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UALBANY MEN’S BASKETBALL Forward Justin Neely to sit out season after knee injury By Pete Dougherty Stephen Weaver/Times Union archive Justin Neely of UAlbany passes the ball against Sacred Heart earlier this season. He tried to come back this season, but will now be redshirted to give his surgically repaired left knee more time to recover. He had played in six games this season. ALBANY — The comeback of University at Albany basketball player Justin Neely has been put on hold until next season. UAlbany coach Dwayne Killings announced Thursday that Neely, a 6-foot-6 forward who was 2021-22 America East Rookie of the Year, will be redshirted for the remainder of this season. Neely, who tore the ACL in his left knee early last season, returned Dec. 6 — after nearly 13 months — and played in six games, averaging 6.5 minutes, 1.8 points and 1.3 rebounds. “We were trying to get him back, and I don’t think he feels comfortable,” Killings said. “He needs some more time to recover, so he won’t play this season.” Neely, a Miami native who did not play Saturday in the Great Danes’ America East opener at New Jersey Institute of Technology, was at practice Thursday but remained on the sidelines. “You just watch him practice,” Killings said, “the productivity, the movement, he just wasn’t ready to go out there and impact a college basketball game. That’s why his opportunity was so short. You can be as optimistic as you want, but if the body’s not ready for the wear and tear of college basketball, it’s just hard to put him out there.” In other roster news, former Albany Academy star Marcus Filien, a graduate transfer from Cornell, has been awarded a scholarship. Filien, who started the first five games this season but has not played since Dec. 22 at South Florida, is averaging 5.0 minutes, 0.2 points and 1.3 rebounds. “He earned the scholarship because of who is he,” Killings said. “Marcus Fi-lien goes to class, never a problem, comes in and works, battles with Jonathan (Beagle) in the post in practice, doesn’t always get rewarded from it. … He’s going to play meaningful minutes for us. It means too much to play for the program, and he’s going to be rewarded for it.” UAlbany gained a scholarship when 7-foot freshman Bautista Giralt, who has not played because of a heart abnormality discovered in preseason, returned to his native Argentina. “He’ll do some things to focus on his health and his heart in February,” Killings said. “He’s got to get through that and re-evaluate where basketball fits into everything.”

UALBANY WOMEN’S BASKETBALL Karpell adds more than just statistics for Danes Point guard a boost to team’s offensive output, coach says By Pete Dougherty UALBANY AT BINGHAMTON When: 2 p.m. Saturday Where: Events Center, Vestal TV: ESPN+ (streaming) ALBANY — Her statistics may not overwhelm anyone, but Sarah Karpell, point guard for the University at Albany women’s basketball team, isn’t about compiling numbers. It may sound cliché, but the only number Karpell, a graduate transfer from Fordham, seems to care about these days is 13 — the number of victories that the Great Danes have accumulated this season, including a current nine-game winning streak. “I’m having a lot of fun,” Karpell said Thursday as UAlbany prepared for Saturday’s road game against Binghamton. “When I decided to take my fifth year, I just wanted to have an enjoyable experience and hopefully win a championship. It seems like we’re on track to hopefully do that.” Karpell, 5-foot-7 from Holmdel, N.J., started 67 of her 109 games at Fordham, averaging 2.5 points and 2.1 assists. She has started all 15 UAlbany games, averaging 7.5 points a game — seventh on the team — and 3.3 assists, but most significantly is playing a team-high 30.8 minutes per game. “Sarah has allowed us to score 10 to 15 more points a game,” Danes coach Colleen Mullen said, “based on how she goes by her player, gets into the paint and then makes the right decision, whether that’s shoot a layup or make a draw pass or a kick-out for a shot. “Kayla (Cooper, 15.2 ppg), Helene (Haegerstrand, 10.1) and Deja (Evans, 9.0) have gotten more easy baskets or easy shots around the basket because Sarah’s facilitated those shots. When you’re getting 5-10 points on just drop-pass layups or kick-out shots, that’s the difference of, you know, averaging 58 points a game, or averaging 65 points a game. She’s that difference-maker.” UAlbany (13-2 overall, 2-0 America East) is averaging 68.7 points and allowing 50.1, a scoring margin (18.6) that ranks 30th nationally among 348 Division I schools. All of the victories in its current winning streak have been by 10 or more points. Surrounded by several capable scorers, Karpell has a lot of options when running the offense. “It just depends on one game to another,” she said. “How is the other team playing us? We’ve played so many games where one team is focused on doubling us in the post, and we hit a bunch of threes. Or we play another game where they’re basically face-guarding our 3-point shooters, and we go into the post. Reading what the other team is giving us is what’s important and something that we’ve been doing a great job of so far.” “I knew she had the (basketball) IQ, I knew she had the athleticism,” Mullen said, “but coming here, it’s the piece on both ends of the floor that we’ve been missing. She’s my type of a point guard, she’s pass-first, she creates, she’s opportunistic, but she makes great decisions. She’s a defensive stopper, she’s a floor leader. She’s really exceeded my expectations.” Binghamton (5-10, 0-2) is coming off a 62-51 home loss Thursday against Bryant, which lost to UAlbany 69-50 a week earlier. Among common opponents, the Bearcats have lost to Siena, Navy and Cornell, and beaten St. Bonaventure. The Danes are 4-0 against those teams. Notes: Evans, a freshman forward who has started every game and leads the Great Danes in rebounding, suffered a concussion late in last Saturday’s victory over NJIT and will not be available against Binghamton. Mullen said she hopes to have Evans back in time for next Thursday’s game against UMass Lowell. … Sophomore guard Marie Sepp, who hasn’t played since Dec. 30 because of an ankle injury, is expected to return Saturday. Otherwise, UAlbany will have only eight players available for the game. … Junior Meghan Huerter, who continues to come off the bench for the Danes, ranks second nationally, shooting 52.1 percent from 3-point range.

