SEATTLE — The University at Albany had plenty of excuses to pick from.

When Washington went on a 9-0 run early in the second half, the Great Danes were presented with an opportunity to quit. They were playing their third game in five nights. It would have been easy to point to the Pac-12 opponent or the cross-country travel taking its toll.

Instead, guards Mike Black and Jacob Iati figured it would be more fun to provide the program with a signature win.

The Danes' starting backcourt combined to score 42 points. It was Black's layup with 3.7 seconds left that gave UAlbany a 63-62 victory Tuesday.

"I thought they played their rear ends off," coach Will Brown said. "When Washington went on that run early in the second half, the easy thing for us to do would be to fold."

The Danes (2-1) picked up the program's second win against a Pac-12 program, providing a memorable end to the 150th win of Brown's coaching career.

"It's my 150th win?" Brown asked outside the locker room. "Maybe they'll give me a raise and an extension. I'll remember it. We beat a Pac-12 team for my 150th win. I just have to thank those guys for it. I've had some great players and some really good teams. Hopefully I'm around to get to 200."

UAlbany started strong with Black providing a four-point lead heading into the half when he sliced through the lane for a layup as time expired. After scoring 20 points against Ohio State, he picked up where he left off, scoring 10 of his game-high 22 points over the first 20 minutes.

"It's the biggest win in Albany history," Black said. "I'm just grateful for the opportunity to be on the team."

Iati sparked the Danes early. He hit four of his six threes in the first half and finished with 20 points.

But the Huskies (1-1) led by as many as eight points midway through in the second half. Black, Iati and redshirt freshman Peter Hooley rallied UAlbany.

"Our kids just kept fighting," Brown said. "I'm really proud of them, because Washington is bigger, stronger, more athletic than us at every single position. They just didn't wear us down. I thought, at the end, we were the fresher team."

Hooley hit a 3-pointer from the corner — his first, and only, basket of the game — with 34.4 seconds to play to give the Danes a one-point lead. But Washington point guard Abdul Gaddy answered with a layup with 16.5 second remaining. That basket set up Black's heroics.

After he scored what became the game-winning basket, Black had to hold his breath while Gaddy attempted a three at the buzzer. "I was praying to God that he missed it, and he did," Black said.

After the victory, the Great Danes' next opponent is a 5 a.m. flight home.

"It's going to make that flight a whole lot better and smoother, that's for sure," Brown said.

Mason Kelley is a freelance writer.