Men’s Basketball Faces Off Against NJIT in Home Opener on Tuesday
COVERAGE: Time Warner Cable Sports Channel
Fox Sports 980 AM
Twitter: @UAlbany_MBB
ALBANY, N.Y. – University at Albany men’s basketball (1-0) will open its home season on Tuesday against NJIT at 7 p.m. The game will also be televised on Time Warner Cable Sports.
UAlbany will drop the 2013 America East Championship and 2013 NCAA Tournament Second Round banners before the tip-off at 7 p.m. Fans will also receive a commemorative rally towel upon entry.
The Great Danes are fresh off a 74-62 victory over Siena on Friday, claiming the Albany Cup for the third time in four years. Sam Rowley and Peter Hooley had 17 points apiece to pace the Purple & Gold on offense. Rowley nearly had a double-double, grabbing nine rebounds against the Saints.
CAREER-HIGH CLUB
Three Great Danes recorded new career-highs in the 74-62 win over Siena on Friday night. DJ Evans matched a career-high in points with 12, and went a career-best 7-for-7 from the line. He notched a career-high six steals. Peter Hooley also recorded a career-high from the charity stripe, going 10-for-10. David Wiegmann hit a three and collected four rebounds for new career-highs in both points and rebounds.
EVANS STEALS THE SHOW
Senior point guard DJ Evans notched six steals against Siena, a new career high and series high against the Saints. Evans joins the UAlbany program leaderboard in single-game steals, ranking second. The all-time record is seven, set in 2000 by Sam Hopes against Harvard.
OPEN FOR BUSINESS
UAlbany head coach Will Brown is 6-4 in home openers in his career with the Great Danes. A win against the Highlanders would mark his third-consecutive win in the home opener.
THREE’S A CROWD?
For the fourth consecutive year, the Great Danes had three or more players in double-figures in their season opener. In 2010 against Cornell, Luke Devlin, Logan Aronhalt, Mike Black and Tim Ambrose all scored 10 or more. In 2011 against Pittsburgh Aronhalt, Black and Gerardo Suero tallied at least 10 points apiece. In 2012 against Duquesne John Puk, Black and Sam Rowley each scored in double-figures. On Friday, Rowley, Peter Hooley and DJ Evans each scored 10+ points at Siena.
SCOUTING NJIT
The Highlanders fell 75-64 to Tulane in New Orleans on Friday night. Damon Lynn had 21 points in the loss, while Terrence Smith and Winfield Willis tallied 10 each.
Jim Engles enters his sixth season at the helm of NJIT. He was named the head coach for the 2008-09 season, inheriting a team that went 0-29 in its second year of Division I competition. He took the Highlanders from a winless team in 2008-09, to a 10-win team in his second season and a 15-win team in his second season. The Highlanders went 16-13 overall and 6-2 in the Great West last season. Engles was named the 2012-13 Great West Conference Coach of the Year. With the Great West disbanding, NJIT is now the only Division I Independent.
The Highlanders lost their three double-digit scorers from last season, including Chris Flores (16.9 ppg), Ryan Woods (14.4 ppg) and PJ Miller (10.1 ppg). Jim Engles leads a young team of five freshmen and five sophomores to SEFCU. NJIT is notoriously dangerous against opponents in home openers, nearly beating Providence in Rhode Island last season, falling 64-63 at the Dunkin Donuts Center.
NJIT averaged 70.4 points per game last season and held their opponents to 64.4 ppg.
