in Rossiter for a double-double and that is incredible.
Edge: Rossiter

BENCH
Both benches have shown signs they can be good, but both are still very inexperienced. The return of Kyle Downey would give the Saints an edge I think, but I don't think he'll play in this game. The Great Danes have had some players step up in the absence of Black like Jacob Iati and Ralph Watts.
Edge: Push

COACHING STAFF
I like both staffs and I think they are pretty good at what they do. The numbers don't like though. Mitch Buonaguro is 5-0 all-time against UAlbany and has two NCAA Tournament victories. While Will Brown has gotten his team to the big dance twice, he hasn't won yet. That's surely not the only determining factor. Brown is also 1-8 all-time against Siena. In this matchup, the edge goes to the Siena staff.
Edge: Siena

That's how I see things matching up.

Let me know what you think.

Ed Bemiss, noted local stats guru, sent me over a link to a simulation for this year's Siena vs. UAlbany game.

Click the link here to check it out.

You can simulate the game as many times as you'd like (or until your team wins).

It also has stats for the actual players, which is pretty neat.

LOUDONVILLE - It's UAlbany/Siena week.

Naturally, we asked Siena coach Mitch Buonaguro about the rivalry meeting today at his weekly meeting with the media.

"Clearly the pressure's on Siena in this game," Buonaguro said emphatically. "We've only lost once (since the series was renewed). We've won five straight."

Buonaguro said he watched the tape from last year's game, which the Saints won 83-54, last night.

"First off, you have to throw out last year's game," he said. "I watched the tape last night. That was unbelievable. We just played phenomenal.

Siena has won eight of the nine games since the series was revived in 2001.

Siena fans expect to win and Buonaguro knows that.

"It is a no-win situation," he said. "If you ask people in the basketball community, anyone, we're expected to win."

It wasn't always like that.

When Buonaguro and Fran McCaffery got to town, Siena was the severe underdog, but they didn't lose to the Great Danes.

Buonaguro already knows this season's game will be close.

"Last year we were a Top 20 team, preseason, we were picked 20th," he said. "We're not that this year. We lost three geat players. Albany has improved. They're better than they were last year, so just on that alone, it's a much more competitive game."

Just seeing UAlbany play well against Detroit, a team thought highly of in the Horizon League, which has Butler, a team Siena played, is enough for Buonaguro.

"Just because they're rebulding, they still have (Tim) Ambrose, they still have (Logan) Aronhalt and they still have (Mike) Black," Buonaguro said. "Those are three really good players, so on any given night they're dangerous."

Okay, so we only have two days to get ready for the big game (that's really not a big game), so I thought I'd start the discussion (arguments) with this.

Last year, Siena Sports Infortmation Director Jason Rich gave us a compiled stats list for all of the Siena/UAlbany games, dating back to the renewal of the rivalry in 2001.

I added in last year's game stats and here are the all-time leaders.

ALBANY CUP LEADERS

Points

Name School Pts. Pts/gm
Jamar Wilson, UAlbany, 80, 20.0
Michael Haddix, Siena, 63, 15.8
Kenny Hasbrouck, Siena, 59, 14.8
x-Edwin Ubiles, Siena, 53, 17.7
Levi Levine, UAlbany, 50, 12.5

Points Per Game

Name, School, Pts./gm, Pts.
E.J. Gallup, UAlbany, 36.0, 36
Lucious Jordan, UAlbany, 22.0, 44
Jamar Wilson, UAlbany, 20.0, 80
Dwayne Archbold, Siena, 19.0, 19
x-Edwin Ubiles, 17.7, 53

3-Point FG Made

Name, School, FG
Brent Wilson, UAlbany, 9
Jon Iati, UAlbany, 9
Antoine Jordan, Siena, 7
Levi Levine, UAlbany, 7
E.J. Gallup, UAlbany, 7

Rebounds

Name, School, Reb., Reb/gm
Michael Haddix, Siena, 34, 8.5
Levi Levine, UAlbany, 30, 7.5
Jamar Wilson, UAlbany, 29, 7.3
Brent Wilson, UAlbany, 28, 7.0
Antoine Jordan, Siena, 24, 6.0

Assists

Name, School, Ast., Ast/gm
Jamar Wilson, UAlbany, 22, 5.5
x-Ronald Moore, Siena, 16, 5.3
Kojo Mensah, Siena, 15, 7.5
Earv Opong, UAlbany, 14, 7.0
Brian Lillis, UAlbany, 12, 3.0

Steals

Name, School, Stl., Stl/gm
Kenny Hasbrouck, Siena, 9, 2.3
Antoine Jordan, Siena, 8, 2.0
Earv Opong, UAlbany, 6, 3.0
x-Edwin Ubiles, Siena, 6, 2.0
Chris Wyatt, UAlbany, 5, 1.7

Blocks

Name, School, Blk., Blk/gm
x-Alex Franklin, Siena, 4, 1.3
Chris Wyatt, UAlbany, 3, 1.0
Justin Miller, Siena, 3, 1.0
x-Edwin Ubiles, Siena, 3, 1.0
Kirsten Zollner, UAlbany, 3, 1.5

x-active

Tickets for the annual crosstown rivalry between Siena and UAlbany went on sale today.

Tickets can be purchased at the Times Union Center box office, select Price Chopper locations or online at SienaSaints.com

The men's and women's doubleheader is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 5.