Jan. 14, 2009

 

Final Stats

 

LOWELL (Jan. 14, 2009) – Junior F Victor Colon (Chicago, IL) compiled 26 points and eight rebounds to lead UMass Lowell over Southern Connecticut State, 83-73, Wednesday night in a Northeast-10 Conference men’s basketball clash at the Costello Athletic Center.

The victory was the ninth straight for the River Hawks – the longest win skein since the 2003-04 season – who improved to 13-3 overall and 8-3 in the NE-10 entering Saturday’s hoe tilt against American International (4:00).

Southern Connecticut slipped to 1-14 overall and 0-11 in the conference and hosts Merrimack Saturday at 3:30.

Colon converted 10 of 15 field goal attempts, including 3 of 6 from 3-point range, in 28 minutes. Junior C Ali Kanaan (Montreal, QUE) added 15 points, a career-high six blocked shots and four rebounds, converting 7 of 8 field goals.

Freshman G Marcus Johnson (South Bend, IN) chipped in 11 points (3-4 field goal shooting) in 19 minutes off the bench.

Junior G Derrick Corbett (New Haven, CT) led the Owls with 19 points, three assists and three steals while senior F Preston Bell (Brooklyn, NY) and junior G Terron Jones (Bridgeport, CT) each added 14 points. Bell also grabbed six rebounds and Jones converted 4 of 8 field goals and all six of his free throw attempts.

Senior G Justin Gardenhire (Rosedale, NY) chipped in 12 points and seven rebounds.

”We played in spurts tonight and beat a very tenacious Southern Connecticut team,” said UML Head Coach Greg Herenda. “Victor Colon played a very aggressive offensive game throughout the entire night. Defensively, Ali had six blocks and was very efficient around the basket. He played a very solid game for us as well.”

The River Hawks shot a collective .538 for the game (28-52) including .615 in the first half (16-26) while the Owls shot .441 overall (26-59) and .393 in the first half (11-28).

UMass Lowell forced 20 turnovers while committing 15, but made the most of Southern Connecticut’s mistakes, posting a 21-6 edge on points off turnovers. The River Hawks also enjoyed advantages off the bench (22-8) and at the free throw line (22-17).

UMass Lowell jumped out to an 18-14 lead midway through the first half and built a 38-22 cushion with a 20-8 run, fueled by five points apiece from Colon and junior G Kevin Carr (Lancaster, OH). Southern Connecticut closed the deficit to 42-33 at the break.

The River Hawks maintained a double digit lead throughout the second half – enjoying their largest margin, 67-51 with 7:03 remaining – until the final seconds when Corbett meshed a 3-point shot to cut it to nine.

“Southern Connecticut did a great job making life difficult for Kyle Caiola (Parma, OH) and I thought Marcus Johnson and Robbie Walton (South Boston, MA) stepped up big and made plays,” Herenda added. “We could never put them away tonight and for that I give a great deal of credit to Southern. But again we play for 40 minutes and I think that was the difference tonight.”