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Danes eke out win Ambrose helps UAlbany spoil Bryant's Division I opener |
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By MARK
SINGELAIS, Staff writer |
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SMITHFIELD, R.I. - Going from the Big East to Bryant made a difference for the University at Albany men's basketball team, especially sophomore guard Tim Ambrose. He tied his career high with 24 points to spoil Bryant's debut as a Division I program and the Great Danes prevailed 76-67 on Wednesday at Chace Athletic Center for their first win of the season. UAlbany got sloppy after building a 21-point lead in the second half but managed to hold scrappy Bryant at arm's length, much the way Villanova and DePaul did in wins over UAlbany to begin the season. "Thank God it's over," said Brown, whose team flew back from Chicago on Tuesday morning. "We had basically 24-hour prep (for Bryant). ... We knew this was going to be a big night for Bryant and they were going to play with great energy. They threw every zone defense ever created at us." Ambrose, the only UAlbany player in double figures, added eight rebounds two days after he went scoreless in the 75-64 loss to DePaul. Brown kept him in the starting lineup nonetheless and was rewarded as Ambrose tied his high for points set at Duke last year. "Tim's thing is, I don't ever want him to get into a situation where he relaxes or gets complacent," Brown said. "He's an aggressive player, he's talented. He did a good job tonight. He was aggressive and he attacked." Ambrose poured in 11 points in the first half and then ran off UAlbany's first nine points of the second half as the Great Danes seized a 48-27 lead with 16:05 to play in front of a boisterous crowd of 2,167 dominated by students. "I just came out there and played hard and left everything I had out there on the floor," said Ambrose, who shot 10-for-17 from the field. Bryant coach Tim O'Shea pointed out the 6-foot Ambrose had much better matchups on Wednesday than against Villanova and DePaul. "Tonight he had an athletic advantage and he's that type of player where he can get around the rim," O'Shea said. "Tonight he wasn't undersized, he wasn't matched up with a guy that was as athletic but bigger. Tonight he was one of the best athletes on the floor and it really made him effective around the basket." Bryant crept within 70-61 on a Chris Birrell 3-pointer with 1:34 to play, but then Jerel Hastings and Billy Allen each knocked down a pair of foul shots to ice the win. UAlbany had only five first-half turnovers before reverting to its careless ways with 10 after halftime. "I think our guys, once we got up 20, our decisions were bad and our execution was poor," Brown said. "The Albany team you saw tonight was not the team that played well for probably 30 minutes against Villanova and 30 minutes against DePaul. These guys won't admit, but I think we were a little tired, especially in the second half, because it's been a long week." That didn't stop UAlbany freshman point guard Anthony Raffa from twice diving over the scorer's table after loose balls. The second time Raffa hit the back of his head and came out of the game with 8:13 to play, but returned with 5:27 left. He and sophomore guard Louis Barraza each finished with nine points. "The first college win, for me as a freshman, I think it's pretty good," Raffa said. "It was a tough win. We went through a lot of battles tonight. They played hard. This team is really good with all the defenses. We were just trying to execute, and we came out with a win." Bryant was led by sophomore guard Barry Latham's 20 points. UAlbany has its home opener against Central Connecticut on Saturday. |
