Sports Talk
By Brian DePasquale
Football
Quarterback Rocky Butler threw a school-record six touchdown passes and running back Trevor Dimmie rushed for 214 yards to lead Hofstra to a 55-28 non-conference victory over UAlbany in the regular-season finale for both teams Saturday, Nov. 18, at Hofstra Stadium.

UAlbany (5-6) surprised the Flying Dutchmen in jumping out to an early 14-0 lead. Fullback Ben Kelcey scored on a 30-yard run and Ryan Clair reached paydirt on a 20-yard fumble return.

Hofstra, which is seeded No. 11 for next week’s NCAA Division I-AA playoffs with an 8-3 record, regrouped with 35 unanswered points. Butler, who completed 25 of 36 passes for 327 yards, hit Kahmal Roy with a 44-yard strike for a 21-14 advantage. Butler later fired a 41-yard scoring pass to Jason Maxwell with eight seconds left in the second quarter for a 35-14 halftime lead.

The Great Danes closed the gap to 35-28 early in the fourth quarter on Brian Manigault’s 6-yard dash and tight end Greg Sigler’s 7-yard reception. Manigault rushed for 103 yards on 19 attempts and set the school’s single-season rushing record with 1,041. Dave Soldini rushed 1,022 yards in 1984.

After a failed on-side kick attempt, Butler capped a short drive with a 12-yard TD pass to wideout Tom Kemper. Dimmie’s 72-yard sprint to the end zone sealed the verdict with 3:59 to play.

“I was really proud of our effort,” Albany coach Bob Ford said. “The 14-point swing just before halftime was critical. We had our chances, but they had too much speed, and we couldn’t keep them out of the end zone.”

Albany’s Chris Phillis hauled in a career-high 10 receptions for 148 yards. Sophomore quarterback Ryan Roeder was 20-of-34 through the air for 230 yards but was sacked five times.

Men’s Basketball
Freshman guard E.J. Gallup scored a season-high 22 points and Will Brand added 19 to lead Albany to a 101-55 victory over Green Mountain in the Great Danes’ home opener Sunday, Nov. 26, at the Recreation and Convocation Center.

Albany (1-3) made six of its opening nine shots en route to a 16-2 lead with 16:49 left in the period. Brand, a 6-foot-5 junior, scored 10 of his 16 first-half points in that outburst, while Gallup canned a pair of three-point field goals.

Joe Vukovic, who had 12 points, upped his team’s lead to 33-10 midway through the half, when he converted a three-point play after being fouled on a follow shot in the lane.

The Great Danes, who shot 57.5 percent from the field in the opening stanza, cruised to a 56-34 halftime advantage, and handed Scott Beeten his first win as a Division I head coach.

“We were sharp early, and the focus was good,” said Beeten, who was the associate head coach at the University of California the last three years. “Will Brand got us going with his shooting and rebounding. The team earned the win tonight.”

Green Mountain, a NAIA program, was led by John Saporita, who had 16 points and made four 3-point shots. Sophomore guard Jason Ryerson scored 13.

Karim Ouattara was the fourth Albany player in double figures with 11 points. Sophomore forward Steve Albany, making his first start of the season, added nine points and a career-high eight rebounds.

Women’s Basketball
Sophomore guard Jen Brickey scored 26 points to lead Hofstra to a 64-48 victory over UAlbany in the consolation of the Christmas City Classic Sunday, Nov. 26, at Lehigh University’s Stabler Center.

Hofstra (1-2) used a 14-2 run in the first half to build a 23-9 lead. Brickey, whose scoring total was two off her career high, nailed a three-point field goal to finish off that spurt. The Flying Dutchwomen, who led 28-15 at halftime, held UAlbany to 18-percent shooting in the opening period.

Albany (0-5) rallied to within 37-32 with 11:17 remaining, when Cara Caffell converted a three-point play as she was fouled on a follow shot in the lane. Hofstra, which lost to Robert Morris, 78-62, in the first round Saturday, took control with 17 of the game’s next 18 points. Kimberley Coke scored six of her 10 markers in that stretch, while Brickey added five points.

“I saw a lot of improvement today,” UAlbany coach Mari Warner said. “We are taking better care of the ball. In the second half, we worked hard on defense to stay in the game, but then we were exhausted on offense.”

Liz Tucker and Caffell each had nine points to lead the Great Danes, who made just 17 of 61 field goals on the afternoon. Tara Dilsworth was the third Hofstra player in double figures with 12 points. Brickey, who canned 8 of 14 shots from the floor, including four 3-pointers, added six rebounds.

In the first round Saturday, Nov. 25, Anne Tierney scored 17 points to pace four players in double figures as Lehigh posted a 76-51 win over UAlbany. Robert Morris defeated Hofstra, 78-62, in the other first-round match-up.

Women’s Volleyball
UAlbany’s Alissa Gibbs has been named All-Independent Conference in women’s volleyball, as voted by the school’s head coaches and sports information directors. Gibbs, a sophomore from Ballston Lake, N.Y., was one of six players on the first team.

Gibbs, an outside hitter who appeared in 86 games, averaged 3.28 kills, 3.22 digs, 0.42 service aces and 0.19 blocks. She recorded 12 double-doubles in kills and digs this season, including a 20-kill, 32-dig performance against Army Oct. 3. Gibbs was a two-time Suburban Council All-Star on the scholastic level.

Cross Country
Freshman Jessica Walton placed second in the women’s race, while junior Adam Rice finished fourth on the men’s side Saturday, Nov. 18, at the IC4A and ECAC Division I Cross Country Championships held at Van Cortlandt Park.

Walton covered the 5,000-meter course in 18:31.8, finishing almost nine seconds behind winner Ruth Chege of Seton Hall. Nicole Herring was 33rd overall and the second UAlbany finisher with a time of 19:32.2. The Great Danes were 15th out of 24 teams.

Rice led UAlbany to a sixth-place finish in the 21-team men’s field by running the 8,000-meter course in 26:06.4. The Red Foxes won the IC4A team title. UAlbany’s Mike Kiernan and James Sawtelle finished 18th and 32nd.

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