Junior F Matt Welch (Lowell, Mass.) scored 16 points and sophomore G Akeem Williams  (Brockton, Mass.) added 15 to lead UMass Lowell over Saint Michael's College, 74-55, Tuesday night in a Northeast-10 Conference men's basketball tilt at the Costello Athletic Center.

The victory was the sixth straight and ninth win in 10 games for UMass Lowell, as it improved to 15-5 overall and 11-5 in the NE-10 entering Saturday's game at Southern New Hampshire (3:30).

The River Hawks moved into a share of second place alongside Bentley, Franklin Pierce and Stonehill.

The loss was the fifth straight for Saint Michael's, which slipped to 7-13 overall and 6-10 in the Conference.

Welch grabbed four rebounds while Williams dished out six assists and snatched four rebounds. Senior G Dipanjot Singh (Evanston, Ill.) came off the bench to score 14 points and dish three assists while shooting 6-10 from the floor.

Sophomore G Scotty Tavares-Taylor (Roxbury, Mass.) chipped in 11 points (4-6 field goals), five rebounds and three assists. The River Hawks also got a significant contribution from sophomore F Kerry Weldon (New York, N.Y.), who compiled seven points, six rebounds, four steals and two assists.

" Kerry Weldon set the tone tonight," said head coach Greg Herenda. "He played as hard as any young man I have ever coached. His motor was remarkable.

"Having Matt back gave us another big option to go to and he did not skip a beat," he added.

Senior G Tom Ward led Saint Michael's with 11 points on 4-7 field goal shooting (3-6 from 3-point range).

Defensively, UMass Lowell put the locks on its opponent for the second straight game (it defeated New Haven Saturday 80-54), forcing Saint Michael's into .362 field goal shooting (21-58) and creating 15 turnovers while committing only seven.

"We just continue to play extremely hard anad we are taking pride in our defense," Herenda said. "That will always be the foundation of this program."

Fouls were at a minimum on both sides with UMass Lowell committing eight to Saint Michael's nine. The Purple Knights went to the line only seven times (hitting five) while UMass Lowell shot 3-5.

Saint Michael's turnovers enabled the River Hawks to outscored them 19-8 off mistakes.

UMass Lowell ended the first half with an 11-2 run, fueled by consecutive treys by Singh, a trey by Tavares-Taylor and a conventional 2-point play by Williams, to grab a 39-30 lead at the break.

The River Hawks led 48-38 with 13 minutes left and went on a 9-3 spurt - led by treys from Tavares-Taylor and Williams - en route to a 57-41 cushion from which Saint Michael's never recovered.