BURLINGTON, Vt. - The UAlbany men's basketball team is back in the NCAA tournament.

The Great Danes will make the third NCAA trip in program history (all since 2006), following a 53-49 victory over Vermont on Saturday.

Below, the team celebrates as the buzzer sounds.



Below, coach Will Brown talks about the victory.

BURLINGTON, Vt. - Luke Devlin sat with an Australian flag draped around his neck at the postgame press conference and waited his turn to answer some questions.

Devlin waited his turn for much of the season and Saturday was his time.

Devlin shot 6-6 from the field, finished with 12 points, five rebounds and two steals in 20 minutes, as the University at Albany defeated Vermont, 53-49, and punched its ticket to the NCAA tournament. 

“Devlin was good," said Vermont coach John Becker. "He made shots.”

Devlin was an all-rookie selection his freshman year, but last season he struggled and this year, he's had his difficulties and found himself behind Blake Metcalf, John Puk and Sam Rowley. 

“Our bigs have played tremendous," Devlin said. "I've adjusted to my role coming off the bench and I've been happy with that because we've been winning. I just got the opportunity to play a bit more tonight and knock down some shots.”

Devlin took advantage of being less of a priority of the Vermont defense. He was able to make jumpers and finishing easy looks from his tammates.

“He just made shots," said Vermont's Luke Apfeld. "Even when we did a good job of rotating, he just made good, contested shots.”

 

Despite being outrebounded 37-21, the Great Danes big men asserted themselves and didn't allow the Catamounts any easy baskets.

“I thought we were aggressive," said UAlbany coach Will Brown. "I thought we were physical.”

BURLINGTON, Vt. - The University at Albany Great Danes are dancing.

For the third time in school history, UAlbany is America East tournament champions and snags the conference's bid to the NCAA tournament. The Great Danes got some big 3-pointers from Jacob Iati and knocked off Vermont, 53-49, at Patrick Gym.

UAlbany will find out its opponent during tomorrow's selection show, which is at 6 p.m.

BURLINGTON, Vt. - The University at Albany couldn't have started the America East championship game any worse.

They also couldn't have responded any better.

After falling behind 10-0 to Vermont, the Great Danes went on an 11-0 run of their own. They added another 10-0 run later in the half and have a 28-20 lead at halftime.

One of these teams is just one half away from an America East tournament title crown and punching a trip to the NCAA tournament.

Mike Black led the way with 11 points and in doing so, moved into fifth on the school's all-time scoring list. UAlbany also got great play from Luke Devlin, who scored six points and grabbed two rebounds.

Clancy Rugg has six points to lead the Catamounts.

ALBANY - From the first day of open gym for the University at Albany men's basketball team, Gary Johnson stood out to his teammates.

A 6-foot-6 junior college transfer, Johnson showed he was athletic and capable of playing big minutes for the Great Danes.

That didn't happen right away, however.

But over the past three weeks, Johnson has become an invaluable piece of the puzzle for UAlbany, which plays at Vermont, in the America East Conference championship game on Saturday, at 11:30 a.m.

“He’s a guy that doesn’t need the ball to be effective," said UAlbany coach Will Brown.

Johnson has started the past five games for the Great Danes, including both games in the America East tournament. In those games, he was matched up against the league's leading scorer, in Maine's Justin Edwards and the conference's MVP, in Stony Brook's Tommy Brenton.

“They gave me an assignment and I took it personal," Johnson said. "I have pride in my defense. It was fun playing against Justin Edwards and Tommy Brenton because they’re both aggressive and good players. I’m just happy we got the ‘W’.”

Over the past 11 games, Johnson is averaging 6.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 0.8 steals and 0.8 assists per game in 22.5 minutes.

Over the team's first 22 games, Johnson played a total of just 54 minutes and compiled stats of nine points, 10 rebounds, two steals and two assists.

“I think he was trying to pick up on everything that we were doing and adjust to this level of basketball," said guard Jacob Iati.

An injury to all-rookie selection Peter Hooley, allowed Johnson to step into the starting lineup. When Hooley returned, the duo has been used effectively by Coach Brown.

“Having him and Pete Hooley on the wing is an awesome advantage for us," said Iati.

Johnson's athleticism couldn't be questioned, but he was trying to get familiar with this level of basketball.

“At the beginning of the year, it was a big transition from junior college to Division I," he said. "The coaches told me that and at first, I didn’t understand. But now I understand and I’m just happy I can have an impact on the team.”

Johnson just kept working and it all culminated in the big victory over Stony Brook, where he had nine points and four rebounds, in the 61-59 victory, which resulted in the crowd storming the SEFCU Arena court.

“It was the funniest game I’ve ever played in," he said.

