Box Score

Junior G Akeem Williams (Brockton, Mass.) led the River Hawks with 24 points, but UMass Lowell came up short in an 80-65 loss to conference foe Saint Anselm at the Costello Athletic Center on Wednesday night.
 
The loss drops UMass Lowell to 14-10 overall and 10-10 in conference play. The River Hawks are back in action on Saturday, Feb. 23 when they host Franklin Pierce (4:00).
 
Saint Anselm improves to 20-4 overall on the season and 16-4 in the Northeast-10. The Hawks will travel to Saint Michael's on Saturday, February 23 (3:30).
 
UMass Lowell fell behind when Saint Anselm went on a 22-2 run midway through the first half, building a 35-13 lead. Six points from sophomore G Chris Santo sparked the run for the Hawks.
 
Santo finished with a game-high 26 points.
 
Also notching double figures in points for Saint Anselm were freshman F Mike McCahey with 17 and sophomore G Roy Mabrey with 13. McCahey tacked on eight boards while Mabrey pulled down five rebounds of his own.
 
Saint Anselm took a 15-point lead into the half and increased it to 18 points with 14:14 left in the game.
 
Still, UMass Lowell was able to make a run at the Hawks after a three pointer from freshman F Kennedy Chukwuocha (Willingboro, N.J.) and a strong drive by sophomore G Chad Holley (New York, N.Y.) cut the Saint Anselm lead down to 13.
 
However, McCahey responded with a three on the very next possession, which brought the Hawk lead back to 16.

"Give Saint Anselm credit. They were solid from the tip to the buzzer," said UMass Lowell head coach, Greg Herenda. "We had some great looks early but nothing would go down." 

With just over four minutes to play, senior F Romeo Diaz  (Methuen, Mass.) hit a layup that brought the Hawk lead back down to 13. However, the River Hawks were forced to foul down the stretch, and Saint Anselm sealed the game from the stripe.

"We need to get back to basics and play well," Herenda added. "Saturday would be the perfect game to get back on track."
 
The River Hawks shot 39.7% (23-58) from the floor, while Saint Anselm shot 46.8% (29-62). Both teams were strong in the paint, but Saint Anselm had the edge with 38 points to UMass Lowell's 28.