ALBANY - The University at Albany didn't play its best on Wednesday evening, but they don't ask how, they ask if.

The Great Danes were able to claw and scrape their way to a 73-72 double overtime victory over UMBC, in front of 2,145 fans at SEFCU Arena.

UAlbany (2-0, 8-7) got a career-high 27 points from Peter Hooley and 20 points and 12 rebounds from Sam Rowley, but it was John Puk's single free throw with 0.4 seconds remaining that sealed the victory.

The Retrievers were poised to pull the upset, as freshman Rodney Elliott scored 22 and Devarick Houston added 19. UMBC (0-2, 4-11) is now 0-10 on the road this season, including 0-2 in America East play. 

ALBANY - The University at Albany didn't play its best first half of the seasons.

The Great Danes bounced back from an early deficit and lead UMBC by one, 27-26, at halftime.

Sam Rowley led the way with 12 points for UAlbany.

The Retreievers got eight points from Bryan Harris, off the bench.

Coming off a night where they made a Division I program record 16 3-pointers, UAlbany shot just 1-for-6 from beyond the arc in the first 20 minutes.

ALBANY - The University at Albany used its most balanced effort on Friday evening, to take down Yale, 70-62, at SEFCU Arena.

The Great Danes had three guys in double figures, led by DJ Evans, who scored 14. Nine different players scored for UAlbany, including Dallas Ennema, who scored his first points in his first career game action.

What it means: UAlbany is now 2-2 at home and 5-0 this season, when scoring 70 or more points in a game. It also means the Great Danes won't suffer any sort extended losing streak, heading into conference play, with just non-league games left.

Yale is another good team and UAlbany didn't play its best and still led by 10, with as little at 2:17 to play.

This was a good, solid victory.

Player of the game: Luke Devlin has dealt with more injuries that I even remember and yet the senior played his best game of the season. Constantly moving, even when he was out of the game, Devlin scored nine points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out four assists.

An all-rookie guy as a freshman, Devlin has been plagued by injuries and it was nice to see him put out a nice performance.

Play of the game: The Great Danes made their free throws down the stretch. In fact, UAlbany's last 10 points came from the free throw line, as they hung on, despite a ferocious press from Yale in the late stages. John Puk also did a great job receiving the inbounds and then making some foul shots, finishing with 13 points, one shy of his career-high.

Injury Update:  Levan Shengelia gutted it out for two minutes, scoring two points and grabbing a rebound. On the rebound though, he reinjured his right shoulder. Coach Will Brown said Shengelia felt a sharp pain and that's what Brown elected not to put him back in the game. That shoulder will have to have surgery, it's just a matter of when.

Up next: The Great Danes head out of town tomorrow and take on Drake on Monday evening. The game is a homecoming of sorts for Ennema and Puk, who are both from Iowa. 

ALBANY - The University at Albany got a lot of different contributions on Friday evening and it led to a nice home victory.

The Great Danes are now 5-0 when scoring 70 or more points this season and are 2-2 at home.

Luke Devlin played tremendously, scoring nine points, grabbing six rebounds and dishing out four assists. John Puk (13 points) and Dallas Ennema (8 points).

The Bulldogs were led by Javier Duren, who scored a game-high 26 points.

UAlbany heads out of town tomorrow and faces Drake on Monday.

ALBANY - There wasn't much offense in the final home game for the University at Albany in 2013.

The Great Danes led by as many as nine points, but lead by just three, 25-22, at halftime against Yale.

UAlbany couldn't get to the free throw line, even though they tried, as Yale was called for just three fouls in the first half.

Coach Will Brown used his bench more than he has recently, playing Levan Shengelia, Luke Devlin and Dallas Ennema, who saw the first playing time of his career.

John Puk led the way with six points for the Great Danes.

The Bulldogs had shooting concerns of their own, as the were just 7-for-31 (22.6%) from the field. Javier Duren has 10 points to lead Yale at the break.

The University at Albany women's basketball team held its own in the first half of Thursday's game at No. 2 Duke.

In face, sophomore Shereesha Richards proved she could play right with the Blue Devils, posting 20 points and seven rebounds in the first half.

In the second half, Duke proved why they are the No. 2 ranked team, coasting away to an 80-51 victory.  

 

AP

The UAlbany men's team takes on Yale on Friday evening, at SEFCU Arena.

ALBANY - The UAlbany players and coaches knew what Colgate was going to do on Saturday evening. They just couldn't stop them.