Tonight's action: Thursday, January 11, 2024 Men's Basketball Away Home Result Location Links New Hampshire79 Maine74 Final Orono, ME (Conf.) Box Score Full Game Archive NJIT62 UMass Lowell70 Final Lowell, MA (Conf.) Box Score UMBC72 Vermont77 Final Burlington, VT (Conf.) Binghamton69 Bryant77 Final Smithfield, R.I. (Conf.) Box Score

"Friday's at The Joe" has a nice ring to it.

Binghamton lost today....other results Thursday, January 11, 2024 Women's Basketball Away Home Result Location Links Vermont70 UMBC55 Final Baltimore, MD (Conf.) Box Score Full Game Archive Bryant62 Binghamton51 Final Vestal, NY (Conf.) Box Score UMass Lowell70 NJIT67 Final Newark, NJ (Conf.) Box Score Maine78 New Hampshire52 Final Durham, NH (Conf.) Box Score Live Event

Date Time At Opponent Location TV Radio Result Links February 23, 2024 (Friday) 4:30 PM Away Tennessee Knoxville, Tenn. History February 24, 2024 (Saturday) 2:00 PM Away Tennessee Knoxville, Tenn. History February 25, 2024 (Sunday) 1:00 PM Away Tennessee Knoxville, Tenn. History March 1, 2024 (Friday) 2:30 PM Away George Washington Washington, D.C. History March 2, 2024 (Saturday) 1:00 PM Away George Washington Washington, D.C. History March 3, 2024 (Sunday) 12:00 PM Away George Washington Washington, D.C. History March 5, 2024 (Tuesday) TBA Away Central Connecticut State University New Britain, Conn. History March 8, 2024 (Friday) 4:00 PM Away Purdue West Lafayette, Ind. History March 9, 2024 (Saturday) 1:00 PM Away Purdue West Lafayette, Ind. History March 9, 2024 (Saturday) 3:00 PM Away Purdue West Lafayette, Ind. History March 10, 2024 (Sunday) 1:00 PM Away Purdue West Lafayette, Ind. History March 13, 2024 (Wednesday) 3:00 PM Away Army West Point, N.Y. History March 15, 2024 (Friday) 3:00 PM Away Georgetown Washington, D.C. History March 16, 2024 (Saturday) 2:00 PM Away Georgetown Washington, D.C. History March 17, 2024 (Sunday) 1:00 PM Away Georgetown Washington, D.C. History March 22, 2024 (Friday) TBA Away UMass Lowell Lowell, Mass. History March 23, 2024 (Saturday) TBA Away UMass Lowell Lowell, Mass. History March 24, 2024 (Sunday) TBA Away UMass Lowell Lowell, Mass. History March 26, 2024 (Tuesday) 3:00 PM Home UMass Albany, N.Y. / Varsity Field History March 29, 2024 (Friday) 6:00 PM Home Maine Albany, N.Y. / Varsity Field History March 30, 2024 (Saturday) 1:00 PM Home Maine Albany, N.Y. / Varsity Field History March 31, 2024 (Sunday) 12:00 PM Home Maine Albany, N.Y. / Varsity Field History April 2, 2024 (Tuesday) 3:00 PM Away Siena College Loudonville, N.Y. History April 5, 2024 (Friday) 6:00 PM Home Bryant Albany, N.Y. / Varsity Field History April 6, 2024 (Saturday) 1:00 PM Home Bryant Albany, N.Y. / Varsity Field History April 7, 2024 (Sunday) 12:00 PM Home Bryant Albany, N.Y. / Varsity Field History April 9, 2024 (Tuesday) 3:00 PM Away Marist Poughkeepsie, N.Y. History April 12, 2024 (Friday) 6:00 PM Away UMBC Baltimore, Md. History April 13, 2024 (Saturday) 2:00 PM Away UMBC Baltimore, Md. History April 14, 2024 (Sunday) 1:00 PM Away UMBC Baltimore, Md. History April 16, 2024 (Tuesday) 3:00 PM Home CCSU Albany, N.Y. / Varsity Field History April 19, 2024 (Friday) 6:00 PM Away Binghamton