THREE SYRACUSE MEN'S LACROSSE PLAYERS SELECTED IN 2014 MAJOR LEAGUE LACROSSE DRAFT

PHILADELPHIA – A trio of Syracuse University seniors were selected in the 2014 Major League Lacrosse (MLL) Collegiate Draft on Friday, Jan. 10.

 

Defender Matt Harris (Buffalo Grove, Ill.) was taken in the third round (No. 21 overall) by the defending MLL champion Chesapeake Bayhawks, while the Ohio Machine used consecutive picks to select midfielder Scott Loy (Toledo, Ohio) in the fourth round (No. 27 overall) and attackman Derek Maltz (Ashburn, Va.) in the fifth round (No. 39 overall).

 

The selections of Harris, Loy and Maltz raised Syracuse’s number of all-time MLL Draft picks to 48, the most of any school.

Harris is one of the Orange’s four 2014 team co-captains. An All-BIG EAST Second Team performer in 2013, he led SU in caused turnovers (29) as the squad's top long-stick midfielder last season. Harris ranked second on the Orange in ground balls (52) and contributed three points, including two goals, on offense. Harris has played in 53 games over his first three seasons. He has 109 career ground balls and 47 caused turnovers.

 

Loy started 18 games a season ago and tallied 20 goals. In 48 career games for the Orange, Loy has 29 goals and six assists.

 

Like Harris, Maltz is a team co-captain and earned All-BIG EAST Second Team honors in 2013. Maltz was second on the Orange with 32 goals last season, including netting the game-winner off a rebound with 19.2 seconds left in the NCAA semifinals versus Denver to propel SU to the national championship game. Maltz has 79 points, including 63 goals, in his Orange career.

Friday night's draft was held in the Liberty Ballroom at the Philadelphia Marriott hotel. It featured eight rounds and 64 total selections by the league's eight teams.

Princeton midfielder Tom Schreiber was the top pick, going No. 1 overall to the Machine.

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Reigning America East Champion UAlbany Men’s Lacrosse Releases 2014 Schedule

ALBANY, N.Y. – Looking to defend its America East title, the University at Albany men’s lacrosse team has released its schedule for the 2014 season. 14th-year UAlbany head coach Scott Marr has released the 2014 schedule, including eight home games.  The 14-game schedule includes a full-conference slate, three ranked opponents and three that went to the NCAA Tournament in 2013.  Lacrosse Magazine ranked UAlbany #10 in its preseason rankings, while Inside Lacrosse had the Great Danes at #12 in the Face-Off preseason rankings. “We have a tremendous opportunity to compete for the league title, taking on quality opponents in the America East,” said Marr. “With Syracuse, Johns Hopkins and Penn State headlining a tough non-conference schedule, we also have a chance to secure an at large bid to the NCAA Tournament.” (Rankings are Lacrosse Magazine Preseason/Inside Lacrosse Face-Off) The team will play a few scrimmages before the season starts, going to Colgate on February 1st at 1 p.m. and hosting Princeton and Penn on February 8th at noon. The Great Danes begin the season with a top-10 showdown in the Carrier Dome.  The two top ranked teams in the state of New York, #10/12 UAlbany and #2/2 Syracuse, will face off on Sunday, February 16th at 4 p.m. UAlbany opens at home on Saturday, February 22nd against CAA runner-up Drexel at 1 p.m., following up against Harvard on March 1st at noon. The team heads east to play UMass on March 8th for a 1 p.m. contest, then returns home the next weekend to take on reigning Northeast Conference champion Bryant at 1 p.m. on March 15th. On March 22nd, UAlbany travels to University Park for another top-10 matchup, taking on reigning Colonial Athletic Association champion #8/8 Penn State at 1 p.m. After a home game against in-state foe Canisius on March 25th at 3 p.m., America East play begins on March 29th at 7 p.m. when the Great Danes host Vermont. On Friday night, April 4th at 7 p.m., UAlbany heads to Baltimore to take on Marr’s alma mater, #13/14 Johns Hopkins, for a top-15 matchup under the lights at Homewood Field for the final time, ending the series after this season. The squad returns to America East play for three-straight contests, going to Hartford for a 1 p.m. game on April 6th, returning home to take on in-state rival Stony Brook on April 12th at 7 p.m. and finishing the stretch in Baltimore against last year’s conference runner-up UMBC at 3:30 p.m. on April 19th. UAlbany finishes out the regular season with a pair of home games.  The Purple and Gold host cross-town rival Siena at 7 p.m. on April 22nd, following with Senior Day and the conclusion of America East regular season play on April 26th at 7 p.m. against Binghamton. The America East Tournament will be played at Stony Brook this season, with the semifinals being played on May 1st and the finals on May 3rd. 2014 UAlbany Men’s Lacrosse Schedule February     1 (Sat) @ Colgate (scrimmage) 1 p.m. 8 (Sat) Princeton/Penn (scrimmage) 12 p.m. 16 (Sun) @ Syracuse 4 p.m. 22 (Sat) Drexel 1 p.m. March     1 (Sat) Harvard 12 p.m. 8 (Sat) @ UMass 1 p.m. 15 (Sat) Bryant 1 p.m. 22 (Sat) @ Penn State 1 p.m. 25 (Tue) Canisius 3 p.m. 29 (Sat) Vermont* 7 p.m. April     4 (Fri) @ Johns Hopkins 7 p.m. 6 (Sun) @ Hartford* 1 p.m. 12 (Sat) Stony Brook* 7 p.m. 19 (Sat) @ UMBC* 3:30 p.m. 22 (Tue) Siena 7 p.m. 26 (Sat) Binghamton* 7 p.m. May     1 (Thu) AE Semifinals (@ Stony Brook) TBA 3 (Sat) AE Finals (@ Stony Brook) TBA