The Raiders knocked down 13 3-pointers, leaving the Capital District with a 69-60 victory. Colgate shot 13-for-28 (46.4%) from beyond the arc and got treys from six different players.

What it means: UAlbany better not run into too many more good shooting teams. In their last two home games, they've allowed 27 3-pointers -- way to many.

It also means that this team hasn't quite figured everything out. They didn't score a lot and they didn't get to the free throw line nearly as much as they did against Brown, just four days ago. 

Player of the game: Murphy Burnatowski knows UAlbany from his Maine days and he made the Great Danes pay. While Austin Tillotson was the team's leading scorer, it was Burnatowski who hit five 3-pointers and led the way with 19 points.

UAlbany player of the game: Sam Rowley incredibly airballed a free throw, something coach Will Brown said he had never see the junior do, even in practice. But still Rowley put up good numbers, scoring a game-high 21 points and grabbing 11 rebounds for his second double-double of the season. He wasn't his best, but he was still the reason the Great Danes had a chance at the end.

Play of the game: More than one play. Colgate hit four consecutive three's late in the game, to turn a 54-52 lead into a 66-56 advantage. Triples from Tillotson, Burnatowski, Damon Sherman-Newsome and Tillotson again put the game out of reach.

Injury update: UAlbany lost more than a game on Saturday evening. Coach Brown said that Levan Shengelia had dislocated his shoulder on Thursday, resulting in a torn labrum. He may be able to play through the pain, but also may end up being shut down. Also, Luke Devlin's back is so bad that he basically can only play one shift in the first half and that's it. Finally, Anthony Odunsi still has yet to be cleared to play, after suffering a concussion in practice. He may also be shut down for the year, if he can't get cleared to play relatively soon. 

Up next: The Great Danes are off until next Friday, when they host Yale at SEFCU Arena. The team is 1-2 this season at home and will have to start some steam, as conference play grows near.

ALBANY - For the second straight home game, the University at Albany allowed a team to make 3-pointers at will.

Colgate knocked down 13 3-pointers on the way to a 69-60 victory at SEFCU Arena on Saturday evening.

The Raiders shot 13-28 (46.4%) from beyond the arc and were led by Murphy Burnatowski, who hit five 3-pointers and finished with 19 points.

Sam Rowley scored a game-high 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for the Great Danes, while Gary Johnson added 14 points, five rebounds and four assists.

ALBANY - Things didn't start great for UAlbany on Saturday evening. 

Colgate went up 10-0, and in the process Sam Rowley turned the ball over, after a timeout, by running the baseline, when he wasn't allowed to.

The Great Danes didn't look ready to play, but they emerged from the first 20 minutes with a 36-34 lead, in their first home games in three weeks.

The Raiders hit six 3-pointers, which is about the average for the team that makes the most three's in the country per game, They shot 6-for-14 (42.9%) from beyond the arc. 

Sam Rowley led the way for UAlbany, with 12 points, while DJ Evans added nine and Gary Johnson chipped in eight, including a big dunk, following a turnover.

Colgate was led by Maine transfer Murphy Burnatowski, who has 10 points in the first half. 

ALBANY - Will Brown was exhausted following Tuesday's game against Brown.

He's usually a little tired following a game, but this game went nearly 2 and 1/2 hours.

"I felt like I coached a doubleheader," said Brown, following the 74-68 victory.

Mike McMahon/The Record

With good reason. His UAlbany team shot a whopping 46 free throws, making 35 (76%), while Brown shot 33 free throws, making 17 (51%).

There was a lot made in the preseason about the referees calling the game tighter, in order to allow for more offensive flow and more scoring, to make for a better game.

“I don’t think anything was wrong with the game, going into it," said Brown, candidly, following Friday's practice.

The NCAA was hoping the new rules would give an advantage to the offense, but it seems to have just slowed everything down, turning some games into a whistle-fest.

“From a fans perspective, they don’t want to see free throws," Brown said. "They want to see teams play. They want teams to see free flow.” 

The referees are also being graded on if they call games by the "new" rules, which is leading to some games having more fouls.

“Some of these calls, they make you scratch you head," Brown said. "It all comes down to, you better move your feet."

In the game against Brown, there were a couple charge calls that Coach Brown thought should go the other way.

“That was like last year’s rules, but everything else was this year’s new rules," he said. "It’s a guessing game, It really is. You just don’t know what’s going to happen from night to night.”

That Brown game was the first this season, for UAlbany, in which the game was really slowed to a standstill by fouls. If games continue to be like that, they might not be much fun for fans.

