ALBANY, NY – UAlbany went on a 12-1 run in the closing minutes to retain the Albany Cup with a 70-60 decision over Siena Basketball at the Broadview Center. 
 
The first person to play for each team in an Albany Cup, Marcus Jackson scored a collegiate career-high 17 points on 5-7 shooting for Siena (3-1), while adding eight rebounds. Brendan Coyle and Major Freeman contributed 11 points apiece for the Saints who shot just 36% from the field.
 
Reserve Justin Neely tallied 21 points on 6-9 shooting and added eight rebounds for UAlbany (3-1) which has claimed seven of the last nine in the series. Neely was 9-12 from the free throw line for the Great Danes who were awarded 24 free throws to just 13 for Siena, half their season average.
 
UAlbany led for more than 32 minutes, but it was close throughout. The Great Danes built as much as a seven-point advantage in the first half, however the Saints rallied within 28-26 at the break.
 
Neither team led by more than a possession spanning the first 10:36 of the second half, and Siena took its final lead at 45-44 on a Coyle three with 8:40 remaining. But UAlbany went back on top on a Byron Joshua three on the ensuing possession, and never trailed thereafter.
 
The Saints pulled within 56-54 on a Jackson triple with 4:12 left, but couldn't overcome a 60% shooting second half from the Great Danes who responded with their ensuing 12-1 run spanning 3:09.
 
Kacper Klaczek scored 12 points for the Great Danes who held a +11 rebound advantage (38-27) and a 40-22 margin in points in the paint. Joshua added 11 points for UAlbany which secured its second straight victory in the series.
 
Siena continues a stretch featuring seven games away from home over a 35-day span with their first high-major test of the season. The Saints unofficially open the Fort Myers Tip-Off with a campus site game at Big East foe Xavier Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. in Cincinnati, Ohio.