UAlbany men's basketball sunk by 3-point barrage in loss to Dartmouth

UAlbany freshman Tyler Jones drives to the basket in front of Dartmouth sophomore Anton Strelnikov on Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2026, at the Broadview Center in Albany, NY. (Jim Franco/Times Union) (Jim Franco/Times Union) ALBANY - The University at Albany men's basketball team knew from its scouting report that Dartmouth wasn't going to be shy about letting the 3-point shots fly in Wednesday's matinee matchup at Broadview Center.When the Big Green started out red-hot from beyond the arc, it put UAlbany in a hole the Great Danes were unable to dig out of - even with a spirited late rally.Dartmouth made its first five 3-point attempts and 7-of-8 overall to start the game, and finished the afternoon 13-of-30 from deep in an 85-76 nonconference win."They believe so heavily in the 3," UAlbany coach Dwayne Killings said of the Big Green. "So they just keep shooting, and I think they shot themselves into a pretty good game today."Killings lamented the defensive struggles that UAlbany (2-2 overall) had against a Dartmouth (3-1) team that entered Wednesday averaging 32.3 3-point attempts per game, but was shooting just 30.9% from beyond the arc.Against UAlbany, with the Great Danes struggling to cover in man-to-man sets and forced to rely on a 1-3-1 zone, Dartmouth shot 43.3% from deep."We need to clean up everything defensively," said UAlbany freshman guard Tyler Jones, who finished with 15 points and eight assists."We have to be dogs on the court. We knew that they shoot 3s," added freshman forward Erwann Bussing, who had his best game in a UAlbany uniform with 11 points. "We can't let them in the first half be 7-of-13. We have to be better than that."Dartmouth's hot shooting start allowed the Big Green to forge a 49-36 halftime lead. The advantage eventually pushed to as many as 18 points with 8:53 left in the second half before UAlbany finally made a run.The Great Danes put a serious scare into the Big Green, with a 10-0 run making it a 78-74 game when Bussing scored with 53 seconds left. But on Dartmouth's ensuing trip down the floor, the Big Green burned nearly the entire 30-second shot clock before Cameron Hiatt drained a corner 3 that iced the win."We trapped, and they got out. We stayed solid, and then they bury a 3 that killed us," Killings said. "I thought we needed one more stop, and then it's a one-possession game. … They executed better than we did."Dan Civello scored 16 points to lead three Dartmouth players in double figures. Ten different players scored at least four points for the Big Green, and coach Brett MacConnell deployed a substitution pattern that essentially split his team into two five-man units who played together nearly exclusively.Ollie Engen finished with a game-high 18 points and added five assists for UAlbany. Jones' 15-point night was the fourth straight double-figure scoring game for the highly touted freshman, while Bussing and Abdoulaye Fall each scored 11. Wednesday's game was UAlbany's last contest at Broadview Center until Dec. 5, when Army will visit Albany. The Great Danes' next six games are all on the road, starting Sunday against Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass.UAlbany honors former player NearyPrior to the game, UAlbany held a moment of silence to honor former Great Danes player Daniel Neary, who died Nov. 4.Neary, also a long-time supporter of the program, was 50 years old.An Albany native who attended Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons High School in Schenectady, Neary played for legendary coach Richard "Doc" Sauers at UAlbany before graduating in 1999. He later became an assistant coach at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute before transitioning to a career in business.According to a GoFundMe campaign set up for the family, Neary suffered "a tragic accident" while on vacation with his family last month in Florida and died as a result of his injuries. He is survived by his wife, Casey, and sons Danny, Grayson and Lucas. A Mass of Christian Burial will take place Monday at 10 a.m. at St. Pius X Church in Loudonville."We really wanted to honor Dan Neary," Killings said, "who I thought was a great person, a great man, a great father, a great pillar in the community."SubscribeThere’s more to Albany with the Times Union. Subscribe today for just 25¢.This article originally published at UAlbany men's basketball sunk by 3-point barrage in loss to Dartmouth.