“If every game is like the other night, it might not be fun to watch," said Brown.

One positive was the play off the bench from Levan Shengelia and Michael Rowley, who got into the game, primarily because of all the foul trouble.

“You have to make sure you have bench guys who are ready to play and you better be ready to make your free throws," said Brown.

However, having games were starters are routinely in foul trouble means fans will be seeing more and more bench players.

“In my opinion, coaching through that Brown game, what it does now is how good are your seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth men," Brown said. "At our level, it’s hard enough to get a good starting five.”

The problem may even get worse, as conference play arrives and teams know each other better, usually leading to more physical, grind-it-out games.

“I think it’s going to get worse when you get into conference play because teams know each other even more," Brown said. "So in my opinion, it’s going to become more physical."

The rules aren't changing any time soon, but Brown suggested if the shot clock was lowered or the lane was widened, that would create more possessions and in turn, more offense.

The NCAA released a report on Thursday, stating that scoring was up and turnovers were down, meaning the game was better. 

Brown grew up watching the "Bad Boys" in Detroit, the physical Boston Celtics teams and Karl Malone, who would play physical. He likes that style of game, but knows his teams must adjust.

“We have to adjust because if we don’t adjust, we’re going to lose games because of it," he said. 

University at Albany sophomore guard Peter Hooley talks in advance of the game against Colgate.

ALBANY - Before Greg Gattuso even took the head coaching job at the University at Albany, he had ties to the Capital District.

Gattuso coached Rexford native Joe Vellano, currently a member of the New England Patriots, at the University of Maryland.

“We talk pretty regularly," said Gattuso, who introduced as the successor to Bob Ford, on Wednesday.

Vellano even called his former defensive line coach recently to talk about schemes that the Patriots are using and how he could be more effective in them. 

“What a great kid," Gattuso said of Vellano, who was The Record's 2006 Defensive Player of the Year, when he helped lead Christian Brothers Academy to the Section II Class AA Super Bowl.

Vellano has always been trying to get the advantage and outwork the opponents. On Maryland's tip sheet, Gattuso even wrote in big red letters, "Do not bother Coach Stewart during the game." They called it the Vellano Rule.

Coach Stewart was Defensive Coordinator Brian Stewart and Vellano would try to get his ear about different ways to attack the offense.

Joe Vellano's name is on the facing below Byrd Stadium's upper deck at Maryland, a place where all of the All-Americans are recognized. So is his father, Paul Vellano Sr. According to Maryland, they are the first father-son All-America combo at the same school in ACC history and one of just four known in FBS history (Florida - Lee and Travis McGriff, Georgia - Kevin and Drew Butler, Old Miss - Archie and Eli Manning).

“What a joy," Gattuso said about the entire family.  

Drew Smith, who played at UAlbany and was on the search committee contacted both Vellano and Albany's Dion Lewis, who played for Gattuso at Pitt, as he became one of the five finalists to next lead the Great Danes.

“Vellano couldn’t stop talking about him," said Smith.

Vellano has 47 tackles and one sack for the Patriots this season. When his playing days are over, whenever that may be, he could have a job waiting for him -- maybe even at UAlbany. 

“Joe sees everything," Gattuso said. "Some day when he wants to get into coaching, I’ll be the first one in line."

AP

ALBANY >> The University at Albany has apparently found the successor to legendary coach Bob Ford.

The University will announce on Monday that Maryland assistant head coach Greg Gattuso will be named the next head coach of the Great Danes.

Gattuso, who spent the past three seasons on Randy Edsall’s staff with the Terrapins, will be formally introduced as UAlbany’s coach on Tuesday.

Reports of Gattuso’s hiring were made early on Saturday and it was confirmed by multiple sources to The Record, later in the afternoon.

Gattuso was promoted to assistant head coach at Maryland in February 2012, having first worked exclusively as the defensive line coach. A member of the 1982 national championship Penn State squad, Gattuso also worked as an assistant coach at Pittsburgh (2005-10) and the head coach at Duquesne (1993-2004). 

Gattuso emerged from a group of five that included former UAlbany assistant Pete Rossomando, former Delaware coach K.C. Keeler, Holy Cross assistant Antoine Smith and current UAlbany associate head coach Ryan McCarthy.

Ford announced in August that this would be his 44th and final year as coach of the Great Danes. UAlbany finished 1-11 in 2013, in their first season in the Colonial Athletic Association. Ford retired as the winningest active coach in Division I college football, with a final record of 265-190-1.

