Enrique Carrasco, Editor

The men’s basketball team had what is their most attended game of their season: Homecoming. Every year, the men’s basketball team plays in front of a nearly sold-out arena full of students, fans, and alumni cheering on their alma mater. In previous years, the men’s team fell to their opponents, and this year, it was almost the same scenario. The Explorers came into the game 0-1 in the season, after losing their out-of-conference season opener to Sacred Heart in overtime, after a buzzer-beater 3-pointer in the last seconds of regulation from Sacred Heart. The Explorers were looking to get their first win of the season, and their first Homecoming win in several years.

The Explorers led the Albany Danes 36-23 at halftime, and the energy in the arena was palpable. The Explorers completely shut down the Danes’ offense, keeping them to eight unanswered points for three minutes early on in the game. In addition to this, the Explorer’s defense came away with eight turnovers, which greatly helped increase their lead over the Danes. Yet, the Explorers seemed to have gained too much confidence going into halftime, as the Danes were able to cut their point deficit to only five points within the first seven minutes of the second half. This was a continuous trend during the second half of the game, where the Explorers were outscored 31 to 41. This led the Albany Danes to come within three points of a tie with the Explorers, but their poor performance from the three-point line kept them at bay. The Danes went 18 out of 46 in the three-point line, while the Explorers went 19-58. In addition to this, the Danes went 54-118 in the paint, while the Explorers went 53-126.

This win comes at a great time for the Explorers, who hope to have a better record this season than their previous one, when they faced a first-round exit against division rivals St. Joe’s. With the freshmen talent that coach Ashley Howard recruited, including 3-star recruit Khalil Brantley, and the returning upperclassmen, Howard hopes to lead his Explorers to victory. While this team definitely has a lot to accomplish, they have even more to prove to their loyal fan following. The Explorers face off against Delaware in their first away game of the season, then play Army at home during Military Appreciation Day.