Men’s Basketball Closes Non-Conference Play at Pittsburgh on New Year’s Eve
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ALBANY, N.Y. – University at Albany men’s basketball (6-6) concludes its non-conference schedule at Pittsburgh (11-1) on Tuesday afternoon at 1 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN3 from the Petersen Events Center.
Senior center John Puk made the most of his Iowa homecoming at Drake, scoring a career-high 16 points to go with seven rebounds in a 71-63 loss to the Bulldogs. Puk scored 10 or more points in back-to-back games for the first time in his career, having talled 13 against Yale on Dec. 20.
Four Great Danes scored 10 points or more, including Puk (16), DJ Evans (14), Sam Rowley (12) and Peter Hooley (11). Hooley tallied a season-high five assists.
For the third time this season, UAlbany only missed one free throw as a team in a single game against Drake. The Purple & Gold went 11-for-12 against the Bulldogs, 21-for-22 at Rider on Nov. 26 and 11-for-12 at Quinnipiac on Nov. 16.
OH THE PLACES YOU’LL GO…
Two years ago, sophomore Peter Hooley and junior Sam Rowley played their first collegiate game against Pitt in an 89-56 loss. Rowley had six points in 12 minutes, while Hooley saw nine minutes against the Panthers on 11/11/11.
NEW YEAR’S IN THE STEEL CITY
The Great Danes are 4-3 in the Will Brown era against the city of Pittsburgh, with two losses to Pitt, a 1-1 record against Duquesne and three wins against Robert Morris. Head coach Will Brown picked up his first win as a Division I head coach against Robert Morris during the 2001-02 season at Robert Morris, 61-58.
UAlbany is 2-1 on New Year’s Eve under Brown and 2-0 in nonconference play. The Purple & Gold downed Brown at home to ring in 2013 57-50, and beat Mount St. Mary’s on the road in 2011-12 65-64.
HOOLEY PURPLE & GOLDEN FROM THE LINE
Sophomore guard Peter Hooley continues to post impressive numbers from the charity stripe this season. He has gone perfect from the line on nine occasions, including 6-for-6 in each of the last two games. Hooley is one of just four players in NCAA Division I who has shot a perfect 1.000 from the line in a single game multiple times (min. 10 made). The other three include Creighton All-American Doug McDermott and North Carolina’s Marcus Paige.
Hooley ranks third in the America East and 54th nationally with a free-throw percentage of .877 (64-73). The Aussie has taken twice as many free throws as nearly everyone ranked in the top-10 in the America East. He also tops the league in minutes played at 35.2 per game. Hooley posts a career free throw percentage of .848 (139-164).
FREE YOUR MIND
The Great Danes are ranked No. 13 in the nation in free throw percentage (.770) for the second consecutive week. UAlbany tops the league in the category for the seventh-straight week. The Purple & Gold went 11-for-12 at Drake on Dec. 23, posting their third game missing just one free throw this season. Among players who have attempted at least 10 free throws, five of seven are shooting .700 or better from the charity stripe.
HALF-PAST NOT TIRED YET
Three of the five starters for UAlbany are averaging at least 30 minutes per game, including Peter Hooley (35.2), DJ Evans (32.1) and Sam Rowley (30.8). Gary Johnson narrowing misses at 28.1 minutes per game, and John Puk is averaging 26.5. The senior center has played 31, 29 and 33 minutes in the last three games.
PUK’S IOWA HOMECOMING
Senior center John Puk already holds the Division I record in career blocks with 80 and counting. The senior is also 85 rebounds away from reaching 500 for his career. The senior played in front of 90 friends and family members at the Knapp Center. UAlbany is made its first appearance in Iowa since a 76-64 loss at Iowa State on Dec. 30, 2007.
ENNEMA NAMED AMERICA EAST ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
UAlbany earned its third league weekly honor on Dec. 23 when freshman forward Dallas Ennema was named America East Rookie of the Week. Ennema earned the award after scoring eight points in 10 minutes against Yale. The freshman went 2-for-3 from three-point range and 3-for-4 from the field in his first collegiate appearance. It was the first time the Great Danes have garnered Rookie of the Week honors since senior Luke Devlin earned the award in February of 2011.
SCOUTING PITTSBURGH
• The Panthers are 2-0 all-time against UAlbany, having won 89-56 in the first game of the 2011-12 season and 83-54 in 2003-04.
• Pittsburgh is undefeated at home (8-0) this season and has won 18 consecutive games against nonconference opponents. With a 91-73 win against Youngstown State on Dec. 14, the Panthers have won 10+ nonconference games for the 13th-straight season.
• The Panthers commence their first season in the ACC on Jan. 4 at NC State. Former BIG EAST members, the panthers join fellow ex-BIG EAST members Notre Dame and Syracuse in their first season as new members of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
• Pittsburgh picked up its first loss, 44-43 against Cincinnati in the Jimmy V. Classic at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 17. Jamie Dixon’s squad scored less than half as many points as it had in the previous game against Youngstown State.
• The Panthers are receiving votes in both the AP (6) and the USA Today (26) Top-25 polls.
