Brandon Vanenburg
The UAlbany Great Danes fell 77- 56 to Towson before a front of a sold-out crowd in their 2021 season opener. The first game of the Dwayne Killings era didn’t go as planned, as the
Foul trouble plagued UAlbany throughout the night. Both Senior point guard Jamel Horton and Freshman center Paul Newman found themselves in foul trouble throughout the game which made it difficult for the Great Danes to run their offense.
Rebounds were a major issue as the Great Danes were dominated on the boards 45-28. Points in the paint were also an issue, with UAlbany getting outscored by 20 in the painted area as Killings squad struggled inside all night.
UAlbany Forward De'vondre Perry, who was the leading scorer for tonight's game with 11 points and had four rebounds, spoke on the paint play during the game. "I really don't believe in length, and it comes down to heart, and you got more heart, and you want it more than what it takes, '' said Perry. “It's sad to say they want it more than we did in the second half and it should not have been the case. They came out, and they took it to us, and we gotta learn from it.”
Towson's had their struggles from the free throw line, which helped keep the game close in the first half, but their constant pressure on the Great Danes led to them scoring 21 points off UAlbany’s 14 turnovers.
Killings talked about the team getting experience from his debut with UAlbany. "This is the reality of college basketball, the fun, excitement and build-up we were intentional about playing Towson and I wanted to see who we were right away and I wanted to see who I was as a coach right away,” said Killings. “I look forward to improving on tonight’s performance.”
The Great Danes will be looking to bounce back against La Salle Explorers on the road.