Feb. 21, 2009

Box Score

Junior guards Craig Heatherly (Mishawaka, IN) and Kevin Carr (Lancaster, OH) each scored 15 points to lead UMass Lowell over New Haven, 77-52 Saturday in a Northeast-10 Conference men's basketball tilt at the Costello Athletic Center.

The victory was the fourth in the last five games for the River Hawks, who improved to 21-5 overall and 16-5 in the NE-10 entering Tuesday's regular season finale at Southern New Hampshire (7:30).

The win also solidified at least a share of second place in the NE-10 regular season and the No. 2 seed for the NE-10 Tournament. After Tuesday's clash at SNHU, the River Hawks will bypass the first round of the Tournament and host an opponent to be determined Monday, Mar. 2.

"I am very proud of clinching the No. 2 seed tonight. It is very special for our program," said UML Head Coach Greg Herenda. "We've got a bye in the first round and we'll hopefully play some home games in the NE-10 Tournament. That was our goal going into today's game."

New Haven slipped to 8-18 overall and 6-15 in the Conference and caps the regular season Tuesday at Merrimack.

Heatherly converted 5 of 9 field goals (3 of 6 attempts from 3-point range) and grabbed eight rebounds while Carr scored all his points from 3-point range. Freshman G Kyle Caiola (Parma, OH) added 12 points and four rebounds while shooting 5 of 6 from the field.

Freshman G Marcus Johnson (South Bend, IN) also scored 12 points and dished four assists while shooting 3 for 5 from the floor and 6 for 6 from the free throw line in only 16 minutes. Sophomore G Max Kerman (Watertown, MA) chipped in 12 points and four rebounds, hitting 7 of 8 free throws.

"I really thought tonight's win was a combination of very unselfish offensive play and hard defensive tenacity," Herenda added. "We defended extremely hard and shared teh ball on offense, which is what our team has done all season."

Sophomore G Robert Jamerson (Forestville, MD) led the Chargers with 19 points as he converted 8 of 13 field goals and grabbed six rebounds. Junior F Cassius Chaney (Old Saybrook, CT) added 12 points and nine rebounds while senior G D.J. Sackmann (Pequannock, NJ) had 11 points.

UMass Lowell forced the Chargers into 17 turnovers (while committing 10) and mounted a 30-6 edge in scoring off turnovers and a 13-5 lead on steals.

The River Hawks shot .567 in the first half (17-30) while New Haven struggled to a .357 clip (10-28), enabling the River Hawks to post a 47-26 cushion at the break.

UMass Lowell also enjoyed a 17-6 advantage from the free throw line, shooting 17-21 opposed to New Haven's 6-16.

UMass Lowell jumped out to a 14-7 lead, then used a 14-8 run to post a 28-15 lead midway through the first half and never looked back.

"I cannot say enough about our team's effort and unselfish play," Herenda said. "We got what we deserved tonight."