By Akin Taylor І November 17, 2022
Photo credit: Taylor O’Connor (UAlbany Athletics)
To begin the season, the University at Albany's men's basketball team battled back against the Colonial Athletic Association's (CAA) top-ranked team, Towson Tigers, but ended up losing 62-67.
After trailing by as many as 15 in the first half, the Great Danes stormed back in the second. UAlbany's top scorer was Gerald Drumgoole Jr. with 15 points. The double-digit club was also joined by Da'Kquan Davis and Aaron Reddish with 12 points each.
A 3-pointer by Trey Hutcheson within the first two minutes of the game marked the Great Danes' first bucket of the year.
At the first media timeout, Towson led 8-5. As well as drawing a foul against Towson in the lane, Aaron Reddish made his presence known with two blocks. Towson led 21-11 at the midway point of the first half. With seven points, Towson’s Nygal Russell led all scorers.
After a 6-0 run to start the second half, UAlbany cut the deficit to four points. By the 12-minute mark, the Great Danes were down 50-42, cutting the lead to four several times. UAlbany went on an 8-1 run to bring the game to within a single point when Reddish and Drumgoole both hit 3-pointers. Davis hit an open layup following a block from Beagle on the other end. Soon, the Great Danes finally found themselves ahead, 58-57.
The Tigers responded with a 6-0 run – mostly with free throws. A costly turnover, after only trailing by three, sealed the game for Towson with 14 seconds left. Towson shot 40% from the field and shot 0/3 in the second half. UAlbany shot 36% on 25 total attempts from the field 9 -25 and 36.8% from three-point range.
“Really proud of our guys tonight. We've been talking toughness the last couple days. Over the last couple weeks, we've been talking about how we want our identity to be a tough, gritty team,” interim head coach Bobby Jordan said. “I think our guys answered the bell. You always want to get the win, and I know this will hurt tonight, but we're looking forward to getting back on the court tomorrow."