Nov. 9, 2008
HARTFORD - Junior G Jerome Dyson scored a game-high 18 points and dished five assists as the University of Connecticut defeated UMass Lowell, 82-63, Sunday afternoon in a men's basketball exhibition in front of 11,113 at the XL Center.
With the loss, the River Hawks cap the exhibition season with a 2-1 record, having defeated Endicott College and the University of New Hampshire.
UMass Lowell opens its season Saturday and Sunday when it hosts the Tipoff Classic. The River Hawks meet Mercy College Saturday night at 6:00 and St. Thomas Aquinas Sunday at 8:00 at the Costello Athletic Center.
The Huskies, ranked No. 2 in the Associated Press Top 25 Preseason Poll, improved to 2-0 in the exhibition season.
Freshman G Kyle Caiola (Parma, OH) led the River Hawks with 17 points, converting 5 of 8 field goals, including 5 of 7 from 3-point range. Junior F Victor Colon (Chicago, IL) added 15 points while junior C Ali Kanaan (Montreal, QUE) chipped in 10 points.
"I could not have been more proud of our entire team's effort," said UMass Lowell Head Coach Greg Herenda, in his first season. "We competed eye-to-eye and toe-to-toe. We left it all on the floor. Obviously we wanted to win, but it was very gratifying to see us compete with the caliber of a team that UConn is the way we did today."
UConn shot .617 for the game (29-47) opposed to the River Hawks' .323 clip (21-65). The Huskies also outscored UMass Lowell 20-9 from the free throw line and had 10 blocked shots to the River Hawks' one.
However, UMass Lowell posted a 13-2 edge on the offensive glass and remained nearly even with the Huskies on the boards (32-31) and committed 15 turnovers to their 17.
"Connecticut is very, very fast and very, very imposing defensively," Herenda noted. "They're shooting the ball better than they have in the past. Their transition from defense to offense is exceptional."
Dyson converted 6 of 11 field goal attempts and all six of his free throws and led four teammates in double digits. Senior F Jeff Adrien added 13 points (6-7 field goals), grabbed eight rebounds and blocked six shots while senior G A.J. Price also chipped in 13 points.
Junior C Hasheem Thabeet had 11 points and two blocks in 14 minutes while freshman G Kemba Walker had 11 points and five assists.
"Other than competing I was happy that we shared the basketball and got a lot of good looks offensively," Herenda said. "We chased down rebounds and outrebounded them on the offensive glass. In a fast-paced game, we only committed 15 turnovers in a hostile environment."
UConn led at the break 46-33, and the River Hawks got as close as nine (50-41) with 17:32 to play on a layup by sophomore G Max Kerman (Watertown, MA). The Huskies, however, went on a 21-3 run to post a 71-44 cushion with 6:55 remaining.
Caiola scored 12 of his points in the second half.
"Kyle just did a great job of scoring and getting us through the Connecticut pressure," Herenda noted. "He scored 17 points against the Connecticut backcourt. That's very impressive for the first time putting on a River Hawk uniform.
"Victor and Ali were a presence inside," he added. "They competed with Thabeet and Adrian. It was a war and we lost the rebounding battle by one. There were many, many positives that will help us down the road."
