Box Score Sophomore G Akeem Williams (Brockton, Mass.) scored 19 points while senior G Dipanjot Singh (Evanston, Ill.) added 18 as No. 4 UMass Lowell defeated No. 1 Franklin Pierce, 69-65, Wednesday night in the Northeast-10 Conference Tournament semifinal at the FPU Fieldhouse.

With the win, UMass Lowell improved to 19-9 and advances to the NE-10 Championship game for the second time in three years. The River Hawks will visit No. 3 Stonehill College Saturday at 1:00.

Stonehill defeated No. 2 Adelphi Wednesday night, 73-60, in Garden City, N.Y.
Williams also dished five assists and grabbed four rebounds while Singh had five rebounds. Junior F Matt Welch (Lowell, Mass.) added 16 points, four rebounds and a career-high four blocked shots.

The River Hawks also got significant contributions from sophomore F Antonio Bivins (Miami, Fla.), who chipped in six points, five rebounds, three blocks, two steals and two assists in 20 minutes despite foul trouble. Sophomore F Parris Massey (Boston, Mass.) grabbed a career-high eight rebounds in six minutes off the bench.

Junior G Eric Jean-Guillaume led the Ravens with 21 as he meshed 4 of 9 attempts from 3-point range. Sophomore F Ellis Cooper added 19 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals.

UMass Lowell, which had lost both regular season games against the Ravens – 86-80 in Lowell on Dec. 10 and 74-71 in Rindge, N.H. on Feb. 18 – used a series of runs in the second half, never relinquished the lead, but was consistently threatened.

The River Hawks led 57-54 with 7:18 left to play and scored seven straight points – a jumper by Welch, a 3-pointer by senior G Robbie Walton (South Boston, Mass.), and a layup by Singh – to post a 64-54 lead with 4:29 remaining.

Still, Franklin Pierce didn't go away. Senior G Nigel Van Oostrum converted a four-point play and Jean-Guillaume meshed a pair of free throws and hit a trey to cut the lead to 64-63 with 2:17 left to play.

Singh came back with a 3-pointer, but Cooper hit two free throws with 1:00 left to keep it close, 67-65, with 1:00 left. After missed field goals on both sides, Franklin Pierce was forced to foul with :07 left.

Welch calmly hit both free throws to seal the win.

The River Hawks led 36-29 at the half, and ended the half with an 11-3 run, fueled by a trey by sophomore G Scotty Tavares-Taylor (Roxbury, Mass.), a layup by Williams followed by a pair of free throws and a 3-point shot by Singh.