March 9, 2010

Amidst a stellar run that included capturing the 2010 Northeast-10 Tournament Championship and an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, senior Kevin Carr (Lancaster, OH) and sophomore Kyle Caiola (Parma, OH) reached the impressive milestone of joining UMass Lowell’s 1,000 point club.

Carr reached the plateau by tallying 11 points at Saint Anselm on Feb. 20, making him the 34th member of the club and first since Brandon Arnette in 2006. Entering the NCAA Tournament, the guard’s career total stands at 1,059 points, which ranks him 31st all-time in program history. He also leads the program in career three pointers attempted and made (698 and 256, respectively) and is eighth all time with 153 steals.

This season, he is averaging 2.69 threes per game, ranking him second in the Northeast-10, and is averaging 10.2 points per game. Carr helped the River Hawks to their third Conference title in program history, averaging 11.3 points per game in the Tournament and shooting 43.3% from long range (13-30) in the four-game span. The guard also averaged 2.5 assists during the playoffs.

“Lost in the midst of this March Madness were two great accomplishments by Kevin and Kyle,” head coach Greg Herenda said. 'I am really happy for both of these guys.”

Caiola became the 35th member of the 1,000 point club when he tied his personal best with 32 points in the Northeast-10 Semifinal at Merrimack on March 4. The guard has amassed 1,027 points in his two-year career as a River Hawk including 631 so far this season, which puts him at sixth in program history for single-season scoring.

The Ohio native was an NE-10 Second Team All-Conference selection this year and was named 2010 NE-10 Tournament Most Outstanding Player. He is averaging 20.4 PPG and led the conference in scoring for most of the season. In the Tournament, he averaged 19.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists, going 29-35 from the free throw line.

Caiola is the nation’s second best free throw shooter, averaging 90.5% from the charity stripe (172-190) on the year. He has already shot 322 free throws in his young career and sank 275 of them.

“To score 1,000 points in a career is awesome," Herenda said.  "For Kyle to do it in two years is extraordinary."

The Buckeye State duo looks to extend their five-game winning streak and continue their offensive dominance as they head into the NCAA Tournament, taking on Merrimack in the first round of the East Regional on Saturday at noon. The tilt is set for noon and will be played at Stonehill College’s Merkert Gymnasium.