The University at Albany men's basketball team secured a 75-68 victory over Vermont on Monday afternoon at Broadview Center, broadcast on national television. Amir Lindsey led the Great Danes with 24 points in a full 40 minutes of play. The win improves UAlbany's record while dropping Vermont in the America East standings.
In a closely contested America East matchup, the University at Albany Great Danes overcame an early deficit to defeat the Vermont Catamounts 75-68 before a lively home crowd. The game, aired on national television, showcased UAlbany's resilience as they built a lead in the first half and held off a late Vermont rally.
Vermont jumped out to an 11-2 lead in the opening minutes, fueled by Gus Yalden's interior scoring. UAlbany responded with a 14-9 run over the next seven minutes, narrowing the gap to three at 25-22, thanks to Amir Lindsey's contributions. A three-pointer from Tarique Foster tied the score at 4:55, and Miles Rose's layup gave UAlbany their first lead at 27-25. The Great Danes then closed the half on a 15-4 surge, highlighted by another Foster three, entering halftime ahead 37-26.
The second half saw Vermont cut the lead to six early, making it 44-38. UAlbany countered with a 15-5 run midway through, paced by seven points from Isaac Abidde, extending their advantage to double digits at 54-41 with 11:49 remaining. Vermont mounted a 17-6 push to close within five at 65-60 with 1:55 left, but clutch free throws from Lindsey (9-of-10 overall) and Abdoulaye Fall (perfect 5-of-5) sealed the win.
Lindsey finished with 24 points, four rebounds, three threes, and near-perfect free-throw shooting. Fall and Abidde each scored 16 points with four rebounds apiece, while Zacharie Matulu grabbed a game-high 13 boards to go with seven points and two steals. UAlbany shot 44.4% from the field (24-of-54) and 36% from three (9-of-25), edging Vermont in rebounds 32-33.
For Vermont, Yalden led with 21 points and eight rebounds on 8-of-13 shooting. TJ Hurley added 15 points, Ben Johnson 12, and Sean Blake 11 with four assists. The Catamounts shot 37.5% from three but went 10-of-10 from the line late without closing the gap. This victory boosts UAlbany's momentum in conference play, while Vermont looks to rebound from the road loss.