Tough end to Danes’ start
Rizzuto’s last-second 3 misses and Ualbany falls by one in opener
Under ordinary circumstances, Antonio Rizzuto launched a shot that could have raised the decibel level at SEFCU Arena to deafening.
These aren’t normal times, and because of COVID-19 restrictions, no one was around to roar early Saturday evening as the University at Albany finally opened its basketball season.
Rizzuto already had connected for a team-best 14 points in the America East Conference matchup against the University of Maryland-baltimore County, but his 3-point attempt at the buzzer bounced off the rim and sealed Ualbany’s 65-64 loss to the Retrievers.
“It feels like a scrimmage for us,” Rizzuto said of the empty gym, “but we lost. We’re all competitors. We want to win at the end of the day.”
The bleachers at SEFCU Arena were all folded up, and the players’ benches were spread out on the opposite side of the court from their usual place. There were maybe two dozen people — school officials, statisticians, media — present who weren’t part of the participating teams.
It was eerily silent during free throws. The teams’ benches made some noise, and the speakers played music during breaks in the action, but this wasn’t what you expect when you think about college basketball.
“We’re excited that both UMBC and Albany were able to even play a basketball game,” UMBC coach Ryan Odom said. “We’ve all been through a lot at this point, same conference foes, to be able to be on the same court playing with one another is a blessing.”
Ualbany (0-1), playing without the benefit of preseason scrimmages or nonconference games, showed a lot of promise. Coach Will Brown used 12 players in the first half — everyone who is on scholarship except freshman Will Amica — and they showed rust at times.
The Great Danes missed five of their first six shots, giving up a 10point run early, then countered with an 11-0 spurt of their own for a 36-32 halftime lead.
UMBC (5-1), which hasn’t lost since its opener against Georgetown, pulled away to lead by as many as nine in the second half, but Ualbany made a couple of defen
sive stops in the final minute to allow a chance to steal a victory.
“We had no timeouts,” Brown said on the gameending situation. “I made a call that I thought we’d be able to execute based on the personnel that was on the floor. I’ll go back and look at the film. I thought we got a decent look.”
Without a true point guard on the court, Cameron Healy brought the ball up and looked for a shot. He was guarded closely and handed the ball to Rizzuto, who was the Danes’ most proficient 3-point shooter in the game. He had made four of his previous six attempts.
“That was a play we
were intending to do,” Rizzuto said. “It was a forced shot, for sure, and it was a little deep, but with the time we had left, I thought it was an OK shot. I felt like it was going in. It just didn’t go in.”
Brown played eight players for at least 15 minutes, but none exceeded 30. With six new players on the roster, he sought an opportunity to see his roster “with the lights on,” as he likes to put it.
Kellon Taylor, a graduate transfer from Duquesne, contributed nine points, six rebounds and three assists. C.J. Kelly, a junior who arrived from Norfolk State, scored 10 before fouling out. Jamel Horton, a transfer from Pratt (Kan.) Community College, chipped in with six points.
“They have a lot of new players, a lot of new faces, but I really like this team,” said UMBC forward Brandon Horvath, who led all scorers with 18. “They’re going to be really good in our league. It was definitely a tough matchup. I can’t wait to go back at it tomorrow.”
The same teams will meet at 2 p.m. Sunday because of the America East’s schedule matrix, which has teams playing back-to-back games against the same opponent at the same venue.
“We gave ourselves a chance to win an opening game against a good team, an experienced team and a talented team,” Brown said. “Our guys need to be patted on the back for that. I know it stings, they’re upset that we lost the game, but we do have another opportunity.” Notes: Adam Lulka wore a face shield after undergoing a surgical procedure on his nose Tuesday. He had six points and five rebounds in 15 minutes. ... Sophomore Sam Shafer, who had a total of two points and 21 minutes all of last season, played 19 minutes and had four points and four rebounds.