Nov. 29, 2009

Box Score

Audio Recap - The River Hawk Report

Despite double-digit performances by seniors Kingsley Onyechi (Lowell, MA) and Craig Heatherly (Mishawaka, IN), the UMass Lowell River Hawks (4-1, 2-1 NE-10) fell to the Merrimack Warriors (2-3, 1-2 NE-10) by a score of 71-56 on Sunday afternoon in Northeast-10 action on the road.

Offensively, Onyechi led the River Hawks with 13 points, grabbing seven rebounds and going 6 for 8 from the floor. Heatherly added 11 points and seven boards in the game, shooting 5 for 7 from the floor.

On the glass, UMass Lowell outrebounded its opponent 54-39, including a 27-12 advantage in offensive boards. Senior Ali Kanaan (Montreal, Que.) led all players with 11 rebounds, six offensive. He added six points for the River Hawks, as did Kyle Caiola (Parma, OH) and Scotty Tavares-Taylor (Boston, MA).

Despite the Warriors jumping to a 9-0 lead to start the game, UMass Lowell fought back, tying the game at 14 with 9:21 remaining in the first. The River Hawks were never able to take the lead, though, as Merrimack held onto the advantage, jumping to as much as an 18-point lead late in the second.

At the start of the second, the River Hawks rallied within three points after just over two minutes into the half. UMass Lowell maintained a close game through the first half of the second, as it was a 47-43 game with just under 8:30 left in the game. The Warriors then went on a 7-0 lead that broke the game open and put them up 54-43 with 6:54 remaining in regulation.

"We played hard enough to stay close but we never could make a sustained run to get over the hump," head coach Greg Herenda said.  "Merrimack had all the answers tonight."

The Warrior defense held UMass Lowell to 28.0 FG% in the game (21 for 75), while Merrimack shot .424 (25 for 59) in the tilt. UMass Lowell owned the advantage from the foul line, though, shooting .846 in the game (11 for 13) while Merrimack shot .636 (14-22).

"We shot the ball as bad as we possibly could have," Herenda said.  "But I do think Merrimack had something to do with those percentages."

Thanks to the uneven rebounding, in favor of the River Hawks, UMass Lowell outscored Merrimack 12-4 in second chance opportunities.  UMass Lowell's depth also helped to keep them in the game, contributing 24 points on the night, compared to the Warrior bench's nine.

"The one bright spot was how we rebounded the basketball," Herenda said.  "We were strong on both backboards."

Merrimack had four players scoring in double digits, led by Roland Davis’ (Deer Park, NY) 17-point performance. Darren Duncan (Briarwood, NY) had 13 points and dished a team-best nine assists in the game.

The River Hawks look to bounce back on Wednesday, Dec. 2, when they head to Waltham for a 7:30 tilt against NE-10 foe Bentley University.