Dec. 8, 2009
Box Score
Audio Recap - The River Hawk Report - December 9, 2009
Led by the Ohio-bred scoring duo of Kyle Caiola (Parma, OH) and Kevin Carr (Lancaster, OH), who combined for 52 points, the UMass Lowell River Hawks earned a 76-65 victory over Franklin Pierce on Tuesday evening in conference action at Costello Athletic Center.
With their second win in as many games, the River Hawks improve to 6-2 on the year with a 4-2 mark in conference play. The Ravens even their record to 4-4 and fall to 0-4 in the Northeast-10.
"This game was eerily similar to our last game," head coach Greg Herenda said. "With Kyle and Kevin having great games, winning by 11 points and doing it all in this building, it was very similar to Saturday's game against Saint Anselm."
Caiola enjoyed his second consecutive 32-point performance, tying his career-best which he set on Saturday. He went 10 for 15 from the floor, including 3 for 6 from long range. He was a perfect 9 for 9 from the charity stripe and added three assists in the victory.
Carr was also electric for the River Hawks, coming in off the bench to hit six three-pointers and finish the night with 20 points. He grabbed a pair of boards and dished three assists, as well. It was Carr's buzzer-beating three-pointer in the final seconds of the first half that extended UMass Lowell's lead to 17 entering the break.
"Kyle obviously was great for us offensively," Herenda said. "At the same time, having Kevin come off the bench was very effective for us. His first half performance stretched our lead and gave us some breathing room."
Franklin Pierce jumped to a 9-0 lead to kick off the game, as UMass Lowell didn't record a point until Carr knocked down his first three just under four minutes into the contest. The River Hawks slowly chipped away at the visitors' lead, finally tying the game at 19 apiece with 9:36 remaining in the first half.
After tying the tilt, the River Hawks went on a 9-0 run led by a seven point surge by Caiola, and led 28-19 with just under seven minutes left in the first. Before heading to the locker room, the River Hawks went on to stretch their lead to 17.
The squads both fired back in the second, as the Ravens got within six points (55-49) with 10:24 remaining in regulation. UMass Lowell held on, though, and bounced back to its eventual 11-point margin of victory.
Forward Ali Kanaan (Montreal, Que.) had eight points in the second half, grabbing five rebounds and swatting down three shots.
"Ali was our anchor in the second half," Herenda said. "He shared the ball well and made everyone else's jobs easier."
Junior Max Kerman (Watertown, MA) led the River Hawks on the glass with six rebounds, four offensive, and five points in the game. He went 3 for 4 from the line, dished a pair of assists and had one block in the victory.
UMass Lowell was able to contain the NE-10's second-best offensive squad, as Franklin Pierce had previously averaged 82.7 PPG. The Ravens held the slight 34-31 advantage over the River Hawks in rebounds, while UMass Lowell turned the ball over 12 times compared to the Ravens' 17.
The Ravens were led by Terrel Ray's (Brooklyn, NY) double-double, as he tallied 11 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Freshman guard Eric Jean-Guillaume (Stamford, CT) tallied a team-best 18 points and two other Ravens scored in double-digits.
"To be 6-2 at this juncture feels good," Herenda said. "Our team still has a lot of improving to do and we need to be more consistent on both ends of the court, but to be 4-2 in our conference right now, I'm happy."
UMass Lowell enters a three-week hiatus, next taking on Clayton State in the first round of the Winter Park Rotary Tangerine Tournament on Tuesday, Dec. 29 at 3:00 p.m. in Winter Park, FL. They will then play the following day against either Shaw or tournament-host Rollins, on Dec. 30 at 3:00 or 5:00 p.m.