Vestal, N.Y. History April 20, 2024 (Saturday) 2:00 PM Away Binghamton Vestal, N.Y. History April 21, 2024 (Sunday) 1:00 PM Away Binghamton Vestal, N.Y. History April 23, 2024 (Tuesday) 3:00 PM Home Le Moyne Albany, N.Y. / Varsity Field History April 26, 2024 (Friday) 6:00 PM Home NJIT Albany, N.Y. / Varsity Field History April 27, 2024 (Saturday) 1:00 PM Home NJIT Albany, N.Y. / Varsity Field History April 28, 2024 (Sunday) 12:00 PM Home NJIT Albany, N.Y. / Varsity Field History April 30, 2024 (Tuesday) 3:00 PM Home Marist Albany, N.Y. / Varsity Field History May 3, 2024 (Friday) 6:00 PM Home UMass Lowell Albany, N.Y. / Varsity Field History May 4, 2024 (Saturday) 1:00 PM Home UMass Lowell Albany, N.Y. / Varsity Field History May 5, 2024 (Sunday) 12:00 PM Home UMass Lowell Albany, N.Y. / Varsity Field History May 8, 2024 (Wednesday) 4:00 PM Away Siena Loudonville, N.Y. History May 10, 2024 (Friday) 6:00 PM Home Manhattan Albany, N.Y. / Varsity Field History May 11, 2024 (Saturday) 1:00 PM Home Manhattan Albany, N.Y. / Varsity Field History May 12, 2024 (Sunday) 12:00 PM Home Manhattan Albany, N.Y. / Varsity Field History May 14, 2024 (Tuesday) 3:00 PM Away Le Moyne Syracuse, N.Y. History May 16, 2024 (Thursday) 3:00 PM Away Maine Orono, Maine History May 17, 2024 (Friday) 1:00 PM Away Maine Orono, Maine History May 18, 2024 (Saturday) 12:00 PM Away Maine Orono, Maine History PreviousNext

2024 Football Season Ticket Deposits Now Being Accepted, Schedule Announced Receive an Exclusive Commemorative Helmet and Pricing by February 9 ALBANY, N.Y. – Fresh off the best year in program history, ticket deposits are now being accepted for the 2024 University at Albany football season. The Great Danes are coming off the program’s first-ever Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) championship as well as a historic run to the FCS Playoff Semifinals. To commemorate the unprecedented year, fans who place a $25 season ticket deposits before Feb. 9, 2024, will receive a collectable mini helmet recognizing the team’s undisputed CAA title. All fans who place their deposits before Feb. 9 will also receive the 2023 season ticket rate. After the Feb. 9 deadline, season ticket prices with increase by $25 at every level. Click to Read Full Preview 2024 FOOTBALL SEASON TICKET DEPOSIT

Do really thing the CAA schedulers really care if we play at SBU two years in a row .... no ... the Golden Apple Trophy is just a side-show. The high points of the schedule Opening weekend game, likely 7:00 PM start, next touch for Labor Day Weekend September 28, a late September game, likely 4:00 PM usually nice weather, likely Parent's Weekend October 19, likely Homing-Alumni Weekend .... can be great weather or a wet mess of weather. November 2 .... I like an early November game, last full day of DST. November 23, last regular game of the season is at home. A great mix of teams, both non-conference and conference. The low points of the schedule: Only three home games from late August to the end of October and only 5 home games overall The last home is November 23 .... the weather can be cold and snowy .... not the case in 2023 but 2024 may be a different story.