Albany Great Danes

Danes WBB Falls in Close Battle at Hofstra 60-56

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. – Going down to the wire, UAlbany fell to Hofstra 60-56 after a late charge by the Pride in Long Island on Wednesday afternoon.

 

“Hofstra really played great today, and we lost a tough game,” says UAlbany head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson.

 

Shereesha Richards earned her seventh double-double of the season with a career-high 16 rebounds and 23 points, adding three steals.  Erin Coughlin matched a career-high with four three-pointers, finishing with 12 points and four assists.

 

For Hofstra, Anma Onyeuku had 15 points and eight rebounds, while Kelly Loftus had 14 points.

 

The loss for UAlbany snaps an 11-game winning streak against New York-based opponents, dating back to last season.

 

Each side played a zone defense early.  UAlbany (9-3) tried to break the zone with looks in the paint, while Hofstra (5-6) fired a lot of three-pointers.  After Hofstra  started up 5-2, Richards hit a jumper and one, followed by Megan Craig hitting a jumper to push UAlbany ahead.  After a Krystal Luciano three, a Margarita Rosario three sparked a 12-3 UAlbany run, helped by another jumper-and-one by Richards, to push the Great Danes ahead 19-11 with 13:20 in the 1^st.

 

UAlbany stayed ahead despite some early foul trouble as Hofstra looked to chip away at its deficit.  Onyeuku led a late Hofstra run as down 27-18, the Pride went on a 10-1 run to finish the half, making the score 28-28 at the break.

 

A field goal drought of over 10 minutes from the first half for UAlbany helped Hofstra take the lead on a Loftus three.  Richards ended the streak with a couple of layups the other way to put UAlbany back in front.  Sarah Royals added a pair of free throws to make it 34-31 UAlbany at the second half’s first media.

 

Hofstra countered again, with a couple of Elo Edeferioka baskets and two more threes on a 10-1 run, forcing UAlbany to call timeout down 41-35 with 12:29 left.

 

Coughlin hit a three out of the timeout, with shots by Richards and Craig helping bridge the gap.  At 46-43, another Coughlin three followed by a Richards free throw and two baskets pushed UAlbany back ahead 51-46.

 

The two teams make stops back-and-forth as they tried to break the respective zone defense.  Tied with 1:27 left, Loftus hit a baseline jumper to give Hofstra a 55-53 lead. 

 

Craig got fouled with 22 seconds left and hit the front end, but Loftus hit a pair the other way to push Hofstra up 57-54.

 

Rosario tried for a quick layup, but was called for a charge in the paint.  Luciano added a free throw for a two-possession game.  A couple of late Royals free throws got UAlbany within one possession 58-56 with three seconds left.  The press defense forced Hofstra final timeout, but Loftus got the inbounds and was fouled, hitting both free throws to put the game away for Hofstra 60-56.

 

The Great Danes finish non-conference play on Saturday, January 4^th, taking on Northeastern in Boston at 2 p.m.
 

Carolina Panthers 2013 NFC South Champions Gear

DJ Evans Scores Game-High 18 Points in 58-46 Loss at RV/RV Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH, PA.- DJ Evans scored 15 in the second half and 18 total to lead UAlbany (6-7) in scoring in a 58-46 loss at Pittsburgh (12-1). The senior point guard went 4-for-6 from the three-point line and 4-for-4 from the free throw line.

