Jan. 15, 2011

Box Score

Unable to overcome its offensive woes, the UMass Lowell men's basketball team fell to the Yellow Jackets of American International College, 57-41, in Northeast-10 action at Butova Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon.

With the loss, UMass Lowell falls to 10-5 on the year with a 6-5 mark in NE-10 play, while the Yellow Jackets stand at 12-4 overall with an 8-4 record in conference action.

"AIC is one of the best defensive teams in the conference and they played us very well," said Head Coach Greg Herenda.  "I'm still very proud of our effort, though.  We played every minute until the buzzer went off."

The squad shot just 19.0% in the game, making it difficult to overcome several AIC scoring streaks through both halves. UMass Lowell had a slow start to the game, making just five field goals in the first, while AIC shot just under 35% in the stanza.

They couldn't snap out of the slump in the second, making just two field goals through the first five minutes of the second, while AIC started off on a 13-4 run. Sophomore Matt Welch (Lowell, Mass.) drained a three and a short jumper midway through the frame, attempting to put a stop to the Yellow Jacket spree, but AIC could not be silenced.

UMass Lowell grabbed three offensive rebounds in a single possession with seven minutes remaining in regulation, but the extra chances did not produce any more offense for the River Hawks.

Freshman Akeem Williams (Brockton, Mass.) sank back-to-back threes during a one-minute span in the final three minutes of the game, helping the River Hawks climb back within 15, but UMass Lowell was never able to get closer.

Williams finished the game with 16 points and five rebounds, adding three assists and a steal. Welch had eight points and a team-best seven rebounds in the game.

Freshman Antonio Bivins (Miami, Fla.) netted six points and grabbed as many rebounds, while sophomore Romeo Diaz (Methuen, Mass.) finished the afternoon with five points and rebounds.

Leading the way for AIC was Isiah Wallace with a 17-point, 11-rebound double-double. Adrian Hynes-Guery tallied 14 points and Denzel Jackson added 11 rebounds.

AIC owned the 47-40 advantage in rebounds, but UMass Lowell forced 15 Yellow Jacket turnovers while committing 10 of its own. The River Hawks capitalized by scoring 15 points off AIC miscues.

"We had some good opportunities, but it obviously just didn't happen for us," said Herenda.  "We held AIC to 37% shooting and turned them over 15 times, but when you can't score, it puts undue pressure on the entire team."

Next in line, UMass Lowell heads to LeMoyne for a conference clash against the Dolphins on Wednesday evening at 7:30 p.m.