If you are like me, chilling at home, recovering from who knows what, some AE WBB on ESPN+ starting at 11:00 AM today ... since next up Binghamton, starting there....

Date Time At Opponent Location TV Radio Tournament Result Links February 23, 2024 (Friday) 4:30 PM Away NC State Raleigh, NC Wolfpack Classic History February 23, 2024 (Friday) 7:00 PM Neutral Appalachian State Raleigh, NC Wolfpack Classic History February 24, 2024 (Saturday) 9:00 AM Neutral Cleveland State Raleigh, NC Wolfpack Classic History February 24, 2024 (Saturday) 2:00 PM Away NC State Raleigh, NC Wolfpack Classic History February 25, 2024 (Sunday) 9:00 AM Neutral Iona Raleigh, NC Wolfpack Classic History March 1, 2024 (Friday) 1:00 PM Neutral Western Michigan Madeira Beach, FL The Spring Games History March 1, 2024 (Friday) 3:30 PM Neutral Quinnipiac Madeira Beach, FL The Spring Games History March 2, 2024 (Saturday) 11:00 AM Neutral St. Bonaventure Madeira Beach, FL The Spring Games History March 2, 2024 (Saturday) 3:30 PM Neutral Monmouth Madeira Beach, FL The Spring Games History March 3, 2024 (Sunday) 10:00 AM Neutral Sacred Heart Madeira Beach, FL The Spring Games History March 9, 2024 (Saturday) 9:30 AM Neutral FDU Emmitsburg, MD Mount St Mary's Softball Tournament History March 9, 2024 (Saturday) 11:30 AM Neutral FDU Emmitsburg, MD Mount St Mary's Softball Tournament History March 10, 2024 (Sunday) 10:00 AM Neutral Niagara Emmitsburg, MD Mount St Mary's Softball Tournament History March 10, 2024 (Sunday) 12:00 PM Away Mount St. Mary's (Md.) Emmitsburg, MD Mount St Mary's Softball Tournament History March 15, 2024 (Friday) 10:00 AM Neutral Niagara Baltimore, MD UMBC Spring Invite History March 15, 2024 (Friday) 12:30 PM Neutral Wisconsin Baltimore, MD UMBC Spring Invite History March 16, 2024 (Saturday) 12:30 PM Neutral Wisconsin Baltimore, MD UMBC Spring Invite History March 16, 2024 (Saturday) 2:30 PM Neutral Niagara Baltimore, MD UMBC Spring Invite History March 20, 2024 (Wednesday) 2:00 PM Home Army Albany, NY / UAlbany Field History March 20, 2024 (Wednesday) 4:00 PM Home Army Albany, NY / UAlbany Field History March 23, 2024 (Saturday) 1:00 PM Away UMass Lowell Lowell, MA History March 23, 2024 (Saturday) 3:00 PM Away UMass Lowell Lowell, MA History March 24, 2024 (Sunday) 12:00 PM Away UMass Lowell Lowell, MA History March 27, 2024 (Wednesday) 2:00 PM Home UMass Albany, NY / UAlbany Field History March 27, 2024 (Wednesday) 4:00 PM Home UMass Albany, NY / UAlbany Field History March 30, 2024 (Saturday) 1:00 PM Away Maine Orono, ME History March 30, 2024 (Saturday) 3:00 PM Away Maine Orono, ME History March 31, 2024 (Sunday) 12:00 PM Away Maine Orono, ME History April 4, 2024 (Thursday) 2:00 PM Away Siena Loudonville, NY History April 4, 2024 (Thursday) 4:00 PM Away Siena Loudonville, NY History April 6, 2024 (Saturday) 1:00 PM Home UMBC Albany, NY / UAlbany Field History April 6, 2024 (Saturday) 3:00 PM Home UMBC Albany, NY / UAlbany Field History April 7, 2024 (Sunday) 12:00 PM Home UMBC Albany, NY / UAlbany Field History April 13, 2024 (Saturday) 1:00 PM Away Bryant Smithfield, RI History April 13, 2024 (Saturday) 3:00 PM Away Bryant Smithfield, RI History April 14, 2024 (Sunday) 12:00 PM Away Bryant Smithfield, RI History April 18, 2024 (Thursday) 3:00 PM Away Providence Providence, RI History April 20, 2024 (Saturday) 1:00 PM Home Binghamton Albany, NY / UAlbany Field History April 20, 2024 (Saturday) 3:00 PM Home Binghamton Albany, NY / UAlbany Field History April 21, 2024 (Sunday) 12:00 PM Home Binghamton Albany, NY / UAlbany Field History April 25, 2024 (Thursday) 2:00 PM Home CCSU Albany, NY / UAlbany Field History April 25, 2024 (Thursday) 4:00 PM Home CCSU Albany, NY / UAlbany Field History April 27, 2024 (Saturday) 1:00 PM Away UMBC Baltimore, MD History April 27, 2024 (Saturday) 3:00 PM Away UMBC Baltimore, MD History April 28, 2024 (Sunday) 12:00 PM Away UMBC Baltimore, MD History May 1, 2024 (Wednesday) 2:00 PM Away Colgate Hamilton, NY History May 1, 2024 (Wednesday) 4:00 PM Away Colgate Hamilton, NY History May 3, 2024 (Friday) 1:00 PM Home Maine Albany, NY / UAlbany Field History May 3, 2024 (Friday) 3:00 PM Home Maine Albany, NY / UAlbany Field History May 4, 2024 (Saturday) 12:00 PM Home Maine Albany, NY / UAlbany Field Histor