 

The Great Danes came out shooting well against the Panthers. Junior forward Sam Rowley had four early points, and Evans hit his first three just before the first media timeout with the shot clock winding down. UAlbany was 4-for-5 from the field to open the game.

 

UAlbany went 2-for-9 following the first media timeout and committed three turnovers, but poor three-point and free throw shooting by Pitt kept the Purple & Gold in the game. The Panthers were 0-for-7 from 3-point land and 0-for-6 from the charity stripe in the first half.

 

Will Brown’s squad closed the first half on an eight-minute scoring drought as Pittsburgh’s Cam Wright scored eight straight points. The Panthers had a 28-18 lead at the half.

 

UAlbany faced its largest scoring drought of the season against the Panthers. Evans ended a 13-minute field goal skid with a jumper at the 14:56 mark of the second half to make the score 36-22. Peter Hooley made two free throws with just over a minute gone in the half to end the scoring skid. The last time the Great Danes went so long without scoring was against Brown on Dec. 10, when they didn’t score for the final 10:28 of the contest.

 

In addition to scoring struggles, UAlbany opened the second half with four turnovers against Pitt’s 2-3 zone. But the Panthers continued to have trouble at the free throw line. Despite shooting 16 free throws, Talib Zanna was the first Panther to for 2-for-2 from the line with 10:47 left in the game. Pitt took its largest lead of the game shortly thereafter, 46-30.

 

“I thought our guys played extremely hard,” said Brown. I thought the zone was the difference. They’ve got good length and they were active. In the second half after we got down we settled down, and we were more efficient. We gave a great effort today.”

 

Evans closed the gap by making four consecutive free throws. The Great Danes narrowed Pitt’s margin to as many as seven points with three minutes left on a made free throw by Hooley and a lay-up from John Puk. The Purple & Gold committed one turnover in the final 12:07; but Pitt made six free throws in the final 1:33 of the game, despite only going 3-for-10 to that point.

 

The Panthers had 14 fast break points and 10 second chance points off of 11 offensive rebounds.

 

Evans made four 3-pointers, the most for UAlbany since Hooley made five at Rider on Nov. 26. The Great Danes totaled their highest number of three-point field goals as a team (five) since making seven against the Broncs.

 

Sam Rowley nearly recorded a double-double with 10 points and eight rebounds. The junior also tallied a career-high five assists.

 

Peter Hooley had 10 points to go with three rebounds and three assists.

 

UAlbany (6-7) begins conference play at home on Jan. 4 against Hartford (5-9). Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m., at SEFCU Arena.

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Jared Zimbardi and Steve Poirier Honored as Patriot Sprint Tour Champions

Christmas time a season for giving, and on Saturday Night, the Patriot Sprint Tour played the part of Santa Claus, handing out some big money after another big year.

The Patriot Sprint Tour held its annual Season Awards Banquet Saturday Night at Barnard Exempt in Rochester , NY . A whopping $27,325 in cash prizes was distributed, a true dollar figure that had all teams in attendance smiling. Jared Zimbardi and Steve Poirier took the largest slices of the point fund on the night, but more than 20 drivers walked away with solid paydays made possible by Hoosier Tire Canada , A-Verdi Storage Containers, Insinger Race Fuels, Original Pizza Logs, Mike Emhof Motorsports, Bonnell’s Collision, Fine Touch Collision and Gater Racing News.

Zimbardi, 26, was crowned the PST America Tour Championship, netting him $5,000. It was the second championship in three years for the Little Valley, NY driver now residing in Bradford , PA. Zimbardi bounced back after a sluggish 2012 season to reel off three wins, two coming at the smallest tracks on tour (Bradford and Clinton County ) and the other at the largest (Raceway 7).’ Zimbardi was given an Award for Sportsmanship for the eighth year in a row as well, an honor he joked about while accepting his championship trophy. Tony Difonzo, crew man on the 35, was named the Mechanic of the Year.

Poirier, of St. Mathieu de Beleoil, Quebec , made his preseason commitment to run the full PST Canada Tour pay off, as he outlasted Jason Barney over the six months to claim his own $5,000 cash championship. Poirier was unable to attend the banquet Saturday Night due to a late business conflict, but his head wrench Kevin Loveys was on hand to accept the hardware despite driving through a blizzard on his way down from Montreal .