The Washington Post is reporting that Maryland assistant head coach Greg Gattuso has taken the UAlbany football job.

Gattuso has been at Maryland for three years, before that working at Pitt, and as a head coach at Duquesne for 12 years.

Of course, I'm working on getting this confirmed.

Previously, it was reported that former Delaware coach K.C. Keeler had taken the job and that ended up being a premature report.

ALBANY - Before Sunday's game against New Jersey Institute of Technology, Gary Johnson couldn't feel his foot.

The trainer had wrapped his rolled ankle so tightly that the senior couldn't feel anything.

Coach Will Brown told him that was a good thing, but Johnson who hasn't had to deal with too many injuries in his career was nervous, when he got out on the court.

After missing two games, due to an ankle sprain against Duquesne, Johnson didn't look nervous.

He scored 12 points and grabbed seven rebounds in 25 minutes off the bench, giving the Great Danes a lift.

"He was good," said Brown. 

Johnson got heavily into the mix at the end of last season and was a big reason why the team won the America East and advanced all the way to the NCAA tournament, so getting him back from injury was a big deal.

“It’s great to have him back," said sophomore Peter Hooley.

Johnson's length makes him one of the most versatile players on the team and his athleticism is near the top of the team.

“We’re a completely different team (with him)," Hooley said. "He’s our best perimeter defender and he’s a great slasher offensively."

Johnson's absence actually allowed fellow senior David Wiegmann to pick up more minutes and allowed some of the bench players to get more comfortable on the floor for UAlbany.

"I think having Gary out allowed David to get more comfortable out there," Brown said. "Now, having Gary back, I think we have some really good balance out there."

Johnson wasn't quite in terrific shape, having not had much practice time since injuring the ankle, but he still provided the team with some solid play.

"He made a bunch of plays for us, especially defensively," said Brown.

Johnson won't start on Wednesday against Holy Cross, again coming off the bench. Another injury update is that transfer Anthony Odunsi will be out for at least another week, after suffering a concussion in practice and missing the past two games.

UAlbany Athletics

One thing Brown isn't too thrilled about is rebounding. A statistic that is usually a staple of UAlbany teams since Brown has been at the helm has just been so-so this season.

The Great Danes are just plus-1.3 so far this season, something Brown would like to see improvement on.

"We have to rebound better," he said.

Even though UAlbany is over .500, the Great Danes haven't played a complete game yet this year, according to the players. The team has played 20 good minutes here and played 30 solid minutes against Rider last week. They have actually trailed, at halftime, in six of the seven games so far this season. 

“It is encouraging to know that we have these spurts where we play really good basketball, Hooley said. "And when we don’t have good spurts, we become good when we need to.”

Still, it's something Coach Brown acknowledged, earlier in the year, that will catch up with them eventually. 

Mike McMahon/The Record

University at Albany sophomore guard Peter Hooley has been on quite a scoring binge.

While his streak of 20-point games ended in Sunday's 66-55 victory over New Jersey Institute of Technology, Hooley (left) was named America East Player of the Week, on Monday.

Hooley averaged 17.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists in two Great Danes victories last week.

He scored a career-high 24 points in the victory over Rider last Tuesday and ranks fourth in the conference in scoring (16.3 ppg). 

Hooley was an all-rookie selection last year and has taken his game to the next level, in his second season.

Hooley earned player of the week, while Vermont's Kurt Steidl was named the league's rookie of the week. 

Here is UAlbany's release.

Here is the America East release.

Here are the previous winners of the America East awards. 

Player of the Week
12/1 - Peter Hooley, UAlbany
11/25 - Jameel Warney, Stony Brook
11/18 - Jordan Reed, Binghamton & Chris Pelcher, New Hampshire
11/11 - Anthony Jackson, Stony Brook

Rookie of the Week
12/1 - Kurt Steidl, Vermont
11/25 - Magnus Richards, Binghamton
11/18 - Rodney Elliott, UMBC
11/11 - Nick Madray, Binghamton

The Siena men's basketball team wrapped up an unsuccessful trip to the Old Spice Classic on
Sunday.

AP

The Saints played well in spurts and would have felt good about coming home, had they closed the door against Purdue.

Siena led by 16 points in the second half, but the Boilermakers scored the game's final nine points, to post a 68-63 victory.

Here is postgame reaction from coach Jimmy Patsos, provided by the Siena athletic department.

