ALBANY - UAlbany men’s basketball program is gearing up for an exciting game against Harvard after their recent victory against LIU. The Great Danes are looking to finish their non-conference season on a high note.
With an impressive 86-69 win against LIU, UAlbany has already matched their total wins from last season. The team has shown significant improvement, currently standing at 8-6 for the season.
Head coach Dwayne Killings is focused on securing a confidence-building victory ahead of America East play, which starts with a Saturday road game at NJIT. The team has faced tough competition, including seven games against top-12 conference teams in their non-conference schedule.
“It’s a tough game,” Killings said of UAlbany’s upcoming matchup with Harvard. “We’ve been close with Temple and we had moments against South Florida. I think this could be a very strong statement game for us if we play well and win the game.”
UAlbany started the season 1-3 before winning five consecutive games. The Great Danes lost two games in a row after their winning streak, then sandwiched wins around a loss heading into their game at Harvard.
Against LIU, multiple Great Danes had big games. Sebastian Thomas scored a career-high 32 points in the win on 10 of 18 shooting from the field. Thomas also made 10 of 12 free throws, and added six rebounds, four assists and four steals.
Meanwhile, Jonathan Beagle collected a double-double with 21 points and a dozen rebounds, and Amar’e Marshall scored a dozen points and had 10 rebounds to also register a double-double.
Harvard played its last two games without freshman Malik Mack, a guard who leads the team in scoring at 20.1 points per game. Killings said the Great Danes prepared as if Mack, the nation’s top freshman scorer, will play against them.
“We’ve got to assume and anticipate that he’s playing,” Killings said.
Harvard announced Dec. 21 that Mack would be out indefinitely with mononucleosis.
Killings said he “feel[s] really good about four starters,” a quartet made up of Beagle, Marcus Jackson, Marshall and Thomas. Then, there is Tyler Bertram, a guard that Killings calls “a sixth starter” for the team because of the valuable role he plays off the bench as a source of immediate offense.
What UAlbany is still figuring out, though, is its fifth starter. The team has used eight starting lineups through its opening 14 games.
“We need someone who makes us whole,” Killings said.
For the last two games, Killings has joined Beagle, Jackson, Marshall and Thomas with junior guard Ny’Mire Little, who started UAlbany’s first three games before moving to the bench. Little is averaging 4.3 points in 17.5 minutes per game, and the 6-foot-4 guard gives the starting lineup an additional ball-handler and perimeter defender.
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Great job to the UAlbany men’s basketball team on wrapping up their non-conference season with a game against Harvard! Keep up the hard work and bring that same energy into the conference games! #GoUAlbany