For just the second time ever, the Albany Cup was played on the campus of University at Albany on Saturday. The Great Danes men’s basketball team made sure to reward their fans in attendance by retaining the trophy.
UAlbany defeated Siena 70-60 thanks to a late second-half surge lead behind Justin Neely’s game-high 21 points. It’s been quite the comeback for the junior forward, who suffered a season-ending knee injury just two years ago in this same matchup.
“I feel amazing," Neely said. "I think when we got here in the summer, our strength coach [Ibn Foster], he's done a tremendous job for me. Helping me get my body in the best condition, best shape possible. I lost a lot of weight. I can I feel like I can run all day out there.”
Neely helped the Great Danes dominate the paint, outscoring the Saints 40-22. He also led UAlbany with eight rebounds.
“Justin's hungry," said Dwayne Killings, UAlbany’s head coach. "I mean, he is, and we talk a lot about it, it's preparation to get on the floor and be the player that he’s capable of. He's a physical kid, and part of it is how he recovers after a game."
On the other side, first-year Siena head coach Gerry McNamara suffered his first loss of the season. He was disappointed with their offensive performance as the Saints were unable to answer to the runs from UAlbany, including a 12-1 run toward the end.
“When it was in that one or two-possession game, they were making enough plays to keep it a possession or two,” McNamara said. “But we just couldn't quite get that stop or make that shot to kind of pull away from them.”
Marcus Jackson, who transferred from UAlbany to Siena, led the team with 17 points but left the game late with a lower-body injury. Despite the win, Siena continues to lead the Albany Cup series 11-9.
Siena will now try to rebound in Cincinnati with the unofficially open to the Fort Myers Tip-Off with a campus site game at Xavier on Wednesday. As for UAlbany, they will travel to San Juan, Puerto Rico for the 2024 Puerto Rico Classico next week.