Box Score

Junior F Antonio Bivins (Miami, Fla.) slammed home a missed shot by junior G Akeem Williams in the closing seconds of UMass Lowell's, 66-64, conference win at the Costello Athletic Center on Wednesday night.
 
The win is the third straight for the River Hawks and brings UMass Lowell to 13-5 overall and 9-5 in conference play. The River Hawks will travel to New Haven on Saturday, February 2 (1:30).
 
Saint Rose falls to 10-8 overall on the season and 7-7 in the Northeast-10. The Golden Knights will host Franklin Pierce on Saturday, February 2 (3:30).

Williams led UMass Lowell with 19 points on 8 of 12 field goal shooting, inluding 3-6 from long range. Bivins added 15 points and five rebounds while shooting 5-10 from the floor and 5-5 from the free throw line.

"We just never gave up and kept fighting the entire game," said head coach Greg Herenda. "On the wall in our locker room the word 'perseverance' is in big blue letters and that's what tonight's game was all about."

Freshman F Tyler Sayer led Saint Rose with 20 points, five rebounds and three steals as he converted 9-12 field goal attempts. Junior C Dominykas Milka added 19 points and 13 rebounds on 7-10 field goal shooting. Senior G Andre Pope chipped in 11 points and four rebounds.
 
UMass Lowell fell behind in the first half, as Saint Rose was able to dominate in the paint behind 15 points from Milka. The Golden Knights took a seven point lead into half time, capped off by a strong finish off an offensive rebound from Milka.
 
In the second half, UMass Lowell limited Saint Rose's inside scoring, holding the Golden Knights to just 10 points in the paint.
 
The River Hawks cut the Saint Rose lead to two when Williams finished with a layup after a strong drive to the hoop. 30 seconds later, Williams tied the game at 62 with a fast break layup after a steal from freshman C James McDonnell (Swansea, Mass.). UMass Lowell shot 65% (13-20) in the second half. Williams finished the game with 19 points and two steals. McDonnell finished with seven points and three rebounds.
 
With just 15 seconds left and the game tied, 64-64, Williams drove to the hoop and took an off-balance shot in the paint as the clock ran down to two seconds. The shot rimmed out, but Bivins was there to grab the rebound and slam it home, giving UMass Lowell a 66-64 lead with 1.9 seconds left on the clock. Bivins finished the game with 15 points, five rebounds and 5 steals.
 
Saint Rose would have one last chance with .9 seconds remaining, but a missed 3-pointer from junior G Dan Mundweiler sealed the victory for the River Hawks.

"We held Saint Rose to 28 points in the second half and that's what kept us in it," Herenda noted. "We guarded really hard and the last play was made by Akeem and finished by Antonio - they really are a great duo."
 
UMass Lowell's bench was able to outscore Saint Rose's bench, 14-6, including eight points from gr. G Greg DeSantis (Trumbull, Conn.).
 
The River Hawks finished shooting 51.0% (25-49) from the floor, while Saint Rose shot 41.4% (24-58).