Jan. 8, 2009

ALBANY, NY - Freshman G Kyle Caiola (Parma, OH) scored 23 points to lead UMass Lowell over the College of Saint Rose, 81-70, Thursday night in a Northeast-10 Conference men's basketball clash at the Daniel P. Nolan Gymnasium.

The victory was the seventh straight for the River Hawks, who improved to 11-3 overall and 6-3 in the Conference entering Saturday's game at Pace (3:30). Saint Rose slipped to 5-9 overall and 3-6 in the Conference.

UMass Lowell's winning streak is its longest since the 2003-04 season.

Caiola, who led five players in double digits, converted 7 of 9 field goals (2-4 from 3-point range) and 7 of 8 free throws and also dished out three assists. Junior F Victor Colon (Chicago, IL) added 18 points and six rebounds while shooting 5 for 10 from the floor and 5-5 from the free throw line.

Junior G Kevin Carr (Lancaster, OH) chipped in 15 points while junior C Ali Kanaan (Montreal, QUE) had a season-high 14 points, hitting 7 of 8 field goals, and four rebounds.

Junior G Craig Heatherly (Mishawaka, IN) scored 10 points (5-8 field goals) and dished five assists.

"Kyle Caiola played incredibly well and the combination of Victor, Ali and Kevin Carr really led us to victory down the stretch," said UML Head Coach Greg Herenda.

Junior G Jermaine Clark led Saint Rose with 18 points on 8 of 14 field goal shooting, and four assists while senior G Josh Pelletier added 15 points and five assists. Freshman G Shea Bromirski chipped in 13 points (5-10 field goals) and freshman F Brian Hanuschak 10 points (4-5 field goals) and five rebounds.

The River Hawks shot .547 for the game (29-53) while Saint Rose shot .528 (28-53), but dipped to a .448 clip in the second half (13-29) after shooting ..625 in the first (15-24).

UMass Lowell also converted 14 of 16 free throws opposed to 8-15 shooting by the Golden Knights.

UMass Lowell led at the break 35-34, and ran out to leads of 11-0 and 16-8. But the Golden Knights rallied to close the deficit to 27-26 with 5:36 left in the half. Clark scored 13 points in the half while Kanaan led UMass Lowell with 10.

The Golden Knights opened the second half with eight straight points - led by a pair of treys by Bromirski - to give Saint Rose a 42-35 lead just under two minutes in.

However, a pair of threes by Colon, along with a jumper and a three by Carr gave the River Hawks a 45-42 edge, which they would not relinquish. The Golden Knights cut the lead to four (74-70) with 2:42 left to play, but UMass Lowell ended the game with seven straight points, led by three free throws by Caiola to seal the win.

UMass Lowell was without sophomore G Max Kerman (Watertown, MA) and freshman C John Corbacio (Stoney Creek, ONT) for the majority of thegame due to injuries.

"That was a real character win for our team," Herenda noted. "Playing without our captain and Boch going down really tested our depth and our fortitude. We just managed to figure out a way to get it done."