UAlbany leads all-time series, 2-0; both games played last season
Live streaming audio with Matt Provence's call (free) Live stats (free) Link to UAlbany website for video ALBANY, NY—UAlbany, which won the 2014 America East Conference Tournament and accompanying NCAA Tournament berth, will honor that feat with a banner unveiling prior to its game Wednesday night against NJIT.
Coincidentally, the Highlanders were the visiting team for the 2013 version of the same ceremony last November when the Great Danes celebrated the first of what would become two consecutive America East crowns and NCAA Tournament bids.
In that game on November 12, 2014, NJIT put up a battle that was so hard the upstart Highlanders felt disappointed not to have won against the defending AE champs. The final score was a come-from-behind UAlbany victory, 71-65. Less than three weeks later, the Great Danes came to Newark and defeated NJIT 66-55 in another competitive game.
The Great Danes opened the current season with a 64-60 loss at Providence, a strong BIG EAST Conference program. New guard Evan Singletary, a junior college transfer, led UAlbany with 18 points in the defeat. He was followed by junior forward Peter Hooley, who finished with 15 points and 6 assists. Hooley, one of four Australians on the Great Danes, was named Most Outstanding Player of the 2014 America East Tournament, the first sophomore ever so honored. Ray Sanders, another junior college transfer, chipped in 10 points against Providence.
UAlbany has emerged as a perennial mid-major power under veteran head coach Will Brown, who has 191 career wins with UAlbany, including 60 in the last three seasons. Twice, he has led the team to back-to-back conference titles, in 2006 and 2007, and now in 2013 and 2014, with an eye on making it three in a row next March.
NJIT comes in having leveled its record in the young season to 1-1 after defeating Maine 90-86 in the home opener Monday night.
The Highlanders, who connected on 30-of-51 shots from the field vs. Maine, posted their best team field goal percentage in a game since they notched the program Division record in the 2010-11 season, connecting on 61.8 percent of their shots vs. Houston Baptist on January 15, 2011.
Against Maine, NJIT had a balanced, selfless offense, with five players reaching double-figure point totals and 21 of the team's 30 baskets coming off of assists.
Junior
Winfield Willis led the scorers for NJIT with 20 points on 7-for-10 from the field and senior
Odera Nweke scored a personal-best 16 points, while junior
Ky Howard tied his career-high of 17 points.
Matt Provence, in his sixth year calling NJIT games, will have the live play-by-play call here on njithighlanders.com.
