Albany, Stony Brook Win Thrilling #AEPlayoffs Semis, Set Stage For Final

Albany, Stony Brook Win Thrilling #AEPlayoffs Semis, Set Stage For Final

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The 2015 America East men's basketball championship game will be a rematch of last year's title game tilt as top-seeded Albany and third-seeded Stony Brook each won thrilling semifinal contests on Sunday. Both teams survived potential buzzer beaters by their opponent en route to two-point wins as the Great Danes slipped by fourth-seeded New Hampshire, 60-58, and the Seawolves overcame a 16-point deficit to knock off second-seeded Vermont, 79-77.

Albany and Stony Brook will decide the 2015 league title on Saturday, March 14 at 11 a.m. on ESPN2. The winner will earn a trip to the NCAA tournament, where America East teams have eight wins, including two in the last three years.

#AEPlayoffs Semifinals
#1 Albany 60, #4 New Hampshire 58
  • Albany (23-8) shot 50 percent from the field to advance to the championship game for the third-straight year and fifth time overall.
  • With the game tied at 41 apiece with six minutes left, the Great Danes ran off six-straight points over the next two minutes to pull ahead, 57-51.
  • Ray Sanders split two free throws with three seconds left and Jaleen Smith's 30-foot game-winning try at the buzzer hit off the rim. 
  • Peter Hooley led Albany with 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting off the bench.
  • Evan Singletary added 18 points and eight rebounds.
  • Jaleen Smith scored a team-high 16 points for UNH (19-12).
  • The Great Danes held a 28-18 edge on points in the paint.
  • New Hampshire shot 60 percent (15-of-25) in the first half but just 29 percent (8-of-27).
  • The Wildcats, who were attempting to reach the league title game for the first time, finished with 19 wins, which ties their program record set in the 1994-95 season.
  • The Great Danes extended their America East tournament win streak to eight games, which is tied for the fourth-longest streak in league history.
  • Albany is now 16-9 all-time in tournament play, including 16-5 since 2006.
  • Will Brown earned his 16th America East championship win, which ranks as the third most all-time.


#3 Stony Brook 79, #2 Vermont 77

  • Stony Brook (23-10) overcame a 16-point deficit to move on to the championship game for the fourth time in the last five years.
  • Vermont (18-12) jumped out to a 10-0 lead, holding Stony Brook scoreless for the first 4:02 of the game, and pushed their lead to 41-25 just before halftime.
  • The Seawolves then went on a 32-6 run to turn their 16-point deficit into a 10-point advantage on Warney's layup with 11:31 left. 
  • Vermont used a 13-5 spurt to get back in the game tied it at 71 on a Kurt Steidl three-pointer with 3:09 left.
  • Stony Brook hit three of its final four shots to regain lead and Ethan O'Day's last-second tying attempt was short.
  • America East Player of the Year Jameel Warney had 24 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks.
  • Carson Puriefoy scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half and added seven rebounds.
  • Hector Harold led Vermont with 17 points, five rebounds and four blocks.
  • Ethan O'Day added 14 points and five boards.
  • Deshaun Thrower doubled his previous career high by scoring 18 points and adding eight boards.
  • Stony Brook held a 42-29 edge on the glass and had 17 second-chance points.
  • The Catamounts shot 51.9 percent in the first half and just 39.4 percent in the second while Stony Brook shot 33.3 percent in the first and 54.8 after halftime.
  • Vermont tied the record for three-pointers in a half of an America East semifinal with eight in the first half.
  • The win was just Stony Brook's second in 15 trips to Patrick Gym.
  • The Seawolves improved to 14-13 all-time in championship play with 10 of those wins coming since 2010.