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.

ALBANY - The University of Hartford had little trouble dispatching of Vermont in the first women's semifinal at the America East tournament on Saturday.

Ruthanne Doherty led the way with 13 points for the Hawks, which will meet either UAlbany or New Hampshire in next Saturday's title game.

Redshirt freshman Katie Roth, a Maple Hill grad, scored seven points, grabbed six rebounds, had a steal and an assist for Hartford.

"It's pretty great to come back to my hometown and play in front of people I played with in high school and coaches," she said.

Here is a video from the postgame press conference, after UAlbany's 75-49 victory over Hartford, thanks to colleague Laura Amato.

University at Albany senior guard Mike Black talks about the team leading up to Saturday night's game against Hartford.

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.”

The last two nights went how UAlbany had hoped, as first Hartford lost to Stony Brook, and then last night, New Hampshire lost to Maine.

Those two results mean that before the Great Danes even take the floor this evening, against Binghamton, they are locked in as the No. 4 seed for the upcoming America East tournament.

UAlbany will play either Hartford or New Hampshire in the quarterfinals, at the University of Hartford's Chase Arena, on Saturday, March 3, at a time to be announced.

UAlbany will play Hartford, if the Hawks win their final game, at Boston University on Saturday OR if New Hampshire loses its final game, against Binghamton, on Sunday. UAlbany swept the season series with Hartford, winning earlier this season at Chase Arena, 72-60.

The Great Danes will play New Hampshire, with whom they split the season series, if the Wildcats win their final game AND Hartford loses its final contest. The two teams would finish 7-9 and New Hampshire would win the tie-breaker, due to its victory over Vermont, earlier this season.

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. — The University at Albany men’s basketball team was down, but not out.

Late in the second half, the Great Danes trailed by four, but they went a terrific run to close out the game and take home a road victory.

UAlbany finished the game on a 16-0 run, to emerge with a 72-60 victory over Hartford, on Saturday afternoon, at Chase Family Arena.

“This was a huge win for us,” said UAlbany coach Will Brown. 

The Great Danes (6-3, 14-9) trailed 60-56, with five minutes to play, but that’s when the offense went into high gear, leaving the Hawks (4-5, 4-17) in the dust.  

Jayson Guerrier hit a 3-pointer to pull UAlbany within one and then Logan Aronhalt scored five straight points, to put the Danes up to stay.

“We haven’t won here in a couple years,” Brown said. “It’s a good win for us. Every contributed.”

Chase Arena is the site of this year’s America East Conference postseason tournament and the site where UAlbany lost to Stony Brook in last year’s quarterfinals.

Gerardo Suero didn’t start the game for the Great Danes, due to a thigh bruise, but the nation’s fourth leading scorer still finished with 14 points. 

Aronhalt finished with nine of the Danes’ final 13 points, finishing with a team-high 17 points for the game.

“This was a good win because Logan’s really hurting and Suero was banged up,” Brown said.

Jacob Iati hit back-to-back treys midway through the second half to give UAlbany a 51-44 lead.

“I’m happy for Jacob because nobody works harder,” Brown said.

Iati finished with eight points on 2-for-4 shooting from the field and played some big minutes, with point guard Mike Black in foul trouble. 

“I’m glad he was able to really contribute tonight,” Brown said of Iati. “He did a tremendous job.”

The victory was just the second conference road win of the season for UAlbany.

“It’s hard to win on the road in this league,” said Brown, whose team is 8-0 at home this year.

The Great Danes are now alone in fourth place, just two games out of first, with seven games remaining.

“We just have to be solid and if we’re solid we’ll be able to win games,” Brown said.

J.S. Carras/The Record

UAlbany hits the road on Saturday, when they take on the University of Hartford.

The Great Danes will be looking to earn their second conference road victory of the season.

UAlbany hasn't seen the results they've wanted on the road in America East play, but they're going to need to pile up so road victories if they want to stay with the top of the pack in the league.

Logan Aronhalt and Will Brown both said it was important to play well at Hartford. That's where the postseason tournament will be held and so UAlbany would like to have a good performance on that floor.

