Dec. 30, 2010

Box Score

The UMass Lowell men's basketball team closed out 2010 with a hard-fought, 67-55 win over the Bridgeport Purple Knights in non-conference action at home in Costello Gymnasium on Thursday evening. Freshman guard Akeem Williams (Brockton, Mass.) led the way with a game-best 20 points.

With a win in their final non-conference clash of the regular season, the River Hawks improve to 8-2 overall and a perfect 4-0 outside the Northeast-10. With the loss, Bridgeport falls to 3-5 on the year.

"That was a very, very tough, talented Bridgeport basketball team," said Head Coach Greg Herenda. "We were very fortunate to win the game - we just gutted it out, but they were a very tough opponent and for us to come out of here with a double-digit win, we are very fortunate."

The Purple Knights jumped to a 13-point lead to begin the game, leading 15-2 through the first five minutes of play. The deficit was enough to light a spark in the River Hawks, though, as the squad got contributions from Williams, a pair of threes from junior John Corbacio (Stoney Creek, Ont.) and a dunk from freshman Antonio Bivins (Miami, Fla.) as part of a 25-8 run that put them up 27-23 less than 10 minutes later.

Although Williams grew UMass Lowell's lead to six with a three-pointer in the final 30 seconds of the first frame, Bridgeport finished the stanza with a tip-in to close within four points and enter the break 38-34.

The River Hawks started the second on an 8-2 run, capped by a Matt Welch (Lowell, Mass.) bucket from long range to increase their lead to 10, but the Purple Knights stayed close by capitalizing on a four minute UMass Lowell scoring drought, coming back within four points (54-50) with 8:23 remaining in the game.

Sophomore Romeo Diaz (Methuen, Mass.) relieved the field goal famine with a three from Robbie Walton (South Boston, Mass.) a minute later and the River Hawks never looked back, winning the game by a 12-point margin.

In addition to his 20-point performance, Williams also dished four assists and had as many rebounds. Leading the way on the glass, Welch grabbed eight boards, including six in the second frame, and added six points.

Corbacio finished the game with a personal-best eight points, going a perfect 3-3 from the floor, while Diaz netted six points and grabbed seven rebounds. Freshman Darrell Ward (White Plains, N.Y.) also tallied seven rebounds, including five on the offensive glass, helping UMass Lowell own the 16-8 advantage in second chance points.

Walton contributed across the board, recording seven rebounds, six assists and five points. Freshman Bivins finished with five points and classmate Kerry Weldon (New York, N.Y.) helped seal the deal with a pair of free throws down the stretch.

UMass Lowell owned the decisive 51-30 rebounding advantage, including 17-8 on the offensive glass. The River Hawks also had a 26-16 edge in the paint, but committed 20 turnovers compared to just 11 by Bridgeport.

The Purple Knights' Donte Mentor had a team-best 10 points, while he and Tim Cokley each had eight rebounds in the contest.

"After a long break and three hard practices, our guys got what they deserved today, especially in the second half," Herenda said. "To be 8-2 going into the New Year, I'm very proud of our team."

The River Hawks will return to conference action by kicking off 2011 with an NE-10 tilt against the Stonehill Skyhawks on Sunday, Jan. 2. The game will begin at 4:00 p.m. in Costello Gymnasium.