Jan. 23, 2010

Box Score

The UMass Lowell River Hawks (12-6, 9-4 NE-10) were unable to string together an offensive run strong enough to overcome the Saint Rose Golden Knights (10-8, 7-6) on Saturday in conference action in Albany.

“Saint Rose played exceptional basketball today,” head coach Greg Herenda said. “We were never in a position to beat them. They are very well-coached and they played, from top to bottom, an almost flawless game.”

En route to their victory, the Golden Knights shot 55.2% from the floor on the afternoon (32-58), compared to the River Hawks’ 35.1% (26-74). Despite being on the short end of the 44-40 rebounding battle in the game, UMass Lowell owned the 24-15 advantage on the offensive glass.

Leading the River Hawks was sophomore guard Kyle Caiola (Parma, OH) with 21 on the night. He also grabbed six rebounds and grabbed four steals in the game. Caiola was a perfect 6-for-6 from the line.

UMass Lowell brought the game within eight points at the beginning of the second half, but eventually went down by as many as 23 in the game. They battled back, forcing a couple of key turnovers down the stretch and sinking a pair of threes by Kevin Carr (Lancaster, OH), but it was not enough to overcome the Golden Knights.

“We had very good offensive looks, but it seemed like the ball just never went in the basket for us,” Herenda said. “Everything just seemed to go in Saint Rose’s favor today.”

Freshman Romeo Diaz (Methuen, MA) and senior Ali Kanaan (Montreal, Que.) also scored in double-figures, tallying 12 and 11 points, respectively. Diaz grabbed a team-best eight boards, while Kanaan contributed six in the contest.

“I was really pleased with our freshmen tonight. Romeo gave us good minutes, starting for Craig Heatherly (Mishawaka, IN),” Herenda said. “I was also glad Scotty [Tavares-Taylor (Boston, MA)] gave us a spark, as well.”

The UMass Lowell bench outscored the Golden Knights 31-14, as the 78-point outpouring was a team effort, spread among 12 River Hawks. Tavares-Taylor, tallied seven points on the night. Sophomore reserves Marcus Johnson (South Bend, IN) and Robbie Walton (Boston, MA) also helped the River Hawks, as Johnson notched six points and Walton grabbed a career-high six rebounds.

The River Hawks also forced 20 Golden Knight turnovers and grabbed 13 steals, only turning the ball over 11 times themselves. They capitalized on the opportunities by outscoring Saint Rose 19-10 off turnover opportunities.

All six Golden Knights that got on the score sheet scored in double-figures in the game, led by Shea Bromirski’s 24 points. Forward Brian Hanuschak enjoyed a double-double, tallying 19 points and grabbing 14 boards in the tilt.

UMass Lowell looks to bounce back, as they host Pace University at 7:30 on Tuesday night in Costello Gymnasium.