UALBANY AT HARTFORD

When: Today, 4 p.m.
Where: Chase Arena, West Hartford, CT.
Radio: WOFX 980-AM (Rodger Wyland, Zach Bye)
2011-12 Records: UAlbany (5-3, 13-9) Hartford (4-4, 4-16)
Last Meeting: UAlbany 88, Hartford 63 at SEFCU Arena, Albany on Jan. 2, 2012 — UAlbany leads the all-time series 16-10

PROBABLE STARTING LINEUPS
UALBANY

No./Name, Pos., Yr., Ht., Avg.
10, Mike Black, G, Jr., 6-0, 13.5
2, Logan Aronhalt, G, Jr., 6-3, 15.6
20, Gerardo Suero, G, Jr., 6-4, 21.5
11, Luke Devlin, F, So., 6-8, 6.6
21, Blake Metcalf, C, Jr., 6-9, 4.2

HARTFORD

No./Name, Pos., Yr., Ht., Avg.   
11, Andres Torres, G, Sr., 5-10, 11.8 
32, Clayton Brothers, G, Sr., 6-1, 3.6
15, Yolonzo Moore II, G, Fr., 6-2, 5.7 
1, Mark Nwakamma, F, Fr., 6-6, 7.5
43, Nate Sikma, F, Fr., 6-6, 8.4

AMERICA EAST STANDINGS

School, Conference, Overall
Stony Brook, 8-1, 13-7
Boston U., 7-2, 11-12
Vermont, 6-2, 12-10
UAlbany, 5-3, 13-9
Hartford, 4-4, 4-16
Maine, 3-5, 9-10
New Hampshire, 2-6, 7-12
UMBC, 2-6, 3-17
Binghamton, 0-8, 0-20

Friday’s Scores

Stony Brook 66, Boston U. 57

Today’s Games

Binghamton at Maine, 2 p.m.
UAlbany at Hartford, 4 p.m.

Sunday’s Games

New Hampshire at Vermont, 12 p.m.

UAlbany junior Logan Aronhalt talks about the upcoming game against Hartford

ALBANY - John Gallagher has a very difficult job ahead of him.

The Hartford head coach is playing seven freshmen on a team that's 0-13, but he doesn't lack charisma and energy.

The Hawks coach made the analogy that his team is still fixing the plumbing, i.e. laying the groundwork, to be successful, while UAlbany is shopping for luxury items.

“The water's not running in our house yet," Gallagher said. "They've got the bath towels, the nice pictures and the interior designer over.”

The Great Danes played a solid game on Monday evening, in the 88-63 victory. They posted a season-high in points scored and had four players in double figures. 

“We defended our home court and you have to do that,” said UAlbany coach Will Brown. 

But what if the Great Danes didn't play their best on this night.

Luke Devlin was solid and John Puk (career-high 11 rebounds) played his best game of the year, but can UAlbany still get better?

Sure.

And that might be scary for America East Conference opponents.

Brown was quick to point out that his team shot 5-for-21 from beyond the arc and committed 17 turnovers, two stats not usually indicative of a team that won.

With talented offensive players and a player like Gerardo Suero, who seemingly scores 20 points every game, UAlbany has the ingredients to outscore its opponent on a nightly basis.

“They have weapons that score the basketball,” Gallagher said.

If the Great Danes can get everything going, they really will be a difficult team to handle for any of the other eight America East teams.

ALBANY - If this was a preview of things to come, then the University at Albany basketball team could be in for a good conference season.

The Great Danes scored a season-high 88 points in taking down Hartford, 88-63, in the America East Conference opener for both schools.

Gerardo Suero led the way with a game-high 24 points, while Logan Aronhalt added 17 points for UAlbany (1-0, 9-6).

The Great Danes led by double digits for the entire second half, with their biggest lead coming in the late stages of 26 points. 

Mike Black (15) and Luke Devlin (10) were also in double figures for UAlbany, while John Puk finished with seven points and 11 rebounds.

Andres Torres scored a team-high 13 points for Hartford (0-1, 0-13), which remains one of six winless teams in the country. 

The Great Danes are back in action on Thursday, when they travel to face the University of Maryland-Baltimore County.

ALBANY - The University at Albany men 's basketball team has made a habit of outscoring its opponents this season.

That's just what they did in the first half of their first America East Conference game.

The Great Danes put up 40 points, getting 11 apiece from Gerardo Suero and Mike Black.

UAlbany built its lead as big as 17, going up 31-14 when Luke Devlin made a steal and raced the entire floor for a one-handed slam dunk.

Hartford was led in the first half by Wes Cole, who scored nine points.

If the Great Danes keep it up in the second half, they will move to 1-0 in the conference.

Jeff Couch/The Record

UAlbany kicks off 2012 and the America East Conference season on Monday, when they host Hartford at SEFCU Arena.

I know the Great Danes are anxious to get league play underway and it will certainly start to shed some light on how UAlbany will stack up.

Here are the four matchups for the opening day of conference play.

Hartford (0-12) at UAlbany (8-6)
Vermont (6-8) at Stony Brook (5-6)
UMBC (1-11) at New Hampshire (5-6)
Maine (6-5) at Binghamton (0-12)

UAlbany was picked fourth in the preseason poll and from what I've seen so far, the Great Danes should certainly figure into the top few spots of the league.

