Jan. 19, 2011

Box Score

The LeMoyne Dolphins grabbed their first lead of the second half with less than two minutes remaining in regulation and never looked back, erasing a substantial UMass Lowell lead and downing the River Hawk men's basketball team 77-75 in Syracuse on Wednesday night in Northeast-10 action.

With the loss, UMass Lowell falls to 10-6 overall with an even 6-6 mark in NE-10 play, while LeMoyne stands at 7-9 on the year and improves to 5-7 in the conference.

Sophomore Matt Welch (Lowell, Mass.) and freshman Akeem Williams (Brockton, Mass.) combined for more than half of the River Hawk offense, tallying 22 and 20 points, respectively, on the night.

"My guys play so hard but we have to play hard without fouling.  That was the difference in the game," said Head Coach Greg Herenda.  "Matt and Akeem carried us all night.  Matt had a great look before the buzzer and I still don't know how it didn't go in."

UMass Lowell started off on the right foot, shooting 50% in the first half to snap its recent offensive slump. Neck and neck with the Dolphins through the first quarter of play, the River Hawks began a steady ascent midway through the second.

After being knotted at 22 apiece just over 11 minutes into the contest, the River Hawks netted another 21 in the remaining eight minutes of the stanza compared to just 11 from the Dolphins.

"It was a tale of two halves tonight," said Herenda.  "We were extremely efficient on both sides of the ball in the first half, but the second half was a different story."

UMass Lowell kept its opponent a steady distance away through the first half of the second stanza, but the Dolphins began to chip away at the River Hawks' 11-point lead in the final 10 minutes of the game. With 9:41 left on the clock, UMass Lowell led 59-48, but it became a much closer game in the final five minutes of regulation.

LeMoyne tied the game at 69 all with 3:30 left in the game, grabbing a 74-71 lead on a three-pointer from Chris Johnson at the 1:53 mark to give the Dolphins an advantage they would not relinquish. Free throws by Kevin Roth and Can Ozkaner were all the cushion LeMoyne needed to complete its come-from-behind victory, eventually finishing the River Hawks 77-75.

In addition to his 22-point contribution, Welch recorded a double-double behind a game-high 11 rebounds. He sank six from long range in the game, grabbing a steal, as well.

Williams added three assists to his 20 points, while freshman Antonio Bivins (Miami, Fla.) netted nine points, also dishing three assists on the night.

Sophomore Romeo Diaz (Methuen, Mass.) notched eight points and six rebounds, while junior Robbie Walton (South Boston, Mass.) led the team with five assists in the game. He also chipped in four points and three rebounds.

The Dolphins were led by 21 points from both Roth and Ozkaner, while Ozkaner went 11-14 from the free throw line. Johnson also finished the night in double-figures, with a 10-point showing.

The teams were nearly even on the glass, with UMass Lowell grabbing 39 rebounds - including 13 offensive, while LeMoyne had 38 combined rebounds. The offensive boards helped the River Hawks outscore their opponent 21-7 on second chance opportunities.

Despite both squads committing an equal eight turnovers apiece, LeMoyne capitalized by tallying 11 points off the miscues, compared to just five from UMass Lowell. The Dolphins also owned a 40-28 advantage in the paint.

The River Hawks look to bounce back from their two-game skid when they host the Saint Rose Golden Knights on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. for a conference game.