By Akin Taylor | November 21, 2022
Photo Credit: Nolan Adelsky
Jonathan Beagle recorded his first collegiate double-double with 17 points and 13 rebounds following his first America East Rookie of the Week award. After being down at halftime, the Great Danes shot 58.1% in the second half to get the win.
In their home opener for the 2022-23 season, the University at Albany men's basketball team defeated Union.
A 7-5 lead was established by the time of the first media timeout by the Great Danes. In the opening quarter, Beagle was 2-2 from the field, and Gerald Drumgoole Jr. hit two of his first three attempts. UAlbany built a 19-13 lead by the midway point of the first half. From beyond the arc, Aaron Reddish shot 2-2.
Edward Baptiste's dunk at the 2-minute mark gave Union its first lead of the night, 28-27. A lay-in by Mike Manley just before the halftime buzzer gave Union a 30-29 lead. The Great Danes shot 41.4% from the field and 23.1% from three in the first half. The Dutchmen shot 40.6% from the field and 25% from three.
In the second half, UAlbany sprinted to an 11-4 run to take a 40-34 lead. Drumgoole Jr. led the charge with four free throws and a three-pointer that forced Union to call a timeout.
A trio of three-pointers was made in succession by the Great Danes following the timeout. One came from Reddish, another came from Sarju Patel, and one more came from Drumgoole Jr. By the midway point, UAlbany was able to extend the lead to 55-47 after shooting 4-7 from deep.
From there on, Union wasn't able to close the differential gap closer than seven points. The Great Danes got to the free throw line 18 times in the second half, and only missed two.
Off the bench, Aaron Reddish scored 17 points for a season-high. 75% of his shots came from deep. With 11 points, Sarju Patel was the fourth Great Dane in double figures; his field goal percentage was 44% and his three-point percentage was 33%.
Interim head coach Bobby Jordan was pleased by the team’s performance but also was appercaive of his tenure as head coach. “First off, I just want to thank coach [Dwayne] Killings, our athletic department, Mark Benson and Vic Cegles, for giving me the opportunity to coach these games. It's been a great experience for me, and I appreciate them having faith in me. In terms of the game, resiliency was the name of the game for our guys… Our guys did a great job of fighting through adversity and answering the bell like they did in the second half tonight."
UAlbany (2-2) will return to action on Wednesday when they play St. John’s on the road.
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