Men's Basketball Makes It Rain At South Carolina State

ORANGEBURG, S.C. - The saying goes, "When it rains, it pours", and that is exactly what happened as the University at Albany shot 15-of-29 from three-point range to beat South Carolina State, 83-55, on Tuesday, Nov. 20 at the Smith-Hammond-Middleton Center. The 15 made threes by the Great Danes broke the Division I record of 14, which was done twice before and most recently against Detroit on Nov. 26, 2010.

Senior guard Mike Black paced his squad with a season-high 23 points and six assists, shooting 9-of-11 from the field. Guards Jacob Iati and Jayson Guerrier each scored in double digits with 14 and 18, respectively. Black, Iati, and Guerrier shot a combined 56.5 percent (13-for-23) from behind the arc.

South Carolina State (3-2) had four players score in double figures. Shaquille Mitchell led the Bulldogs with 13 points and three rebounds. Khalif Toombs, Adama Adams, and Darryl Palmer tallied 12, 12, and 10 points in the game.

UAlbany (4-2) opened up the first half with a bang, which came at the hot hand of Guerrier. The senior guard made the game's first four shots to put the Great Danes up 11-0 with 15:16 remaining in the first half. The Great Danes then hit six three's and put-back dunk by junior guard Gary Johnson to extend its lead to 21, 39-18, with 5:39 left in the half.

Both teams would trade baskets for the final five minutes and UAlbany held on to a 20-point lead going into the half, 45-25.

The Great Danes began the second half on a 15-6 run to hold a 29-point lead, 60-31, with 15:24 left in the game. Black and Iati combined for three triples and sophomore forward Sam Rowley made two consecutive layups to cap the run.

South Carolina State responded with its own run of 18-9 to cut the deficit to 20, 69-49, with 5:46 remaining. Mitchell scored eight of his team's game-high 13 points during the stretch.

However, UAlbany held off the Bulldogs for the final 5:45 to grab its fourth win of the season. The Great Danes outshot the Bulldogs from the floor, 53.4 percent to 43.9 percent and out rebounded them 37-26 on the boards.

The Great Danes prepare for their next contest against Wagner on Monday, Nov. 26 at SEFCU Arena.