According to a Delaware source, Delaware remains a member of CAA Football for this season.

Yes, I cannot recall when I have seen this before however; we still have four home conference game with four away conference games. In the end Stony Brook was a horrible team last year and likely no better this year. Looks like a potential road win.

2024 Football Schedule Scheduled Games 2024 Football Schedule Date Time At Opponent Location TV Radio Result Links August 31, 2024 (Saturday) TBA Home LIU Albany, N.Y. / Bob Ford Field at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium History September 7, 2024 (Saturday) TBA Away West Virginia Morgantown, WV History September 14, 2024 (Saturday) TBA Away Idaho Moscow, ID History September 28, 2024 (Saturday) TBA Home Maine Albany, N.Y. / Bob Ford Field at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium History October 5, 2024 (Saturday) TBA Away Cornell Ithaca, NY History October 12, 2024 (Saturday) TBA Away Bryant Smithfield, RI History October 19, 2024 (Saturday) TBA Home Elon Albany, N.Y. / Bob Ford Field at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium History October 26, 2024 (Saturday) TBA Away Delaware Newark, DE History November 2, 2024 (Saturday) TBA Home New Hampshire Albany, N.Y. / Bob Ford Field at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium History November 9, 2024 (Saturday) TBA Away Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY History November 16, 2024 (Saturday) TBA Away Rhode Island Kingston, RI History November 23, 2024 (Saturday) TBA Home Hampton Albany, N.Y. / Bob Ford Field at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium History

How lucky is UAlbany to have Meghan Huerter playing for UAlbany WBB? Damm lucky!! CAMPUS WATCH Jillian Huerter embraces starting role for Rutgers By Bill Arsenault Dustin Satloff/Rutgers Athletics Rutgers freshman guard Jillian Huerter has four double figure outings and is averaging 7.1 points a game, aided by 32-for-82 from 3-point range (39 percent). Jillian Huerter has been solid off the bench for the 6-11 Rutgers women’s basketball team, but the 6-foot freshman guard got the first start of her college career and scored 16 points in a 77-76 Big Ten Conference loss to Purdue on Jan. 2 in West Lafayette, Ind. Huerter, from Clifton Park and a Shenendehowa High graduate, made her second start on Friday, but the Scarlet Knights ran into a buzz saw, dropping a 103-69 conference decision to No. 3-ranked Iowa before a sold-out crowd of 8,000 in Piscataway, N.J. She had seven points, two rebounds, two assists and two steals in 37 minutes of action. The 16 points matches her season high. She had that total in a 98-67 non-league victory over La Salle on Dec. 5. She has four double-figure outings and is averaging 7.1 points a game, aided by 32-for-82 from 3-point range (39 percent). Jillian is the third sibling to make a name for herself on the college level. Her brother Kevin was a standout at Maryland and is currently playing with the Sacramento Kings in the NBA while her junior sister Meghan is a key performer at UAlbany.

