Dec. 29, 2008

Box Score

PLEASANTVILLE, NY - Freshman G Kyle Caiola (Parma, OH) scored 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds as UMass Lowell defeated Bloomfield College, 80-67, Monday in the Pace University Holiday Classic at the Goldstein Fitness Center.

With the victory, the River Hawks improved to 7-3 overall and meet Mercy College Tuesday at 4:00. UMass Lowell defeated Mercy, 71-48, in the UML Tipoff Classic on Nov. 15.

Bloomfield slipped to 5-5.

"It was a great team effort," said UML Head Coach Greg Herenda. "We had different people step up in both halves. After a 20-day layoff, we defended, ran our offense and beat a really athletic, quick Bloomfield team."

Nine of 10 UMass Lowell players etched the scoresheet as junior F Victor Colon (Chicago, IL) came off the bench to score 16 points - hitting 4 of 7 attempts from 3-point range - and grab five rebounds. Junior G Kevin Carr (Lancaster, OH) added 15 points as he hit 5 of 8 field goal attempts, including 5 of 7 from long range.

Sophomore G Max Kerman (Watertown, MA) chipped in 14 points and matched his career-high with 11 rebounds. He also dished three assists and shot 4 for 8 from the field and 6 for 8 from the free throw line.

"We had some balanced scoring," Herenda added. "Everyone but one scored today and that was good to see."

Senior G Omari Knox (Brooklyn, NY) led the Deacons with 21 points and nine rebounds while freshman F Robert Young (Bronx, NY) came off the bench to add 16 points and 13 rebounds while shooting 8 of 10 from the field.

Freshman G Jimmy Lynch (Bogota, NJ) chipped in 10 points (4-4 FG shooting) in 15 minutes as a reserve.

The River Hawks had a sizeable edge from long range, converting 11 of 23 attempts while Bloomfield struggled to a 6 for 24 clip. The advantage buffered Bloomfield's scoring off turnovers (18-7) despite the fact turnovers were near even (Bloomfield 16, UML 14).

UMass Lowell got out to its customary fast start, jumping to an 8-0 lead after 1:36, and held on throughout the half. The River Hawks led 46-33 at the break and led by as many as 17 (40-23) with 3:46 left in the half behind Carr, who scored 12 points in the first half.

UMass Lowell never allowed the Deacons within eight points in the second half when a trey by Knox cut the River Hawk lead to 61-53 with 12:06 remaining.

However, UMass Lowell countered with an 11-2 run to post a 72-55 cushion with 4:05 left to play. Caiola scored four points to highlight the run while Kerman converted a conventional 3-point play with 10:03 left.