By Brandon Vaneburg
The University at Albany men's basketball team tallied a dominant victory on the road against Hartford Saturday afternoon, defeating the Hawks 71-52 thanks in large part to a huge second half.
Despite the Great Danes shooting 52.2% from the field in the first half, they struggled to get any separation from the Hawks as the teams headed into half knotted at 29. The first half featured 7 lead changes, with both teams' largest lead being 5 points. Hartford shot 48.0% (12-25) from the field and 33.3% (3-9) from deep before the break.
Aaron Reddish provided a spark to the offense midway through the second half. Reddish, who didn’t score in the first half, scored 9 straight in the second to break the game open. He helped the Great Danes push the lead to double digits, before UAlbany completely took over.
By the end of the game UAlbany had blown out Hartford. The Great Danes went on a 28-6 run in the second half as they dominated on both ends of the floor. UAlbany shot 63.0% (17-27) from the field and 63.6% (7-11) from 3 in the second period and their defense also improved, holding Hartford to 33.3% (9-27) from the field after the break.
Matt Cerruti (15) and Jamel Horton (14) led the way in scoring for the Great Danes. Cerruti finished going 7-11 from the field and 1-3 from deep. Horton finished 6-11 from the field and 2-3 from 3, leading the team with 5 assists. Both players combined for nineteen total points in the second half, giving UAlbany the burst they needed to close out the game.
The Great Danes return to SEFCU Arena for 2 home games next week, starting with a Wednesday night with a matchup against Maine.