Feb. 9, 2010

Box Score

The UMass Lowell River Hawks (15-8, 12-6 NE-10) battled to a hard-fought 67-64 victory over the Southern New Hampshire Penmen (13-10, 8-10) in conference action at the SNHU Fieldhouse on Tuesday evening.

Kyle Caiola (Parma, OH) led four River Hawks in double figures, notching 15 points on the night, while Max Kerman (Watertown, MA) led the way on the glass, grabbing 10 boards in the game.

“To win in this gym, historically, is next to impossible,” head coach Greg Herenda said. “For us to come out with a win is monumental. We had another gut check and passed.”

Despite UMass Lowell jumping to an early 8-0 lead, the Penmen battled back to close the game within one (35-34) at the break. Caiola and Kevin Carr (Lancaster, OH) tallied nine apiece in the first, while it was SNHU’s Josh Morgan-Green and Marcus Matthews that combined for 19 in the Penmen comeback.

The game saw nine ties and eight lead changes before the River Hawks took command in the final minutes of the game. Freshman Scotty Tavares-Taylor (Roxbury, MA) rattled off seven straight points for UMass Lowell, changing the momentum of the game to the River Hawks’ favor, giving his team the 62-59 lead at 3:02.

When Cory Vejraska nailed a three for the Penmen with just 27 seconds remaining, SNHU was within two points (64-62), but freshman Romeo Diaz (Methuen, MA) sank three of four free throws in the final 12 seconds of regulation to keep UMass Lowell on top.

Caiola was joined in double figures by Diaz with 11 points and four rebounds, as well as Carr (12 points all from behind the arc) and senior Kingsley Onyechi (Lowell, MA) with 10 points after going 5-6 from the floor.

Kerman’s 10 rebounds were complemented by four points and four assists, tying his career best. Senior Ali Kanaan (Montreal, Que.) had seven rebounds in the game, along with four points and a pair of blocks.

“To single out anybody tonight would be unfair,” Herenda said. “It was a team win in every sense and I hope this victory catapults us down the stretch as we get closer to the NE-10 Tournament.”

The River Hawks owned a slight 39-34 advantage in rebounds and shot 52.4% in the second half (11-21).  They held the Penmen to 35.6% shooting on the night (21-59) and outscored SNHU 32-20 in the paint.

Matthews finished the night with a team-best 12 points for the Penmen, while Morgan-Green was not far behind with 11.

The River Hawks return to action on Saturday when they host the Warriors of Merrimack College at 4:00 p.m. at Costello Athletic Center.