UMBC received a preview of what it's going to take to win the America East tournament yesterday, and the picture indicated some tough work ahead.
Regular-season champion Albany thrived from the outside with 12 three-point baskets, enjoyed a career-high 29 points from backup guard Jon Iati and sent UMBC seniors John Zito and Jerrell Dinkins out on a losing note in their final appearance at RAC Arena, 76-61.
The Retrievers (9-18, 5-11) lost their fourth straight and will be seeded eighth for the league tournament. They will meet last-place Stony Brook on Friday in the play-in game in Binghamton, N.Y.
Meanwhile, Albany is already guaranteed a place in the National Invitation Tournament should it not capture the tournament title. The top-seeded Great Danes (18-10, 13-3) will play the UMBC-Stony Brook winner Saturday night.
"He definitely surprised us," UMBC coach Randy Monroe said of Iati, who scored 20 of Albany's 35 first-half points and had averaged only 6.0 points entering the game. "He came out like a house on fire and could not miss."
Albany coach Will Brown inserted Iati earlier than normal because "we got stagnant in our offense. Jon came in and shot the ball as well as he has in a while. He gave us a big lift."
"Coach put me in early and I got an open look on my first three," said Iati, a sophomore who prepped at York (Pa.) Catholic High and had about 15 rooters among the crowd of 2,316. "It was one of those games when everything was dropping."
UMBC, which also had to contend with 7-foot-1 center Kirsten Zoellner around the blocks, could never appreciably cut into a nine-point halftime deficit as its offense sputtered throughout the game. Albany is now 16-0 this season when it leads at the half.
"We couldn't knock any shots down today," said Monroe, whose team finished at 38.9 percent from the field. "We were missing ones we normally make. It was just one of those days."
Zito, who had managed only five points in his last three games versus the Great Danes, led the Retrievers with 16 points and six rebounds, and Dinkins chipped in with 10 points and five rebounds. But Albany had a whopping 15-rebound advantage and four other players with at least nine points, including former Loyola guard Lucious Jordan (13).
"You want to win every game, but especially your last one at home as a senior," Zito said. "It's been a good experience."
Dinkins said playing the best team in the league just before the postseason "definitely" helps.
"You go in knowing you have to play 40 minutes. We know this is the kind of team we're going up against in the tournament."
kent.baker@baltsun.com
ALBANY--Lillis 1-1 1-2 3, B.Wilson 4-10 0-1 11, Zoellner 5-5 1-4 11, Jordan 4-7 2-3 13, J.Wilson 2-7 5-6 9, Siggers 0-3 0-0 0, Bauman 0-0 0-0 0, Levine 0-3 0-0 0, Iati 8-12 7-8 29, Connelly 0-0 0-0 0, Covington 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 24-49 16-24 76. UMBC--Zito 6-14 4-6 16, Housman 3-5 1-3 7, Greene 3-5 1-2 9, Dinkins 3-14 4-5 10, Pugh 3-6 2-3 10, Seaborn 0-0 0-0 0, Young 0-0 0-0 0, Hodges 3-9 2-2 9, Eshietedoho 0-1 0-0 0, Timba 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-54 14-21 61. Halftime--Albany 35-26. 3-point goals--Albany 12-23 (Iati 6-10, Jordan 3-4, B.Wilson 3-6, Siggers 0-1, J.Wilson 0-2), UMBC 5-18 (Greene 2-4, Pugh 2-5, Hodges 1-6, Dinkins 0-1, Zito 0-2). Fouled out--Zoellner. Rebounds--Albany 40 (Jordan, Zoellner 7), UMBC 25 (Zito 6). Assists--Albany 19 (Levine, J.Wilson 5), UMBC 10 (Pugh 5). Total fouls--Albany 21, UMBC 20. A--2,316.
