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Albany

Will Brown, the coach of the University at Albany men's basketball team, thought things might be like this.

And when the Great Danes got thumped 72-65 by Stony Brook in front of a sellout crowd of 4,538 on Big Purple Growl night, he let everyone in on his little secret.

"Right now, and this is not because we lost the game, we are kind of where I expected we would be," Brown said. "Whether anyone likes it or not, I am not surprised by it."

Where the Danes are is in unfamiliar territory. UAlbany is 5-5 in the America East Conference (14-11 overall), good for fifth place.

The Danes play next on Monday night, when they travel to Durham to take on New Hampshire, which is 5-4 in the league. The Wildcats beat UAlbany 75-67 earlier this season at SEFCU.

The Danes suddenly have become not such a tough assignment for teams in the league — at least the ones in front of them in the standings.

Saturday's loss dropped the league home record to 3-3. The three wins have come against Binghamton, Maine and UMass Lowell. Those teams have a combined America East record of 8-22. The three teams the Danes have lost to at home — New Hampshire, Vermont and Stony Brook — are a combined 23-6.

"We still have work to do," Brown said.

There are only six games remaining in the regular season, and four of UAlbany's are away from home. Right now, the Danes are not one of the best four teams in the league; if they finish fifth or lower, they'll open the America East Tournament on the road.

Stony Brook (13-10, 8-2) becomes the first team in the league to sweep the Danes this season. The Seawolves rallied from a 21-point deficit to hand UAlbany a 72-70 loss on Long Island on Jan. 8.

Lucas Woodhouse, a fifth-year senior, led Stony Brook with 23 points, 12 coming in the second half. Stony Brook started the second half on a 12-4 run, erasing a 30-29 halftime deficit and taking a 41-34 lead with 16:11 left. UAlbany never led, getting no closer than four. And that came when there were only 46 seconds left.

"We waited for the last four minutes to try and make a run, and, against a team like that, it's too late," said guard Joe Cremo, one of four Danes in double figures with 14 points.

Junior center Greig Stire led the Danes in scoring with a career-high 15 points.

Brown said Stony Brook's starting lineup, which consisted of two seniors and three juniors, showed much more poise than the youthful Danes. Mike Rowley is the only senior who starts for the Danes. Cremo and David Nichols, the two leading scorers, are sophomores, and Devonte Campbell, another sophomore, is in his first year with the program.

"When you start to fall behind, there is no six-point basket or seven-point basket," Brown said. "We have to make better decisions."

He was referring to Cremo and Nichols — in particular Nichols — who finished with 10 points on 4-for-16 shooting. He also fouled out with 3:32 left, picking up the disqualifying foul just 32 seconds after he had checked in.

Stony Brook coach Jeff Boals threw a compliment to the two UAlbany guards, saying, "I don't know if there is a better duo in our league."

Cremo wasn't about to take any bows.

"We have been in every (league) game," he said, and the Danes' five league losses have come by an average of 6.8 points. "No team has blown us out. But that makes it worse, honestly."

twilkin@timesunion.com • 518-454-5415 • @tjwilkin

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