Now, the Great Danes are just one win from the NCAA tournament and Johnson is hoping he can do whatever it takes to help his team win the America East title.

"We want to win this game bad," he said. "It's not going to be easy. We know it's going to be a tough game, but we're prepared."

University at Albany senior Ebone Henry talks about the upcoming women's America East championship game, which pits the Great Danes against Hartford.

UAlbany hosts the game at SEFCU Arena, on Saturday, at 7 p.m.

The University at Albany is headed to the America East championship game, following a thrilling 61-59 victory over top-seeded Stony Brook.

Below, Mike Black's scored the game-winning basket with 2.4 seconds to play and then the crowd storms the court at SEFCU Arena.  



Here, Black talks about the victory.

ALBANY - The University at Albany started slowly in the first half, but finished the first 20 minutes well.

The Great Danes lead 28-22, and are just 20 minutes from a spot in the championship game.

UAlbany was led by Jacob Iati, who has seven points, while Mike Black added six.

Jameel Warney leads all scorers with eight points for Stony Brook. The half is the second lowest scoring output for the Seawolves, behind scoring 21 in first half against Manhattan, on Jan. 1. Stony Brook shot just 27 percent (8-29) from the floor.

The University at Albany advanced back to the America East championship game on Sunday afternoon, with a 71-57 win over New Hampshire.

Below senior Lindsey Lowrie talks about the win and the championship game, which will be against Hartford, next Saturday.



Senior Julie Forster talks about the victory.

ALBANY - The University at Albany women's basketball team is headed back to the America East championship game.

The Great Danes won their 18th straight game and 28th consecutive matchup against league foes, besting New Hampshire 71-57, at SEFCU Arena.

UAlbany will host Hartford next Saturday, March 16, at 7 p.m.

Lindsey Lowrie scored a game-high 18 points, while Ebone Henry chipped in 13, but made just one field goal.

The Wildcats were led by Kaylee Kilpatrick, who scored a team-high 17 points.

ALBANY - The University at Albany women's team didn't play like the top seed in the first half, but they have the lead nonetheless.

Julie Forster scored seven and the Great Danes finished the half on a 12-2 run, to go to the break with a 32-26 lead.

Cari Reed helped keep New Hampshire in it, scoring 12 points, while Kaylee Kilpatrick added eight off the bench.

The winner will meet Hartford, next Saturday at 7 p.m.

Below, Maine's Justin Edwards misses two shots in the final minutes, as UAlbany clings to a 50-49 lead.



UAlbany sophomore Sam Rowley talks about the victory which sends the Great Danes to the semifinals, where they will meet Stony Brook, at 7 p.m., on Sunday.

ALBANY - Somehow the University at Albany pulled out a victory on Saturday evening.

The Great Danes trailed for the first 37 minutes, but Sam Rowley scored his team's final eight points to lead them to a 50-49 victory over Maine.

UAlbany now faces Stony Brook in the America East semifinals, on Sunday, at 7 p.m.

ALBANY - In a bit of a shocker, Maine played a very good first half on UAlbany's home floor.

The Black Bears got 10 points from Justin Edwards and lead 33-24 at intermission.

The Great Danes got seven points from Jacob Iati.

The America East Conference announced on Monday evening that the Maine women's team will not participate in the 2013 America East tournament, this weekend at SEFCU Arena, in Albany.

The decision comes in the wake of the Feb. 26 bus accident, in which the Black Bears were traveling to Boston University, when the bus went off of Interstate 95, near Georgetown, Mass. Coach Richard Barron and Athletic Director Steve Abbott spoke with the student-athletes before notifying the league of its decision.

"It has been a difficult time for these student-athletes following the accident," says Robert Dana, Maine's vice president for student affairs and dean of students. "Our focus has been and continues to be the health and well-being of these players in their athletic and academic lives"

Maine's absence means that the University at Albany will advance right into Sunday's semifinals.

"I feel for them," said UAlbany coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson, who was an assistant at Maine from 1992-94. "That's something tough to go through."

The Great Danes will play Sunday, March 10, at 1 p.m., against the winner of the Stony Brook/New Hampshire game.

"I feel really bad for them," said UAlbany senior Ebone Henry. "I wouldn't want that to happen to any team."

Fans who have already purchased single-session or all-session passes will receive refunds and can also receive a $10 discount to a future America East championship event. The Stony Brook/New Hampshire quarterfinal will be moved up to 6 p.m., the original time of the UAlbany/Maine game. 

“We are very sympathetic to the traumatic event Maine women’s basketball has experienced,” said America East Commissioner Amy Huchthausen. “We entrust this decision to the experts and professionals on Maine’s campus to do what is best for the student-athletes, coaches and staff. The America East still looks forward to a great tournament in Albany this weekend.”