​University at Albany head men’s basketball coach Dwayne Killings is interviewed during the first day of practice on Monday, Sept. 21, 2026, at Broadview Center at the University at Albany in Albany, N.Y. (Will Waldron/Times Union) (Will Waldron/Times Union)
A season ago, it took University at Albany men’s basketball until Dec. 17, its 13th game of the season, to beat a Division I opponent. This season, that milestone’s already checked off.Coming off a relatively close shave against Division III Rhode Island College in their season opener on Monday, the Great Danes hit the road on Thursday for the first night of the America East-Metro Basketball Challenge and held off Manhattan for a 72-68 win at Draddy Gymnasium in the Bronx.It’s the first time that UAlbany has started 2-0 in coach Dwayne Killings’ six seasons at the helm. UAlbany got off to a 5-1 start in 2024-25, but that team lost its first game of the season before a five-game win streak.”Our team right now, we’re really focused on growing and learning how to win, but also earning respect,” Killings said in a video provided by UAlbany Athletics. “We’ve got to do that one game at a time.”UAlbany hadn’t won its first two games of the season since 2017-18, when the Great Danes started 6-0 under Will Brown.Two freshmen playing in their first collegiate road games had a huge hand in delivering the win for UAlbany (2-0 overall). Guard Tyler Jones, who scored 16 points Monday against Rhode Island College, followed that up with a game-high 23 points, three rebounds, three steals, two assists and a block. Jones shot 6-of-15 from the field and 9-of-12 from the free throw line. Even after he missed two straight free throws with UAlbany up by two with just over two minutes to go, the 6-foot-3 freshman from Memphis, Tenn. followed with an immediate steal and thunderous dunk to return momentum to the Great Danes.Forward U-Mier Graham, an Albany native and Green Tech product, added nine points, eight rebounds and four assists. Graham made big plays late, hitting four free throws down the stretch and coming up with a huge block on Manhattan’s Isaac Johnson when the Jaspers (0-2) had a chance to pull within a point with 27 seconds left.Both were key performers late in a game where the Great Danes never trailed, but never led by more than nine.”I thought our two freshmen showed a lot of heart,” Killings said. “They’re two kids that are learning what the intensity of Division I basketball is like, but I thought they both set the tone in their own way.”Redshirt junior guard Zacharie Matulu finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds, including 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions that helped UAlbany establish a 58-52 cushion with 5:39 to play. Ollie Engen added 12 points and eight assists, while Papa Kounta chipped in seven points and grabbed six rebounds.Dusan Eric led Manhattan with 16 points, Novak Manojlovic added 12 points and Ognen Stankovic scored 10, but Manhattan shot just 9-of-18 from the free throw l