It was the second time in eight days that the Boilermakers and Saints had met, with Purdue winning the two contests by a combined 13 points. 

The Saints lost to Memphis, Saint Joseph's and Purdue at the Old Spice and still have never won a game at this event.

In 2008, Fran McCaffery's eventual Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference champions, lost to Oklahoma State, Tennessee and Wichita State.

This year's bunch of Saints need to regroup quickly, as they open MAAC play on Friday, traveling to the Buffalo area to take on Niagara (Friday) and Canisius (Sunday).

On the other side of town, the University at Albany is back over .500, following Sunday afternoon's 66-55 victory over New Jersey Institute of Technology.

The win is the Great Danes' second victory this season over the Highlanders.

Senior guard DJ Evans led the way with 17 points, which is good since I wrote about him for Sunday's paper. 

UAlbany travels to Holy Cross on Wednesday evening.

AP

ALBANY - Dave Wiegmann was all over the floor on Tuesday evening -- playing so well that coach Will Brown couldn't take him out of the game.

That wasn't the case last season, when Wiegmann (right, playing defense against Ohio State last year) had trouble getting out onto the court.

Continued hard work and determination have Wiegmann playing more than half the game (21.2 min/gm), on average. Currently, the 6-foot-8 forward is even in the starting lineup, as Gary Johnson deals with an ankle issue.

“He just refused to give up," said Brown, following Friday's practice.

Wiegmann is averaging 5.0 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. In the two starts, he's increased his production to 8.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per contest.

“I’m just trying to take advantage of the opportunities I’ve been given," he said. "Hopefully, I can continue to keep producing.” 

In the 70-59 victory over Rider, Wiegmann grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds, in 37 minutes of action.

“I couldn’t take him off the floor the other day," Brown said. "He got every rebound.”

Wiegmann played just 49 TOTAL minutes last year, after transferring in from Southwestern Illinois Junior College. This year, he's already played 127 minutes, in just six games.

“I still think his best basketball is ahead of him," said Brown.

Wiegmann isn't concerned about maintaining a starting role, once Johnson returns. He just wants to keep helping this team keep pile up victories.

“In the end, it’s what’s most beneficial for the team," Wiegmann said. "Whatever the coaches ask, I’ll do to the best of my ability.”

Last season, Wiegmann just wasn't strong enough to battle inside with the post players, but it wasn't for a lack of effort. He would lift in the hotel room during road trips and put in as much extra work as he could.

“He always fought, worked and competed," said Brown.

Wiegmann would come to Brown routinely last season and ask what he needed to do better or what he should work on, so that he would see more playing time. 

"The one thing that he wants to be able to say is that 'I was a good, solid player and contributed to a team at the Division I level,'" said Brown.

Wiegmann is a great student and is currently looking at what medical school, he would like to attend next year. He could have just continued to work hard in practice and finished up his studies, but he wanted to work even harder to earn minutes and contribute during games this season.

“He should be an example for all kids of all ages," said Brown.

The Colonial Athletic Association announced its award winners for the 2013 season on Tuesday.

Here is the full release, with all of the award winners.

The major awards went to Maine's Jack Cosgrove (coach of the year), Towson's Terrance West (offensive player of the year) and James Madison's Stephon Robertson (defensive player of the year).

Tre McBride, of William & Mary, was named special teams player of the year, while Towson's Darius Victor and Maine's Christophe Mulumba were the offensive and defensive rookies of the year.

The University at Albany had three players honored, most notably junior running back Omar Osbourne, who was named to the first team, at the running back position. Osbourne finished third in the league, with 1,206 rushing yards (100.5 per game) and 12 rushing touchdowns.

Osbourne was one of just four CAA running backs to rush for more than 1,000 yards this season.

Two defensive players were named to the third team, in senior defensive lineman Andrew Smith and junior linebacker Christian Dorsey. 

The Great Danes struggled to a 1-11 finish this year, going 0-8 in CAA play, in the final season for legendary coach Bob Ford.

UAlbany Athletics

University at Albany forward Shereesha Richards is making the America East Player of the Week award her own.

The sophomore is averaging 23.2 points and 9.6 rebounds per game for the Great Danes, who are undefeated, at 5-0. UAlbany has also won 22 straight regular season games, dating back to a loss to Sam Houston State last year.

On Monday, Richards was named America East Player of the Week for the third consecutive time to start the year.

Last year's rookie of the year in the league seems to be headed for another, even more prestigious award this season, although it's still very early.

Here is the America East release.

Here is the UAlbany release.