Albany Times Union (Sunday)

Vermont still too tough for UAlbany

Despite missing player, versatile Catamounts keep the Danes at bay

- By Pete Dougherty

Vermont has become so good in the America East basketball conference that the Catamounts can peel back a layer and still dominate an opponent.

The University at Albany found that out Saturday night. Vermont opted to sit out leading scorer Ryan Davis, who is nursing a back injury, yet still had plenty of juice to handle the Great Danes 76-63 in front of 2,403 at SEFCU Arena.

UVM (20-4 overall, 12-0

America East), which had beaten UAlbany 12 days earlier 73-61 in Burlington, won its 14th consecutiv­e game, tied for the longest Division I streak in the country.

“The thing about coach (John) Becker’s teams is they know how to win,” UAlbany coach Dwyane Killings said. “You walk out there and you don't see Ryan Davis, thinking we might have an edge, and we couldn't exploit it.”

The Catamounts didn’t do anything spectacula­rly but handled most phases of the game more than competentl­y.

Despite the loss of its 6-foot-8 senior, the Catamounts outrebound­ed the Danes, 29-27. The shot 49 percent from the field and never trailed in the game.

“We really were lacking size against a big, strong, physical team like Albany,” Becker said. “Our guys battled for 40 minutes on both ends on the glass and came up with quite a few offensive rebounds, especially late, that helped us milk the lead.”

“We thought our double-big lineup, with (6-9) Jarvis Doles and (6-9) Paul Newman, would be even more of an advantage with Davis out,” said UAlbany guard Jamel Horton, who had 14 points and five assists, “but they had some coverages that made up for it.”

Vermont was up 38-28 at halftime and led by as many as 21 midway through the second half.

Buoyed by a career-high 26 points from freshman Justin Neely, the Danes made a couple of runs, but the Catamounts withstood the pressure.

“They’re a good-coached team, but they respond,” Neely said. “They don't let the pres

sure of the moment take over. They’re not going to fold up just because we went on a run.”

Among the most veteran teams in the nation, the Catamounts used nine players, all of whom played at least eight minutes. They put three — all seniors — in double figures, as Ben Shungu scored 18, Finn Sullivan 15 and Robin Duncan 13.

Colonie High grad Isaiah Powell, held scoreless in the first half, finished with eight points and six rebounds in a team-high 35 minutes.

“They got to the paint, they finish at the rim, and they put us under a lot of pressure to foul them,” Killings said. “They got to the free-throw line, they made their free throws (22 of 26). We made a little bit of a run. They answered the run. They’re a really good team.”

The brightest spot for UAlbany (10-15, 6-7), which lost for the fourth time in five games, was the play of Neely, who made 11 of 14 field goals and grabbed six rebounds.

“He should be freshman of the year in our league,” Killings said. “He could be an all-league player down the road. I think highly of our freshman basketball players. It's good to have him come alive. He just put a lot of pressure on a lot of guys, both on the other team and on our team because the way he played.”

With just five regular-season games remaining, UAlbany will try to right the ship beginning Wednesday at Binghamton, a team that beat the Danes on Jan. 6 in Albany.

“It’s a journey,” Killings said. “I try to be mindful of the growth that we’ve had, but at the end of the end of the day, we need to win basketball games. We weren’t good enough today, so it’s not enough growth yet.”

 ?? James Franco / Special to the Times Union ?? UAlbany freshman Justin Neely drives to the basket in front of Vermont senior Isaiah Powell, a Colonie graduate. Neely finished with 26 points.
James Franco / Special to the Times Union UAlbany freshman Justin Neely drives to the basket in front of Vermont senior Isaiah Powell, a Colonie graduate. Neely finished with 26 points.

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