NOTES FROM THE FIELD Gattuso named FCS Coach of Year Gattuso University at Albany head coach Greg Gattuso was named Tuesday as the American Football Coaches Association FCS Coach of the Year. Gattuso, in his 10th season, guided UAlbany to the best season in program history. The Great Danes went 11-4 and reached the Football Championship Subdivision playoff semifinals before losing to eventual national champion South Dakota State. “It’s truly an honor to receive this award knowing that it was voted upon by my peers in college football,” Gattuso said in a news release. “This showcases the hard work and dedication from both the staff and the student-athletes - it’s a team award. They are the ones who made this season what it was, I cannot thank them enough.” Gattuso was honored in December as the AFCA FCS Region 1 (Northeast) Coach of the Year, nominating him for the national award.

UALBANY FOOTBALL Wisconsin QB commits to Danes Burkett, a former three-star recruit, has chance to replace Poffenbarger By Mark Singelais Courtesy of Wisconsin Athletics Former Wisconsin quarterback Myles Burkett, who committed Monday to UAlbany, was a three-star recruit coming out of high school in Franklin, Wis. Wisconsin Athletics New UAlbany quarterback Myles Burkett, who committed on Monday, played in two games for Wisconsin in the 2022 season. He didn't appear in any games for the Badgers in 2023. On the same day its former quarterback committed to a Power Five conference school, the University at Albany football program reached into the transfer portal for a P5 passer who could be the Great Danes’ next starter. University of Wisconsin transfer Myles Burkett tweeted Monday his commitment to UAlbany. He posted a photo of himself in a Great Dane uniform with the caption #UAUKNOW. On Instagram, Burkett posted the same photo and added, “New York State of Mind.” He has three years of eligibility remaining. Burkett, a native of Franklin, Wis., made the announcement about two hours before Reese Poffenbarger, who led the Great Danes to the Football Championship Subdivision semifinals, confirmed he’s headed to the University of Miami. Poffenbarger entered the portal on Dec. 20, five days after UAlbany’s season ended with a loss to eventual national champion South Dakota State. Burkett, a 6-foot, 202-pound redshirt freshman, spent two seasons as a Wisconsin backup. He appeared in two games in 2022, completing 4-of-5 passes for 84 yards in mop-up duty against Illinois State and New Mexico State. Burkett didn’t appear in any games in 2023 after new Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell brought in a pair of transfer quarterbacks, Tanner Mordecai and Braedyn Locke. The Badgers went 7-6 and lost to LSU in the ReliaQuest Bowl on New Year’s Day. Burkett was already gone by then, having entered the portal in November. Then Burkett tweeted he “achieved my dream of being a Badger” and thanked the Wisconsin coaching staff. “With that being said, it is time for me to take on a new challenge,” Burkett posted. That challenge will present itself at UAlbany, where Poffenbarger transformed from a transfer who sat his freshman year at Old Dominion to a player who led FCS in touchdown passes and passing yards this past season. Poffenbarger thrived under offensive coordinator Jared Ambrose, who will now tutor Burkett, a former three-star recruit coming out of high school. Burkett was the Wisconsin Associated Press and Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior. He was a two-time first-team all-state selection and won the Dave Krieg Award as the top quarterback in Wisconsin as a senior. He led Franklin to a 14-0 record and a state title as a senior, completing 71.3 percent of his passes for 36 touchdowns and four interceptions. In his high school career, Burkett passed for 6,483 yards and 71 touchdowns and rushed for 1,054 yards and 14 scores. UAlbany filled other needs in the transfer portal on Monday with the commitment of East Stroudsburg defensive tackle Dasean Dixon and Kent State defensive end Marcus Winfield. Dixon had six sacks and 59 tackles for Division II East Stroudsburg last season. Winfield was third-team all-conference at Delaware State before transferring to Kent State. UAlbany lost its entire defensive line to graduation or transfer. Defensive end Anton Juncaj chose Arkansas and defensive tackle Elijah Hills committed Tuesday to Wisconsin. A UAlbany spokesman said head coach Greg Gattuso is not commenting on recruits at this time and will issue statements in the future. Efforts were unsuccessful to reach Poffenbarger about his Miami commitment. “Albany will forever have a place in my heart and we did a lot of special things,” Poffenbarger told ESPN. “At the end of the day, I thought it was time to move on and put myself in the best position to compete for a national championship and one day play in the NFL.”

