Feb. 12, 2011

Box Score

The UMass Lowell men's basketball team captured its sixth victory in last seven games, defeating the Merrimack Warriors, 70-60, in conference action on Saturday afternoon in North Andover.

With the win, UMass Lowell improves to 16-7 overall with a 12-7 record in conference action, while the Warriors fall to 11-12 on the year with a 7-12 clip in NE-10 play. UMass Lowell captured the regular season sweep of its Merrimack Valley foe, after defeating the Warriors earlier this season at the Tsongas Center on Dec. 11.

"I'm really proud to be the coach of this team," said Head Coach Greg Herenda. "To go into a place that I played, against a team that is so well-coached, and play well made me proud.  My team is  young and makes mistakes, but they give me all they have."

Freshman guard Akeem Williams (Brockton, Mass.) netted all of the River Hawks' first 11 points, largely thanks to three from behind the arc, but the Warriors jumped to a seven-point lead on multiple occasions in the first quarter of the game.

Down 23-16, UMass Lowell grabbed the reigns and went on a 12-4 run, capped by a three-pointer from sophomore Romeo Diaz (Methuen, Mass.) to go ahead 28-27 with three minutes left in the first frame. Merrimack's Wayne Mack retaliated with a three of his own, but it was three from Williams at the buzzer that kept the River Hawks ahead 33-31 at the break.

Merrimack tied the game at 33 to start the second, going ahead 39-38 2:30 into the second stanza. The River Hawks answered with an 11-2 run, completed by a tree-point play from junior forward John Corbacio (Stoney Creek, Ont.) to go ahead 49-41 with 13 minutes remaining in regulation.

The Warriors crept back within seven with three minutes left in the game and when UMass Lowell's Williams missed a short jumper, it looked like they might have a chance to close the gap more, but freshman Antonio Bivins (Miami, Fla.) grabbed the rebound for a quick tip-in to keep his squad up by eight. Sophomore Matt Welch (Lowell, Mass.) helped seal the deal by sinking a three on the next possession.

Welch finished the game with a team-high 17 points, while Williams was not far behind with 16. Welch also added six rebounds and a pair of steals. Williams complemented his 16-point showing with eight rebounds and three assists.

Also scoring in double-figures was Diaz with 11 points and seven boards, dishing four assists, as well. Junior Robbie Walton (South Boston, Mass.) netted six points and as many rebounds, tying Diaz's four assists. He also grabbed three steals in the game.

Freshman Chris Thompson (Florence, N.J.) finished the game with seven points and a pair of rebounds, while classmate Bivins added nine points and four boards in the contest.

Merrimack was led by 18 points from Mack, while four Warriors scored in double-figures. Darin Mency had a game-high nine rebounds.

UMass Lowell owned the 45-38 advantage on the glass and shot just over 40% in the game. They held Merrimack under 37% shooting and owned a 12-6 advantage in second chance points. The deep River Hawk squad outscored its opponent 20-0 from the bench.

Next in line for the River Hawks is their final road game of the year, as they head to Waltham, Mass. for a conference clash against Bentley on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. They'll return home to Costello Athletic Center to close the regular season with a pair of games against Saint Anselm and Franklin Pierce on Feb. 19 and 23, respectively.