Scott Just, of Ransomville , NY , was another major award recipient on the night, taking home the Insinger Race Fuels Rookie of the Year, joining a select group. Just was also named the Original Pizza Logs Dash Series Chapmion. Defending PST America Champion Scott Kreutter was second in points this season. In addition, he was honored as the Patriot of the Year for the second-straight season.

Defending PST Canada Champion Justin Barger was third in PST America points this year, Gater Racing News Hard Charger of the Season Tommy Wickham was fourth in the standings for the second-straight year while Geoff Quackenbush rounded out the top five in his return to the tour for the first time in six years. Brad Knab was sixth in points, ahead of Clint Ide, Scott Just, Bryan Howland and Steve Collins who completed the top-10. 

Top newcomer Tyler Graves and fellow rookie Dave Just also were point fund eligible. Jason Barney finished second in the PST Canada standings, just ahead of Jamie Collard, who finished in that position last year. 

Barger and Zimbardi doubled up their point funds, rounding out the top five. Chris Jones, Glenn Styres, Keith Dempster, Patrick Vigneault and Etienne Girard completed the top 10 in the PST Canada standings.

A special moment on the night was when the Hard Luck Award was handed out to George Suprick. The 2004 Series Champion’s season was cut short back in June when he suffered a heart attack following a series event at Mercer. Suprick thanked those in attendance, but made sure to let everyone know how truly lucky he was, before announcing he will be back to race next season.

Former racer and major series supporter Scott Bonnell was recognized for his Dedication to Motorsports, another special award on the night. After the awards were distributed, each eligible driver in attendance took home a product through random draw. These items were made possible by Diversified Machine Inc. (DMI), Winters Performance Products, The Brake Man, Saldana Race Prodcuts, M&W Aluminum Products, Insinger Race Fules, Top Flight Wings, Randy’s Racing Filters, Bicknell Racing Products, Eagle Motorsports, Ti22 Peformance, Rod End Supply, MPD Race Products, Ti64 Titanium Products, Crow Racing Products, Brad Penn Oil and Mike Emhof Motorsports.

To conclude the ceremony, PST Owner Mike Emhof took to the podium to shed some light on the 2014 season. Emhof first declared that once again next season their will be a PST America and PST Canada Series, each paying $5,000 to the champion. In addition, if a driver can claim both titles, they will receive a $5,000 bonus, meaning that $15,000 will be up for grabs for a single driver. It was also announced that almost every track on the tour this past season will be part of the 2014 tour, with a few tracks the series was not at last year will return. It was a great way to close out a great night.

For more information, visit www.PatriotSprintTour.com. PST

America Top-12 (Special Awards in Parenthesis) 1.Jared Zimbardi (Sportsmanship) 2.Scott Kreutter (Patriot of the Year) 3.Justin Barger 4.Tommy Wickham (Gater Hard Charger) 5.Geoff Quackenbush (Worst Luck of Draw) 6.Brad Knab 7.Clint Ide 8.Scott Just (Insinger Rookie of the Year, Original Pizza Logs Dash Champion) 9.Bryan Howland (Best Appearing Car) 10.Steve Collins 11.Tyler Graves (Outstanding Newcomer) 12.Dave Just PST Canada Top-10 1.Steve Poirier 2.Jason Barney 3.Jamie Collard 4.Justin Barger 5.Jared Zimbardi 6.Chris Jones 7.Glenn Styres 8.Keith Dempster 9.Patrick Vigneault 10.Etienne Girard

Additional Special Awards Dedication to Motorsports: Scott Bonnell

Hard Luck Award: George Suprick Mechanic of the Year: Tony DiFonzo

Second Half Run, Strong Defense Leads UAlbany to 64-50 Win

ALBANY, N.Y. – In front of UAlbany women’s basketball royalty, the Great Danes snapped their two-game losing streak with a second half surge for a 64-50 victory over Colgate on Sunday.

Before the game, UAlbany honored the careers of Ebone Henry and Julie Forster, officially retiring their numbers of #5 and #11 respectively.  Both Henry and Forster were present with UAlbany Athletic Director Dr. Lee McElroy for a ceremony at center court.

“This game was about getting a win for Ebone [Henry] and Julie [Forster],” says UAlbany coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson. “Megan [Craig] being in helped get Shereesha [Richards] and Tammy [Phillip] open and helped us run our offense.”

Shereesha Richards earned her sixth double-double of the year, finishing the game with 21 points and 14 rebounds.

“It was important to win this game after we lost our last two,” says Richards. “We had to comeback with a fight to win it for Ebone [Henry] and Julie [Forster] and not come back from the holiday with three losses.”

