Box Score
Senior F
Matt Welch (Lowell, Mass.) led the River Hawks with 18 points as UMass Lowell defeated Merrimack, 100-73, in a Northeast-10 conference men's basketball game at the Costello Athletic Center.
The win brings UMass Lowell to 5-1 overall and 3-1 in conference play. The River Hawks are back in action on Tuesday, December 4 when they will travel to play St. Anselm (7:30).
Merrimack falls to 2-6 overall on the season and 0-4 in the Northeast-10. The Warriors will host Saint Michael's on December 4 (7:30).
Welch led the River Hawks in scoring, but he had some help from his teammates. Junior G
Akeem Williams (Brockton, Mass.) had 13 points, junior G
Antonio Bivins (Miami, Fla.) tallied 10 points on 2-3 shooting, gr. G
Greg DeSantis (Trumbull, Conn.) racked up 12 points, freshman G
DJ Mlachnik (Muskego, Wisc.) managed 12 points on 2-4 shooting from beyond the arc and freshman F
Kennedy Chukwuocha (Willingboro, N.J.) netted 11 points.
Freshman G
Gelvis Solano led the Warriors with 20 points. Sophomore G
Ryan Woumn also chipped in with 12 points and four rebounds.
"That was a great team effort. I am very proud of our energy, intensity and passion," said head coach
Greg Herenda. "
Matt Welch got us started and before you knew it, everyone got involved. We just need to continue to get better in all phases of the game and we have a chance."
The River Hawks never trailed in this one. Williams put UMass Lowell up 7-0 when he knocked down a three-pointer after an offensive rebound by Bivins. UMass Lowell would extend its lead to 19 points when Mlachnik finished a lay up on a nice pass by DeSantis, giving the River Hawks a 52-33 lead at half time.
UMass Lowell got the crowd going mid-way through the second half when Williams blocked a shot by freshman G
JT Strickland. Mlachnik was able to save the rebound, as he crashed into the Merrimack bench. Williams controlled the ball and lobbed a pass to Chukwuocha, who was fouled while finishing with the loud slam.
The River Hawks bench outscored Merrimack's, 50-17. The River Hawks were also able to outscore the Warriors 34-22 in the paint.
