Dec. 8, 2010

The UMass Lowell men's and women's basketball teams host Merrimack College Saturday as part of the 2010 Holiday Hoop Slam at the Tsongas Center.

The UMass Lowell-Merrimack games are two of four games on the slate. The Lowell H.S. and Andover H.S. girls open the day at 1:00 while the Lowell-Andover boys meet at 3:00; followed by the UMass Lowell-Merrimack men's clash at 5:00 and the women's game at 7:00.

Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under for all four games. Admission is free to all UMass Lowell students and $3 for non-UMass Lowell students. All tickets are general admission and can be purchased at the Tsongas Center box office.

The Holiday Hoop Slam marks the second-ever UMass Lowell basketball games to be played at the Tsongas Center. A similar tournament was held on Dec. 11, 1999 when the River Hawks hosted the University of New Haven for a New England Collegiate Conference twin bill.

The River Hawks swept the Chargers, with the women winning 65-57 and the men prevailing 79-66.

Off to a 3-5 start (2-3 in the NE-10) this season, the UMass Lowell women are fresh off a 71-62 loss at No. 10 Franklin Pierce Tuesday despite 23 points, 10 rebounds and five assists from sophomore G Bianca Simmons (Middletown, Conn.).

Merrimack (3-3, 2-2 NE-10) enters the game a winner in two of their last three games: an 86-79 home win over Stonehill, followed by an 80-45 loss at Franklin Pierce and a 59-58 home win over Southern New Hampshire Tuesday night.

UMass Lowell leads the all-time series against Merrimack, 23-14 and has won five of the last six meetings - including three straight - over the Warriors entering the game.

On the men's side, UMass Lowell (5-2, 3-2 NE-10) got back into the `W' column Tuesday with a 65-59 win at Franklin Pierce behind 19 points from freshman G Akeem Williams (Brockton, Mass.).

The win halted a two-game slide for the River Hawks - a home loss to Bentley (65-61) last week and a road loss at Saint Anselm (89-67) - who have been without injured sophomores Scotty Tavares-Taylor (Roxbury, Mass.), lost for the season, and Matt Welch (Lowell, Mass.), who will likely be back after the new year.

Merrimack (6-2, 2-2 NE-10), which shot into the NABC Division II Coaches Poll Wednesday at No. 22, had won four straight games until Tuesday night when it suffered an 87-75 home loss to Southern New Hampshire.

Merrimack and UMass Lowell have met seven times over the last two years. Merrimack leads the all-time series, 29-20, and has won four of the last five meetings.

Both the UMass Lowell women and men enjoy a hiatus following Saturday's games. The men host Concordia (N.Y.) Saturday, Dec. 18 at 3:00 and the University of Bridgeport Thursday, Dec. 30 at 7:00.

The River Hawk women enjoy a three-week break until Dec. 30, when they host Caldwell College at 5:00.