Tying a career-high with four three-pointers, Erin Coughlin went 4-8 from three for 12 points and three assists.  Sarah Royals finished with 14 points and two assists on the game, moving into 15^th all-time in career assists at UAlbany with 214.

“We knew we had to run this team,” says Royals. “We knew they would double team our frontcourt, so we tried to beat them down the court and get scores.”

UAlbany fired away from three early, with each Coughlin and Margarita Rosario connecting.  A pair by Coughlin helps give UAlbany an early advantage, adding a couple of attacks in the paint by Richards to build a 15-8 UAlbany lead after five-and-a-half.

The Great Danes struggled from the field for the upcoming nine minutes as Colgate went on a 13-4 run, forcing UAlbany to call timeout when Colgate took a 21-19 lead.  UAlbany held Colgate without a basket for the final 6:17 of the half, retaking the advantage 24-23 going into the locker room.

Out of halftime, Colgate retook the lead until UAlbany went on a 5-0 run started by a Royals layup and one.  Both teams traded points back and forth when a Paige Kriftcher three at the top of the arch pushed Colgate up 39-36 with 10:50 remaining in the 2^nd.

Coughlin came alive at that moment, hitting a three-pointer in two consecutive possessions.  Richards added layups and Royals contributed a fastbreak layup as the Great Danes built a 14-0 run, surging ahead 50-39. In that run, UAlbany did not allow a basket in over six minutes.

Colgate stopped the streak with a layup and one from Josie Stockill, but UAlbany did not relinquish the lead again.  UAlbany has constantly fouled as the team went to the free throw line to add to its lead, finishing with the win 64-50.
UAlbany will break for the holiday and will next play in Long Island against Hofstra on Wednesday, January 1^st at 2 p.m. 


Albany Great Danes

Men’s Basketball Uses 24 Points Off the Bench to Down Yale 70-62

ALBANY, N.Y. – Luke Devlin and Dallas Ennema combined for 17 points off the bench to lead the University at Albany men’s basketball team (6-5) past Yale (5-6) 70-62 at SEFCU Arena on Friday night.

Both teams started slow in the first half, with Sam Rowley scoring four early points. Yale didn’t score until the 15:32 mark, going 0-for-7 to open the game. The Bulldogs went 7-for-31 (.226) in the first half and shot as low as 3-for-23 (.130).

The teams were within two points of each other for most of the half before a 3-pointer from Ennema opened up a nine-point lead with 7:05 remaining in the first session. The three marked Ennema’s first career points in his first appearance.

“I was just thinking that I wanted the opportunity and I was thankful to have it,” said Ennema. “I knew I had to capitalize on it. As the game moved on I got more comfortable.”

At the 3:45 mark in the first half, Yale had gone 2-for-2 from the free throw line, but just 3-for-23 from the field. The Bulldogs stayed in the game with eight offensive rebounds to earn more possessions.

At the end of the first half, eight UAlbany players had at least one basket. John Puk led the Great Danes with six points.
Despite a combined 10 fouls in the first half, the teams committed 32 fouls in the second half. Rowley picked up his fourth foul with 8:08 left after having no fouls in the first half. The Great Danes attempted their first free throw of the game with 9:02 left in the game. Puk went 2-for-2 from the line to give UAlbany a 12-point lead.

The Purple & Gold maintained a 7-10-point cushion for much of the second half before Yale began taking advantage at the free throw line. The Bulldogs made four-straight free throws in an 8-0 run to cut the UAlbany lead to four, 62-58 with one minute remaining. Puk, Devlin, DJ Evans and Peter Hooley put the game away from the charity stripe.

DJ Evans nearly finished with a double-double, 14 points and nine rebounds. Hooley and Puk both had 13 points apiece. Ennema had eight points, including two threes in his first career appearance.

The Great Danes held Yale’s leading scorer Justin Sears (17.3 ppg) to seven points and zero in the first half. Sears scored a career-high 31 points in Yale’s last game, a 76-74 loss at Providence.

UAlbany made at least four threes for the first time since a 66-55 win at NJIT on Dec. 1. The Purple & Gold went 4-for-11 from three, with Ennema going 2-for-3.

“Everyone was chipping in tonight,” said Evans. “Dallas [Ennema] came in and made some big shots. Luke [Devlin] has been handling injuries all year, but he came through big for us. I just wanted to be in the right place at the right time. It was important for us to win at home tonight.”

UAlbany continues its nonconference campaign at Drake on Dec. 23 at 8 p.m. ET.