UAlbany men's basketball on four-game skid after letting win slip away against UMBC

ALBANY - University at Albany men's basketball coach Dwayne Killings knew his team had just let one slip away.

Playing shorthanded once again with a seven-man rotation Saturday against UMBC at Broadview Center, the Great Danes still managed to carve out a six-point lead with 3:50 to play, only for a series of miscues on the offensive end and fouls on the defensive end to allow the Retrievers to snatch a 68-65 victory and extend UAlbany's frustrating losing streak to four.

"We had the game won, to be honest with you," Killings said. "Our discipline just killed us in the end."

Up 63-57 after a short Ma'Kye Taylor jumper against UMBC's 2-3 zone with 3:50 to play, UAlbany (7-16 overall, 3-5 America East) couldn't close down the stretch. After Taylor's basket, the Great Danes scored just two more points the rest of the way, committed three turnovers and could only muster a long 3-point attempt from Amir Lindsey that clanged off the back of the rim in the final seconds to doom them to another loss.

"We had no business, no business whatsoever being in that situation at the end," Killings said. "Just careless plays by guys when the ball's in their hand. Totally my responsibility. I take full ownership of it all, but at the end of the game, we were completely reckless with our decision-making."

"We've just got to be more disciplined down the stretch with the ball," said senior forward Isaac Abidde. "Just be more secure with the ball. Not trying to make tough plays. Make the right plays. Make solid choices."

Abidde scored 20 points before fouling out and Okechukwu Okeke added 19 points and 10 rebounds on a night where guard Jaden Kempson returned from a four-game absence due to a hand injury, but Zacharie Matulu (foot) and Abdoulaye Fall (knee) were both out of the lineup, adding to the Great Danes' considerable injury report.

Even with a bare-bones lineup once again, the Great Danes led for nearly three-quarters of the game, only for UMBC to pull it out in the final minutes.

After a Caden Diggs jumper pulled UMBC within 63-62 with three minutes left, the Retrievers (13-8, 6-2) didn't make another field goal, but went 6-of-8 from the free throw line down the stretch to push themselves past the finish line.

Ace Valentine hit the go-ahead free throws with 25 seconds left, and after a Taylor pass was stolen by Jose Roberto Tanchyn, the UMBC big man knocked down two more at the charity stripe for a 68-65 lead.

UMBC was 22-of-27 at the free throw line, while UAlbany was just 4-of-8. 

"We needed to get this game," Killings said. "We let it go. … We had the game in our hands, and we gave it back."

Down three with 14.3 seconds to go after Tanchyn's free throws, Killings opted not to use his remaining timeout. Lindsey ended up with an open look at a 3-pointer from NBA range, but the sophomore guard was off the mark on a night where he finished with nine points and six assists on 3-of-13 shooting.

Killings said he opted not to use the timeout because UMBC still had a foul to give, which would have given the Retrievers a chance to get UAlbany's offense out of its rhythm.

"(We were) just going to play through it and see what we could get out of it," he said. "But, we didn't execute."

Valentine led UMBC with 15 points, DJ Armstrong Jr. scored 13 and Diggs added 10 as the Retrievers pulled into a three-way tie with Vermont and NJIT atop the league at the midpoint of the America East schedule.

UAlbany, on the other hand, is in a three-way tie for sixth less than two weeks after the team's Jan. 19 win over Vermont left them just a half-game out of first.

"We shouldn't be where we are right now," Abidde said. "That's on everybody, especially the players. We've got to just be better."

This article originally published at UAlbany men's basketball on four-game skid after letting win slip away against UMBC.