ALBANY, N.Y. — Peter Hooley hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key on the final shot of the game, giving Albany a stunning 51-50 victory over Stony Brook on Saturday to win the America East tournament title for the third straight year.
The Great Danes (24-8) are 5-0 in the title game, including a 69-60 on the road last year over the Seawolves (23-11), who remained winless in four tries in the championship game.
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This couldn’t have been scripted better. Hooley missed eight games in the middle of the regular season to return to his native Australia to be with his dying mother. The team has worn “SH” patches on their left shoulders in honor of Sue Hooley, who died at age 52 in late January after battling colon cancer.
Albany trailed nearly the entire game before Hooley’s incredible shot, the only 3 the Great Danes made on 10 tries the entire game.
Sam Rowley led Albany with 14 points, Evan Singletary had 11 before fouling out late, and Hooley finished with 10.
Carson Puriefoy led Stony Brook with 23 points and Jameel Warney had 20 points and 14 rebounds.
MID-EASTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
HAMPTON 82, DELAWARE STATE 61: Reginald Johnson scored 20 points and the Pirates used a 13-3 second-half run to help beat the Hornets in the championship game at Norfolk, Virginia.
Brian Darden added 20 points and Deron Powers 16 for the sixth-seeded Pirates (16-17), whose semifinal victory on Friday night had only ended about 14 1/2 hours before the championship got underway.
The Pirates will be making their first appearance in the NCAA tournament since 2011.
Amere May scored 20 to lead the sixth-seeded Hornets (18-17). Delaware State, seeking its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2005, eliminated top-seeded and unbeaten North Carolina Central on Friday. But it had no answer when the Pirates got 3-pointers from Darden, Powers and Ke’Ron Brown in the go-ahead burst.
Hampton led 52-43 when it ended. The Hornets got within 61-56 with 4:38 to play, but were outscored 21-5 the rest of the way.
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