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COLUMBUS, Ohio – Redshirt-freshman Jahad Thomas (Williamsport, Pa.) posted a team-high 18 points and five rebounds in his first collegiate appearance, as the UMass Lowell men's basketball team (0-1) fell, 92-55, at Ohio State University (1-0) in the season-opener on Friday evening at Value City Arena in Columbus.
 
"I thought Ohio State played really well," said Head Coach Pat Duquette. "This is a good team that's well coached and they played together out there. I don't think we played particularly well the first few minutes. We weren't comfortable and didn't play like ourselves, but after that we settled down and did some good things despite the score."
 
Freshman Lance Crawford (Davie, Fla.) also logged double-digits in the outing with 11 points, while classmate Brad Schaub (Marlette, Mich.) helped pace the squad with five rebounds of his own.
 
The River Hawks jumped out to an early 5-4 lead thanks to a three from junior DJ Mlachnik (Muskego, Wis.) and a dunk by redshirt-senior Kerry Weldon (New York, N.Y.). However, the Buckeyes followed with a 14-0 run that spanned almost four minutes to give the home squad an 18-5 edge. Freshman Matt Harris (Erie, Pa.) broke the silence for UMass Lowell with a three-pointer from the corner. Thomas laid one in and then took a charge on the other side of the court to gain some momentum for the River Hawks. Crawford then converted on his first collegiate point from the line and Harris added another long ball, although Amir Williams and D'Angelo Russell would knock down threes of their own to help give the Buckeyes a 32-14 advantage with less than eight minutes remaining in the first half. A two-minute scoring lull was ended by a 10-5 OSU spurt, but graduate student Marco Banegas-Flores (Boston, Mass.) followed with a great steal, leading to a fast-break layup by Thomas, making the score 47-25 at the break.
 
Junior Mark Cornelius (Westford, Mass.) opened the second half with a three from the wing and a pair of free throws, as both squads traded baskets in the first six minutes. During that stretch, Thomas and Crawford each made a bucket, as well. Ohio State retaliated with a 13-5 run to take a 70-41 lead with less than 10 minutes to go. The Buckeyes would then take a 19-11 scoring edge in the final minutes to seal the 92-55 decision.
 
Harris and Cornelius added to the River Hawks offensive effort with nine and five points, respectively. As a team, the visitors shot 42.6% (20-47) from the floor and 41.2% (7-17) from beyond the arc. The squad also shot 66.7% (8-12) from the line in the outing.
 
The Buckeyes were picked 20th in the ESPN/Coaches and AP Preseason Polls. Russell led five double-digit scorers with 16 points. Trey McDonald led the team on the boards with seven rebounds. As a whole, Ohio State shot 61.7% (37-60) from the field, 40.9% (9-22) from three-point territory and 60.0% (9-15) from the foul line.
 
Friday's contest marked the first meeting ever between UMass Lowell and Ohio State in the sport of men's basketball. The River Hawks will continue its five-game road swing at the University of Rhode Island of the Atlantic 10 on Sunday, November 16. Tipoff for that contest is slated for 2 p.m.