Feb. 28, 2011

Box Score

Lowell Sun: For UML basketball team, 'Revenge is sweet'

Avenging a pair of earlier season losses, the #6 River Hawks upset the #3 Stonehill Skyhawks in Tuesday evening's Northeast-10 Tournament Quarterfinal held in Merkert Gymasium, 79-69. Freshman guard Akeem Williams (Brockton, Mass.) led five River Hawks in double-figures, tallying 26 points on the night.

With the win, UMass Lowell stands at 20-8 on the year, while Stonehill falls to 21-7. In a rematch of the 2010 NE-10 Championship game, the River Hawks will host #7 Adelphi on Thursday night at 7 p.m. in the NE-10 Semifinal in Costello Gymnasium. The Panthers defeated #2 American International 55-52 in Quarterfinal action tonight.

"Stonehill is a very, very good basketball team and they beat us by 30 last time we were here," said Head Coach Greg Herenda. "But we came in here tonight believing we could win and I give all the credit to our guys."

When it looked like the Skyhawks might start stretching their 8-3 lead, sophomore Romeo Diaz (Methuen, Mass.) answered with a three and Williams tied it at eight apiece with a layup. UMass Lowell got its first lead of the game, 11-10, on a three from sophomore Matt Welch (Lowell, Mass.) five minutes into the first frame.

Stonehill tied the game once again at 11, but Diaz hit a pair of threes during an 8-0 run that put UMass Lowell up 19-11. A three-point play from Heman Honore (Medford, Mass.) and another longball from Welch made it 27-15 in favor of the River Hawks, midway through the half.

With 2.8 seconds left in the first frame, junior Robbie Walton (South Boston, Mass.) struggled to get through a pair of Stonehill defenders, finally breaking free to drain a buzzer-beater from halfcourt.

The UMass Lowell defense held Stonehill to just 38% shooting in the first, compared to its own 63% from the floor, including 69% from behind the arc. The squad drained nine threes in the half and carried the 42-30 lead into the locker room.

Stonehill closed back within six, less than five minutes into the second half, but Williams answered with a long jumper and a pair of free three throws to make it 49-39 a minute later.

The Skyhawks inched back within two (57-55) by the midway point, but a free throw from Walton and threes from Welch and Williams gave the River Hawks some breathing room. Honore went on to grab an offensive board on a third opportunity for the River Hawks to make it 67-57 with five minutes remaining in regulation. From then on, UMass Lowell held Stonehill at a distance, holding on for the 79-69 victory.

"We shot 12-19 from three and 54% against a team that just doesn't let that happen," Herenda said. "I can't say enough about Stonehill, but tonight it was all about balance and teamwork for us."

In addition to his 26 points, Williams grabbed four rebounds and dished three assists on the night, as well. Diaz went 4-6 from the floor for 15 points, also tallying four rebounds.

"I am so glad Romeo got on a roll tonight," said Herenda.  "He's been banged up but hasn't missed a possession.  He was huge for us tonight."

Walton notched 12 points, three rebounds, assists and steals in the game, while Welch was not far behind with 11 points, four boards a steal, block and assist. Also scoring in double figures was NE-10 Rookie of the Week Antonio Bivins (Miami, Fla.) with 10 points and a team-best five boards, four on the offensive glass.

Both Patrick Lee and Ivan Almeida tallied 17 points apiece to lead the Skyhawks, while Almeida and Mike Kernan grabbed a game-high eight boards.

UMass Lowell shot 54% from the floor in the game and 63% from long range. Stonehill held the 34-29 advantage on the glass, but only shot 38% in the game.

The Skyhawks outscored UMass Lowell 28-22 in the paint, but the River Hawks owned the 16-12 advantage off turnovers, while each teams committed 11 miscues on the night.