Feb. 17, 2010
Box Score
Audio Recap - The River Hawk Report - February 18, 2010
Photo Gallery: Senior Night
The UMass Lowell River Hawks (15-10, 12-8 NE-10) fell to the No. 10 Bentley Falcons (22-3, 17-3) in a 66-64 heartbreaker on Senior Night at Costello Gymnasium on Wednesday evening.
The River Hawks pulled away to an early lead, owning the 29-13 advantage with 10:17 remaining in the first, but the Falcons chipped away steadily, led by a 9-0 run on four Brian Tracey free throws and five points from Jason Westrol, eventually closing the gap to just four at the half (39-35).
The teams battled through the second, after UMass Lowell built its lead back to seven on a Max Kerman (Watertown, MA) three-pointer at 17:35, Bentley quickly answered back and brought the game back to four with a three-point play by Tracey.
In the final 17 minutes of the game, neither squad pulled away by more than five points, with Bentley finally tying the game at 55 with just under seven minutes remaining. The game saw six lead changes during the final stretch, but it was five points by Westrol in the final 2:32 that sealed the Falcons’ fate.
“I’m very proud of our effort and execution tonight and I wish we could have gotten that one for the seniors,” head coach Greg Herenda said. “It just happened when the clock struck zero, we were down by two.”
UMass Lowell came out strong, shooting 53.6% (15-28) in the first half including 6-8 from behind the arc. They held Bentley to just 36.8% (21-57) in the game, but it was the Falcons’ 15 makes on 24 chances from the free throw line that sank the River Hawks, who only had four opportunities from the charity stripe.
“We played Bentley tough tonight and had them on the ropes,” Herenda said. “We just couldn’t finish the job.”
Senior forward Ali Kanaan (Montreal, Que.) led the River Hawks with 13 points, also grabbing four boards and stealing the ball twice. Right behind him was freshman Matt Welch (Lowell, MA), who notched 12 points and a team-best six rebounds.
Senior Craig Heatherly (Mishawaka, IN) went 3-5 from long range, finishing the night with nine points, two rebounds and an assist. Kyle Caiola (Parma, OH) tallied eight points on the night, grabbing four rebounds in the effort.
“We wanted to send our seniors out on a great note and I think we did,” Herenda said. “I couldn’t be prouder of our guys from top to bottom tonight and I think we did everything but win the game.”
The River Hawks owned the slight, 39-38, advantage on the glass and the deep UMass Lowell bench outscored Bentley’s 30-3. The teams were nearly even in turnovers (Bentley 13, UMass Lowell 14), but the River Hawks were able to capitalize on the opportunities, outscoring Bentley 18-9 off turnovers.
Westrol led all scorers with 24 points on the night, dishing three assists on the night. Tracey notched a double-double with 21 points and 11 boards, while John Brandt also scored in double-figures with 12 points for the Falcons.
“We have two games left that are crucial to the NCAA Tournament for us and we’ve got to win in New Hampshire,” Herenda said.
The River Hawks look to bounce back in their final two games of the regular season beginning with a tilt at Saint Anselm on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. in Manchester.