Binghamton has a 5-9 overall record and 0-1 in conference, Binghamton has a home game against Bryant on Thursday. Jan 13 (Sat) 2:00 PM AE at Binghamton Vestal, N.Y. ESPN+ Int'l Video Live Stats Tickets History

A reminder, the price of the season tickets goes up after Thursday.

From SDSU site: DEFENSE CARRIES JACKS TO TITLE REPEAT

At some point, $iena will wake up and send this ship to the scrap yard: SIENA MEN’S BASKETBALL Saints seek to steady the ship By Mark Singelais ALBANY — After his team was trounced by Fairfield on Friday night, Siena men’s basketball coach Carmen Maciariello found his thoughts drifting to Tucson, Ariz., to explain the Saints’ latest blowout loss. Arizona crushed Colorado by 47 points in a Pac-12 game the night before, Maciariello pointed out, trying to add context to his own team’s 93-69 loss to the Stags in a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference matchup in front of 4,931 fans at MVP Arena. “No, I mean, you’ll see scores all over the country that are one team’s high one day and low the next,” Maciariello said. “I think that’s college basketball. I think you can look at (Thursday) night with Arizona and Colorado. I mean, some scores get crazy.” That’s happened a lot to Siena this season. The Saints have lost seven games by 20 or more points, including their past two MAAC games. Maciariello didn’t back off his opinion offered last week that Siena has “all the makings of a team that can win a championship.” The Saints lost their seventh straight to fall to 2-12 overall, 1-2 in the MAAC with 17 league games left. “At the end of the day, it’s about being consistent and the MAAC’s a wide-open league,” Maciariello said Friday. “I haven’t looked at the (other) scores tonight, but any given night, anybody can beat anybody. That’s what it is. We just have to make sure what our part is and what we have to do.” The Saints still have a lot of work to do. Fairfield shot 70.6 percent in the second half and senior guard Brycen Goodine came off the bench to score a career-high 40 points, the most in a regulation game by a Division I player this season. “We just had to be better defensively today,” redshirt sophomore center Giovanni Emejuru said. “We had no pride, essentially. That’s what it came down to.” Siena started well enough. The Saints led 20-13 and were still ahead 24-21 with 5:49 left in the first half. That’s when Fairfield went on a17-0 run that began with the first of Goodine’s eight 3-pointers. “I’m trying to put a finger on it,” Maciariello said. “We’re up seven, 10 minutes to go in (the first half), and I don’t know if we relax. … We have to make sure we understand how hard we have to play all the time. We can’t be inconsistent. We have too many inconsistent guys and right now, that’s hurting us.” Offensively, Siena received only five bench points. The Saints continue to rely heavily on the trio of Emejuru, who had 22 points, red-shirt junior guard Sean Durugordon (20 points) and sophomore guard Michael Eley, held to eight points after scoring 30 against UMass. “We have to understand teams are going to continually try to speed us up to take us out of offense,” Maciariello said. “It’s not like they (Fairfield) are a great pressing team… The ball has to move. Guys have to understand where the ball has to go.” The Saints seemed encouraged after last week’s 79-66 loss at UMass, a game Siena trailed by six with less than five minutes left. But Friday, Maciariello told his team that game was “fool’s gold” because UMass didn’t respect Siena and was exhausted after returning from a tournament in Hawaii. Emejuru was asked if Siena had too high an opinion of itself after the UMass game. “If we did, we had no reason to because we lost that game,” he said. “At the end of the day, it comes down to us being more mentally mature and being able to understand that, OK, there were good spurts in that game, but we still lost and its about having that mentality of, OK, we lost but we have to fight and be better from that game.” The situation doesn’t get easier for Siena, which travels to western New York to face Canisius and Niagara next weekend. The Saints have swept that trip only once (2016) since the 2007-08 season. “After being in this many games, that’s what it’s come down to now, is having pride and stopping the guy in front of us,” Emejuru said.

