Sports Talk
By Brian DePasquale
Unbeaten Robert Morris Rallies Against Albany
Tim Levcik passed for two touchdowns and Sam Dorsett rushed for two scores in leading unbeaten Robert Morris to a 43-34 Northeast Conference victory over UAlbany Saturday, Nov. 11, at Moon Stadium.

Robert Morris (9-0, NEC 7-0) rallied from a 25-20 deficit in the second quarter when Dorsett, who rushed for 142 yards, scored on a 6-yard run with 3:51 left in the period. The two-point conversion failed, and RMC led 26-25 at halftime.

The Colonials, who extended the nation’s longest win streak to 16 straight, still led 29-28 early in the fourth quarter. After UAlbany’s Jonathan Garrick fumbled a punt return, Ryan Swofford’s one-yard run completed a short 32-yard drive.

UAlbany (5-5, NEC 5-3) closed within 36-34 on its next possession, as quarterback Ryan Roeder fired a 73-yard strike to split end Chris Phillis. A two-point pass attempt that would have tied the game failed when the ball was dropped in the end zone.

Robert Morris then put together a 75-yard scoring march to secure sole possession of first place in the conference standings. Levcik, who completed 18 of 35 passes for 302 yards, hit tight end Brent Hockenberry with an 18-yard TD pass with 8:01 remaining.

The Great Danes, who piled up 473 total yards, were on the move again, but cornerback Joe Austin picked off a Roeder pass at his own 17-yard line. Roeder finished with a career-high 279 passing yards on 13 of 22 attempts to go with three touchdowns.

“We made too many mistakes to beat a great football team,” Albany coach Bob Ford said. “Their quarterback made some tremendous throws, and we couldn’t get close to him with any pressure.”

Albany’s Phillis set a school single-game record with 251 receiving yards, and added a 74-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter. Running back Ben Kelcey scored twice in the first half on a 7-yard reception and a 13-yard run.

Women’s Basketball Wins Preseason Exhibition
Liz Tucker scored 15 points and Dawn DiMicco added 11 to lead Albany to a 71-44 exhibition victory over Quebec’s College Montmorency Sunday, Nov. 12, at the Recreation and Convocation Center.

The Great Danes, who went 12-15 in their inaugural Division I campaign last year, scored the game’s opening 11 points and never trailed. DiMicco, a senior guard, hit a pair of baskets in the run, before Chris Gray finished off that stretch with a driving layup.

College Montmorency closed within 15-9 on Helene Tshimbalanga’s jumper midway through the first half, but Albany ripped off eight unanswered points. Tucker, a senior swing player who added eight rebounds and seven assists to her scoring total, made two free throws in that outburst.

The Great Danes, who held the visitors to 29-percent shooting, led 35-22 at halftime, and were comfortably in front the rest of the way. Junior forward Marie Connors had eight points and eight rebounds. Montmorency was led by guard Pascal Morin, who totaled eight points and seven rebounds.

UAlbany begins its regular schedule with a two-game road trip to Colorado (Nov. 17) and Denver (Nov. 19). The Great Danes host Iona in the home opener Wednesday, Nov. 22, at 7 p.m.

Men’s Basketball Edges Upstate AAU in Exhibition
Freshman guard E.J. Gallup scored 15 points and Antione Johnson added 14 to lead UAlbany to a 71-69 exhibition victory over Upstate New York AAU Thursday, Nov. 9, at the Recreation and Convocation Center.

Upstate New York AAU reversed a 33-19 first-half deficit with a 19-4 run to end the period. Dan Buie, who played as a collegian at Southern California, scored eight of his 17 points in that stretch. Jarming White was fouled on a driving layup, and his three-point play gave Upstate AAU a 38-37 halftime advantage.

The contest seesawed in the second half, and Upstate AAU took a 64-62 lead with 5:42 left on Corey Anderson’s three-pointer. UAlbany tallied five straight points, and went back on top at 67-64 on Gallup’s long-range jumper.

After Buie’s three-pointer from the right side tied the game at 67 apiece, the Great Danes went ahead for good on back-to-back baskets in the lane by 6-foot-5 Will Brand, who finished with 12 points and eight rebounds.

White led all scorers with 19 points, while Darwin Cook added 14. Dave Schloss had 11 points and 11 rebounds for the Great Danes, who open their regular season against Central Connecticut State Nov. 17.

UAlbany Places Five on District I Academic Foot-ball Team
UAlbany led all schools with five players on the 2000 Verizon District I Academic All-America University Division Football Team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Harvard University and Canisius College each had three athletes chosen to the 23-player all-district unit. The District I team will advance to the national ballot, and the results of the voting will be announced Dec. 5.

UAlbany’s J.T. Herfurth, a 6-foot-6, 300-pound offensive tackle, makes his third consecutive appearance on the all-District I squad. Herfurth, who has a 3.87 cumulative grade point average in sociology, has made 30 consecutive starts at left tackle. He blocks for a unit that ranks 14th nationally in rushing at 218.0 yards per game.

Ben Kelcey, a senior running back, is an all-district selection for the second straight year. He has a 3.54 GPA in mathematics. Kelcey is third on the team in rushing with 272 yards and three touchdowns, and has 14 tackles and four blocked kicks on special teams.

Sophomore roverback Ryan MacLean (3.50, business administration), junior outside linebacker Brian Green (3.53, finance/marketing) and junior defensive end Joe Madrak (3.33, biology) were all-academic selections for the first time.

MacLean, a first-year starter on defense, is second on the team in tackles (77) and hits for loss (13), and leads the squad with eight pass break-ups. Green has made 62 tackles and three pass break-ups in 10 starting assignments, while Madrak totals 39 tackles and 3.0 sacks.

The District I team is compiled from NCAA Division I football teams from Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont.

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