Jan. 8, 2011

Box Score

The UMass Lowell men's basketball team played to a 68-51 victory over the University of New Haven Chargers in Northeast-10 Conference action on Saturday afternoon in New Haven. Four River Hawks scored in double-figures, exemplifying the balanced effort in the team victory.

With the win, UMass Lowell improves to 9-4 overall with a 5-4 mark in conference action. New Haven falls to 3-9 on the year with a 2-7 clip in NE-10 play.

"I think it all starts with our defense and we knew coming in that we had to be very respectful of New Haven's offensive ability," said Head Coach Greg Herenda. "We knew we needed to score the basketball, which we haven't done in a while and today we came out and shot 60% in the second half and 50% in the game."

Both teams were slow offensively out of the gate, as the game was tied at 6 apiece through the first six minutes, but River Hawks went on a 9-2 run, highlighted by a three-pointer and a dunk from freshman Antonio Bivins (Miami, Fla.), to bring the River Hawks up 15-8 at the midway point of the first half.

Although UMass Lowell led by 10 entering the final minute of the first half, the Chargers converted a couple of quick shots as the clock wound down, including a buzzer-beating tip-in to bring the game back within six points, going into the break. The River Hawks led 30-24 at the half.

At the start of the second, New Haven's Justin Exum hit a short jumper and a pair of threes, as the Chargers crept in closer, bringing the game within two points (34-32) before Darrell Ward (White Plains, N.Y.) completed a three-point-play and Romeo Diaz (Methuen, Mass.) sank a three to grow UMass Lowell's lead back to eight (40-32), four minutes into the second.

The turnaround was the start of a 14-2 run from the River Hawks, highlighted by five points from Diaz, Ward's three, a pair of free throws from Robbie Walton (South Boston, Mass.), a Bivins fadeaway jumper and a layup from Akeem Williams (Brockton, Mass.). The stretch grew UMass Lowell's lead to 14, as they were up 48-34 just five minutes later.

The Chargers came back within seven points with just under nine minutes left in the half, but Bivins nailed a pair of layups and Williams sank a three-pointer with just two seconds left on the shot clock to bring the lead back to 14 and the River Hawks never looked back. The squad held on for the eventual 17-point victory, shooting 60.2% in the second half.

"We had some guys really step up for us today, and I think that Romeo Diaz especially responded in the second half," said Herenda

Diaz finished the game with a team-high 16 points, adding five rebounds and an assist in the victory. Not far behind was Williams' 15-point showing, paired with four rebounds and four assists.

Freshman forward Bivins tallied 14 points and added four rebounds, a pair of assists and two steals, while classmate Ward netted 10 points and a team-high seven rebounds, going 4-5 from the floor.

Walton notched four points, as many rebounds, three assists and five steals. Sophomore Matt Welch (Lowell, Mass.) had nine points in the game, as well as five rebounds and a pair of blocks.

New Haven was led by Robert Jamerson with 17 while he and Exum each grabbed six rebounds in the losing effort.

The River Hawks outrebounded their opponent 34-22 in the game.

"We play the same no matter where we are," Herenda said of his team's 3-1 road record. "I think that it was good for us to get out of Lowell and change our environment today."

In a rematch of the 2010 Northeast-10 Conference Tournament Championship, UMass Lowell will host the Panthers of Adelphi University on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. for a conference clash in Costello Athletic Center.