UALBANY 79, NJIT 73 Beagle’s big second half propels Danes Sophomore scores 17 points over the final 20 minutes as UAlbany takes league opener By Pete Dougherty Lori Van Buren/Times Union UAlbany guard Sebastian Thomas, shown earlier this season, led the Danes with 22 points at NJIT on Saturday. Lori Van Buren/TU archive Jonathan Beagle, right, shown earlier this season, had 19 points and 16 rebounds against NJIT on Saturday. Sophomore jinx? Not yet, at least, for University at Albany second-year player Jonathan Beagle. Beagle, the reigning America East basketball Rookie of the Year, turned on the afterburners in the second half Saturday afternoon in the conference opener against New Jersey Institute of Technology. He scored 17 of his 19 points after halftime to go with a career-best 16 rebounds to lift UAlbany to a 79-73 victory in Newark, N.J. “It’s a gutsy effort by him,” UAlbany coach Dwayne Killings said of Beagle, who played 36 minutes despite turning his ankle with five minutes remaining. “He’s OK. He turned it, but he’s fine. It’s good that we get some rest and don’t play till Saturday.” The Great Danes (9-7, 1-0) topped their overall victory total of last season (8-23), when NJIT pushed UAlbany out of the America East Tournament for the first time ever. The Highlanders (4-9, 0-1) escaped the first half with a 35-34 advantage, holding Beagle, a 6-foot-10 forward, to a pair of free throws and blocking three of his five field-goal attempts. Beagle, whose scoring is up 12 percent and rebounding ahead 30 percent over his stellar freshman year, didn’t get his first field goal until 14:55 remained, but at that point dominated inside. He had six second-half buckets, all dunks or layups, and went 7-for-7 on free throws. “The one thing that holds Jonathan back is he gets in his head a little bit,” said UAlbany guard Sebastian Thomas, who led the team with 22 points. “In the first half, he wasn’t getting calls and things like that, so going into halftime, we told him just focus on what you can control. In the second half, he showed us what he can do.” “Going into the second half, everyone’s giving me confidence,” Beagle said. “I know the type of player I can be. I just went out there with a lot of confidence. I knew that they could get me shots and that we have some talented players that can help me out.” It was far from a one-man show. Thomas fired in four 3-pointers, all at critical junctures. His first tied the game, the second gave the Danes a lead, the third doubled their lead, and the final with 59.4 seconds to go rattled in to put UAlbany ahead 74-67. Aaron Reddish got his fifth start of the season — the first since Dec. 16 at Drexel — and answered with 16 points and nine rebounds. Marcus Jackson added 10 points and eight rebounds. “I was really impressed with Aaron Reddish, the way he came out,” Killings said. “We challenged him about rebounding. The two areas that we have to improve at, just to have an impactful level of improvement in league play, is ball security — we had 15 turnovers; obviously we want to cut that down — but rebounding the ball, and Aaron was great there.” UAlbany held a 41-36 advantage on the boards, 23-15 in the second half. The Danes are now set up with three straight home games, although all are against teams that are over .500: Binghamton (8-5), UMass Lowell (10-4) and Bryant (9-7). “We’ve got to take them one game at a time, one possession at a time,” Killings said. “It’s going to be hard, but I’m excited to get going and start league play. I told our guys, when I woke up, it felt like Christmas morning because we’re going to go after this thing.”

Nice job by KIllings yesterday, keeping everyone's emotion in check ... there were at least two or three situations when the staff and/or teammates kept things from escalating. Killings has demonstrated high awareness to the emotional levels on the court.

Saturday, January 6, 2024 Men's Basketball Away Home Result Location Links UMass Lowell82 New Hampshire75 Final Durham, NH (Conf.) Box Score Live Event Bryant81 UMBC67 Final Baltimore, MD (Conf.) Box Score Full Game Archive Maine58 Vermont65 Final Burlington, VT (Conf.) Box Score UAlbany79 NJIT73 Final Newark, NJ (Conf.) Box Score

Anyone following UAlbany WBB is asking the same question .... Saturday, January 6, 2024 Women's Basketball Away Home Result Location Links Vermont48 Maine60 Final Orono, ME (Conf.) Box Score Full Game Archive NJIT36 UAlbany77 Final Albany, NY (Conf.) Box Score Full Game Archive New Hampshire53 UMass Lowell70 Final Lowell, Mass. (Conf.) Box Score UMBC64 Bryant63 Final Smithfield, RI (Conf.) Box Score

Every conference game is important, however; losing both games to Binghamton last year, we must get off on the right foot with a win at home on Saturday. This is a bell weather game for the season and on how much better this team is than last year's team. Hopefully, Beagle's misstep on the court, late in 2nd half, is nothing and any rehab is minor. I loved the way the team played in the last 90 seconds.