University at Albany men's basketball coach Will Brown talks about his team's 62-59 victory over Hartford in the 14th annual Big Purple Growl.

ALBANY - As Hartford coach John Gallagher prepared to leave the team hotel on Saturday afternoon, he was watching a friend coach his team, on television.

Iowa coach Fran McCaffery grew up in the same neighborhood in Philadelphia as Gallagher and the first-year Hawks head coach watched McCaffery's team battle against Indiana.

"They fought Indiana like it was a fist fight," Gallagher said.

Iowa ended up beating Indiana, 64-63, for the Hawkeyes third Big Ten victory of the season.

Putting up a fight is what Gallagher said he wants his team to do, especially without leading scorer and rebounder Morgan Sabia, who is out with a knee injury.

Gallagher's wife, Geneva went to Notre Dame with Margaret McCaffery, Fran's wife.

"I know Fran," Gallagher said. "I know Margaret. I know the whole family. I'm recruiting the boys right now."

ALBANY - The University at Albany men's basketball team did just enough.

Milton Burton and Joe Zeglinski almost carried the Hawks back into the game, with their 3-point shooting.

Burton had a good look at a tying trey with the clock running down and it bounced off the rim.

The Hawks shot 13-for-32 from downtown, making 10 in the second half.

The Great Danes got 20 points from Tim Ambrose and 11 each from Luke Devlin, Logan Aronhalt and Mike Black.

UAlbany is now in fourth place and they take on Boston University at Madison Square Garden on Thursday.

ALBANY - This game started off slowly offensive for both teams.

The two teams started a combined 5-for-23 (21.7%) from the field.

The Great Danes snapped out of the funk and went on a 10-0 run to take a 25-14 lead.

Tim Ambrose leads the way for UAlbany with 13 points, while Logan Aronhalt added eight.

The Hawks got eight points off the bench from Ross Erickson.

Hartford's leading scorer and rebounder, senior Morgan Sabia, isn't playing because of a knee injury.

UAlbany knew that Hartford would spread them out and shoot a lot of 3-pointers.

That's what the Hawks did - and they shot 12-for-36 from long distance to dial up an America East victory.

Milton Burton hit five 3-pointers and finished with 17 points.

Logan Aronhalt scored 17 points, while Mike Black added 10 for the Great Danes. Tim Ambrose scored a season-low four points.

UAlbany (1-2, 8-10) looks to snap a two-game losing streak at home against Maine on Wednesday.

ALBANY - As the University at Albany looked to mount a comeback on Wednesday against Hartford, their lineup looked a little different.

Jake Lindfors, Scotty McRae, Mike Black, Logan Aronhalt and Billy Allen.

No Will Harris, who was out for a third straight game with a leg injury and no Tim Ambrose, who sat on the bench for the final 3:37 of the game because of his recent late-game decision-making.

"We need Tim to make better decisions because I want him on the floor down the stretch," said UAlbany coach Will Brown. "Tonight, he didn’t deserve to be on the floor down the stretch."

Ambrose had six turnovers in the game and had a costly turnover late in the team's last game at Stony Brook.

"He's been on the floor in crunch time and hasn't answered the bell," Brown said. "Until he makes better decision down the stretch, we'll go with the young guys."

The Great Danes are now halfway through their conference schedule and have just one win, over a UMBC team that is 1-20.

It's clear that the veterans need to step up or this season will not get any brighter.

"We have to play better," McRae said. "We have to help lead them and help teach them how to make good decisions, while we make good decisions. We have to lead by example more so than verbally and I feel that will help us get some more wins."

ALBANY - UAlbany didn't start the game out too good, either offensively or defensively.

The Great Danes shot just 1-for-9 and had six turnovers in the first 10 minutes.

Hartford wasn't that much better, but they did jump to a 19-7 lead with Joe Zeglinski's 3-pointer, before UAlbany rattled off 7-0 run to get back into it.

Zeglinski finished the half with 12 points, including two 3-pointers, to lead the Hawks.

Redshirt freshman Jake Lindfors led the Great Danes with eight points, including two treys and both Billy Allen and Tim Ambrose each scored six.

UAlbany really got back into the game, thanks to the 3-pointer, which accounted for four of their last five baskets of the half (two each from Allen and Lindfors).

*****

Another tough loss for the Great Danes to swallow.

UAlbany was down two with 30 seconds to go and failed to get a great look.

Lindfors' runner rimmed out and then Mike Black's desperation 3-pointer was well short.

Zeglinski finished with a game-high 21 points, while Morgan Sabia added 12 for Hartford.

The Great Danes got 14 from Logan Aronhalt and 10 from Ambrose, who wasn't on the floor in the game's final minutes.