Nov. 18, 2009

Box Score

 

Thanks to an 11-0 run in the final quarter of the game and four River Hawks scoring in double digits, UMass Lowell (2-0, 1-0 NE-10) was lifted to a 67-52 victory over Saint Michael's College (0-1, 0-1 NE-10) in the first Northeast-10 Conference matchup of the season, Wednesday night in Colchester.

UMass Lowell was led by sophomore guard, NE-10 Player of the Week Kyle Caiola (Parma, OH), who tallied 19 points and grabbed seven rebounds on the night. He also dished a team-best four assists and went 3 for 7 from behind the arc. He was 6 for 13 from the floor and a perfect 4 for 4 from the charity stripe.

"That was a well-earned conference road win," said head coach Greg Herenda.  "Saint Michael's made things difficult for us tonight, but we grinded out a well-deserved victory."

Leading the River Hawks on the glass was senior Kingsley Onyechi (Lowell, MA), with nine, while senior Craig Heatherly (Mishawaka, IN) grabbed seven on the night. Onyechi also tallied 12 points and blocked three shots, while Heatherly tacked on nine points in the game.

The score was knotted at 41 apiece with 10:25 left in the game, before UMass Lowell went on an 11-0 run, that included three three-pointers by Caiola, John Corbacio (Stoney Creek, Ont.) and Kevin Carr (Lancaster, OH). The momentum swing gave UMass Lowell a lead it would not relinquish, despite the Purple Knights coming back within six with just under four minutes left on the clock. The River Hawks held onto their lead and finished with the 15-point advantage.

Freshman Scotty Tavares-Taylor (Boston, MA) went 4 for 8 from the floor and notched 12 points on the evening, while Carr finished with 10 points and four rebounds in the game.

"We had four guys in double figures and we really took care of the basketball," Herenda said.  "I told our guys winning road games was not going to be easy and tonight was no exception."

UMass Lowell only committed nine turnovers in the contest, while the Purple Knights lost the ball 15 times. The River Hawks netted 10 three-pointers in the game and only allowed five of Saint Michael's 23 attempts from behind the arc.

The River Hawks held their opponents to .281 FG percentage (9 for 32) in the first half and capitalized on their own opportunities in the second, shooting .462 from the floor (12 for 26) in the final 20 minutes of play.

The Purple Knights were led by freshman Travis Warech (Pine Brook, NJ) with 23 points and sophomore Tyler Schilling (Excelsior, MN) with 15 boards.

The River Hawks return to action on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. in Costello Gymnasium, when they will host the Caldwell College Cougars in a non-conference tilt.