Box Score

Junior G Akeem Williams (Brockton, Mass.) led the all scorers with 24 points as UMass Lowell fell to Franklin Pierce 73-68, in a Northeast-10 Conference men's basketball game in Manchester, N.H.
 
The loss brings UMass Lowell to 6-2 overall and 4-2 in conference play. The River Hawks are back in action on Sunday, Dec. 30 when they will host District of Columbia (12:00pm).
 
Franklin Pierce improves to 7-1 overall on the season and 5-1 in the Northeast-10. The Ravens will travel to Queens College on Jan. 2 (5:00pm).

The River Hawks got off to a quick start behind senior F Matt Welch (Lowell, Mass.). Welch scored the first nine points for UMass Lowell, going 3 for 3 from behind the arc in the first four minutes of play. However, Welch would struggle in the second half, finishing the game with 11 points on 4-10 shooting.

Sophomore F Ryen Vilmont led the Ravens with 18 points on 5-9 shooting. Junior F Ellis Cooper chipped in with 15 points and seven rebounds.

The River Hawks had a chance to pull away with less than 10 minutes to go in the game. After a missed jumper by Williams, UMass Lowell retained possession, and set up an inbound play from the baseline. Junior F Antonio Bivins (Miami, Fla.) was able to create separation and slam the ball home on the pass under the hoop, putting the River Hawks ahead by six.

Bivins had 14 points and seven rebounds in the game.

However, with less than four minutes to play and the game tied at 61, senior G Eric Jean-Guillaume put the Ravens ahead with back-to-back layups. The four unanswered points gave Franklin Pierce a 65-61 lead.

“That was a tough one to swallow,” said UMass Lowell head coach Greg Herenda. “We played really hard but we never got into any offensive rhythm.”

“We were in a good position to win the game, but [Jean] Guillaume made some big plays late and we did not,” he added. “That was our first road loss so we have nothing to be embarrassed about. We lost to a good team in their building.”

With nine seconds remaining in the game and UMass Lowell trailing by three, the River Hawks had one final chance to tie the score. Unfortunately, sophomore G Chad Holley came up short with his three-point attempt, and the Ravens came away with a slim victory.
 
Franklin Pierce shot 41.5% (22-53) from the floor, while UMass Lowell shot 38.0% (27-71). The River Hawks were, however, able to outscore Franklin Pierce in the paint, 34-20.