UAlbany men's basketball tops Army in Glens Falls thriller

GLENS FALLS, NY (NEWS10) -- The University at Albany men's basketball team edged out the Army Black Nights from Cool Insuring Arena in Glens Falls on Tuesday night, winning by a score of 62-59. The game was the final of the Doc Sauers Classic, honoring the winningest coach in UAlbany history.

Coach Dwayne Killings
"I think we are learning how to win. We pulled out a really good victory. It was great to have a crowd. It was big for Jonathan [Beagle] to come up here and play in front of his friends and family… I'll take the win, it makes Thanksgiving a lot better."

Key Stat Lines

• Sebastian Thomas led the way with 17 points, including the game-winner. He also led the team in assists (3) and minutes (39(.
• Amar'e Marshall followed with 16 points. He finished 6-12 from the field and was a perfect 3-3 on free throws.
• Aaron Reddish also dropped 16 in the game, leading the team with three three-pointers.
• Hometown kid Jonathan Beagle collected a team-high 11 rebounds, dropping six points and adding an assist and a steal.
• UAlbany shot 41.5% (22-53) from the field and 33.3% (7-21) from three. Army shot 35.5% (22-62) from the field and went 4-18 from three.

How it Happened:

• Army struck first, but UAlbany took an early 8-2 advantage thanks to two threes from Aaron Reddish and a bucket from Amar'e Marshall. The score stretched to a 12-2 advantage before the first media timeout.
•  The Great Danes pushed the lead to 20-5 by the second media timeout. The team as a whole went 4-5 from three, with Will Amica and Marshall hitting deep shots in addition to Reddish.
• Both teams went on a scoring drought over the next four minutes with Army cutting the deficit by just three points, now 20-8, with 7:36 remaining in the first half.
• Army pushed it to a 14-3 run, closing the gap to just four points with 3:38 remaining in the half. UAlbany went 1-12 from the field over the stretch.
• Army tied the game officially, 23-23, with a bucket from TJ Small with just over two minutes remaining.
• The Great Danes led by as much as 15 early on but went into the locker room down 28-25. The team scored just five points over the final eight minutes of play.
• The Great Danes shot 27.6% (8-29) from the field and went 4-14 from three. Army shot 34.4% (11-32) from the field and went just 2-9 from three.
• UAlbany got off to a solid start in the second half, going 3-4 from the field and 3-4 from the charity stripe to take a 34-31 advantage.
• The Great Danes maintained a 41-39 edge with 11:10 remaining in the game. UAlbany started the second half shooting 6-11 from the field while Army went just 5-16.
• A big three-pointer from Sebastian Thomas put UAlbany back in the lead, 46-43, with nine minutes remaining.
• Aaron Reddish fouled out of the game with 6:21 remaining.
• After a pair of free throws from Jonathan Beagle with 4:55 on the clock, the scoreboard read 52-52.
• Back-to-back and-ones from Thomas and Marshall gave UAlbany a two-point advantage with just under four minutes left.
• With the game tied in the final minute, Thomas hit a pull-up three-pointer to push the Great Danes ahead, 62-59. The defense did its job on the other end of the court, securing the win.

Next: The Great Danes will face local rival Siena in the Albany Cup next Sunday. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:00 p.m