University of Massachusetts Lowell
LeMoyne
River Hawks Rally in 66-54 Thriller Over Le Moyne
1/19/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 19, 2010
Despite falling to an 18-point deficit with 5:29 remaining in the first, the UMass Lowell River Hawks battled back to a 66-54 victory over the Le Moyne Dolphins on Tuesday evening in Northeast-10 action at home. The River Hawks held Le Moyne to just 20 points in the second half, turning the game around for the eventual 12-point victory.
Sophomore Kyle Caiola (Parma, OH) tied his personal best in points (32) and rebounds (7), leading the River Hawks in both categories. The guard went 11-for-20 from the floor, including five threes on the night and 19 of his points in the second half. He grabbed three steals and added an assist in the victory.
“Our last gut check was in Florida against a very good Shaw team,” head coach Greg Herenda said. “When we were down by 18 in the first, we learned a lot about our team and ourselves. I feel very fortunate that the kids in our program fought and worked so hard against a very good team like Le Moyne.”
UMass Lowell went without a field goal for the first four minutes of the tilt, allowing Le Moyne to an early 8-2 lead. The Dolphins built the advantage up to 18 points (34-16) with just under five and a half minutes remaining in the first, but UMass Lowell cut the lead to 10 before heading to the locker room. They finished the half with an 8-0 run thanks to five points from Caiola and a three-pointer from Robbie Walton (Boston, MA).
The River Hawks came out of the gate strong, hovering between a 5-7 point deficit to open the second. Caiola took a short jumper from the far side that banked in off the glass to give UMass Lowell its first lead of the game with just under 15 minutes remaining.
The squads traded threes, leads and ties, until the River Hawks began to break away on a pair of threes by Caiola and Kevin Carr (Lancaster, OH) and a layup off an offensive rebound by Max Kerman (Watertown, MA). They eventually built the lead up to 12 after Caiola drained a pair of free throws at 1:34, the final tallies of the night.
The River Hawks shot 53.6% (15-28) in the second half, outscoring the Dolphins 42-20 in the final 20 minutes. They held their opponent to just 11.1% shooting from behind the arc (2-18) in the game and the Dolphins sank themselves with just 50% shooting from the line (10-20), compared to UMass Lowell’s 90% (9-10).
“I take for granted what Caiola does for our team. Tonight, he willed us offensively against a tough zone defense,” Herenda said. “He not only scores, but he pushes our team and makes our team better. Pound for pound, he’s not just one of the top players in the Northeast-10, but the entire region.”
Caiola’s performance was complemented by a team effort from the rest of the River Hawk squad. Senior Carr sank a trio of threes, finishing the game with nine points and five boards. He also dished a team-best five assists on the night. Returning to the lineup, Kerman finished the night with six points and six boards, also adding two assists in the game.
“Having Max on the floor for our team in any capacity helps us,” Herenda said. “Then having Romeo, Robbie and everyone else contribute so much after working so hard in practice for this team, was huge for us.”
The UMass Lowell bench outscored the Le Moyne reserves 17-6, behind a season-high five point performance by Walton, who also grabbed four rebounds, including three on the offensive glass. Freshman Romeo Diaz (Methuen, MA) notched six points, a pair of rebounds and assists, as well.
The Dolphins were led by Laurence Ekperigin, who tallied 20 points and 10 boards. Despite a 16-point first half, UMass Lowell held the forward to just four points in the second. Behind Ekperigin, Damiani Corbin came up with 12 points for Le Moyne and Kevin Roth grabbed eight rebounds.
With the victory, UMass Lowell improves to 12-5 on the year with a 9-3 mark in conference play. The Dolphins stand at 10-7 overall and are an even 6-6 in Northeast-10 action.
The River Hawks return to action in Albany on Saturday afternoon, taking on the Golden Knights of the College of Saint Rose at 3:30 p.m.
