Memorable Night For Brown/Hooley as Danes Win

We're accustomed to junior guard Peter Hooley being a big part of wins for the UAlbany men's basketball team and coach Will Brown.

That was no different on Wednesday night, as the Danes top scorer led the way with 16 points, but on this special night, Brown was part of a big win for Hooley as well.

UAlbany defeated Binghamton by a score of 73-58 at the SEFCU Arena in what was Brown's 200th career victory. But the game was much more than that.

Hooley and the rest of the Danes were playing for Peter's mother, battling cancer back home in Australia.

The game was used as a fundraiser for the Cancer Council of South Australia. Fans purchased custom bracelets or Livestrong-style bracelets to help the cause, and also made donations at the door. In total, the fans at SEFCU Arena raised nearly $6,000 - and an anonymous donor matched that, to bring the total to $12,000.

It was Brown and his wife's idea to use the bracelets as a way to help the Hooley's.

I’m at a loss for words,” said Hooley. "It’s an amazing community, and the way the everyone has rallied around this cause I can’t thank you for enough. It’s really special for me, and I’m glad we got the win to cap off a terrific night.”

Here's what Hooley had to say after the game on Twitter.

The Australian connection was huge for the Danes on this night, as UAlbany also got 14 points from Sam Rowley and 13 from Mike Rowley.

Evan Singletary had 8 points and 7 assists.

The win moved UAlbany to 9-7 overall and 4-0 in America East play.

“I think we did what we needed to do tonight, which was get to 4-0” said Brown. “We’re happy about that, and we need to continue to focus on getting better. I’m even more excited at hearing that we raised so much for the Cancel Council of South Australia. I’m really happy that this community and this university came together for a tremendous cause.”

The Danes visit Stony Brook on Monday night at 7 p.m.