Dec. 30, 2008

Box Score

PLEASANTVILLE, NY - Sophomore G Max Kerman (Watertown, MA) compiled career-highs of 19 points and 13 rebounds as UMass Lowell defeated Mercy College, 85-41, Tuesday in the second round of the Pace University Holiday Classic at the Goldstein Fitness Center.

The win was the fourth straight for the River Hawks, who improved to 8-3 entering Saturday's home clash against Saint Michael's (4:00). Mercy slipped to 0-10.

Kerman converted 7 of 14 field goal attempts, including 3 of 4 from long range, and grabbed six offensive rebounds. Junior F Victor Colon (Chicago, IL) added 16 points and eight rebounds in 22 minutes, shooting 4 for 8 from the field.

Freshman G Marcus Johnson (South Bend, IN) came off the bench to score a season-high 12 points, hitting 5 of 8 field goals.

Senior G Michael Marin (Flushing, NY) led the Mavericks with 17 points and seven rebounds while sophomore G Kortney Parker (Mount Vernon, NY) chipped in 11 points and five rebounds.

"Our defense dictated the game and led to some easy baskets," said UML Head Coach Greg Herenda. "We had a number of guys off the bench who gave us a big lift. This was a great way to end 2008. There's a long way to go, but we deserve to be 8-3. We've had some setbacks and some injuries, but we're getting better with every game."

The River Hawks forced 29 turnovers while committing only 12 - racking up a season-high 20 steals - enabling them to outscore Mercy 34-7 off mistakes. Additionally, UMass Lowell also outrebounded the Mavericks 46-25 overall and 20-2 on the offensive end, leading to a 13-2 edge on second chance points.

UMass Lowell led 42-20 at the half and shot .556 in the second half (15-27) while Mercy struggled to a .286 clip (6-21). The River Hawks also had the edge from long range, outscoring Mercy 27-3 from the 3-point stripe.

UMass Lowell led 19-14 midway through the first half, but used a 16-2 run to post a 35-16 cushion with 4:37 left in the half. Kerman and Colon each scored five points in the run while junior G Kevin Carr (Lancaster, OH) scored four points.

The River Hawks opened the second half with an 18-3 run to put the game out of reach (60-23) with 12:55 left to play. Kerman and freshman C John Corbacio (Stoney Creek, ONT) each had five points in the spurt.

"Max was a monster," Herenda noted. "He probably caught 10 loose balls in addition to his 19 points and 13 rebounds. We were also very happy with John who had four steals and a block. We got some quality minutes out of him."