Box Score Box Score (PDF)KINGSTON, R.I. – Redshirt-freshman
Jahad Thomas (Williamsport, Pa.) and freshman
Lance Crawford (Davie, Fla.) logged 17 and 16 points, respectively, to pace the UMass Lowell men's basketball team (0-2) in a 72-56 setback at the University of Rhode Island (2-0) on Sunday afternoon in Kingston.
"Despite the loss, I saw a lot of positives in this game," said Head Coach
Pat Duquette. "I think we were real close even though we were overmatched physically. Our guys played hard, stood together and we got a lot of key contributions from young guys who are just starting their college careers. They are playing with poise and confidence. Obviously, I'm not happy with the loss, but I saw a lot of good effort from our whole group collectively."
Thomas added a team-best six rebounds, while Crawford went 7-for-8 on free throws and notched two assists. Graduate student
Marco Banegas-Flores (Boston, Mass.) aided in the team's strong performance at the line (21-26), going 7-for-7, in addition to rounding out the double-digit scorers for the River Hawks with 11 points and a career-high four steals.
The teams traded possession in the early minutes of the contest, and although Thomas and Banegas-Flores tallied the first points of the afternoon for UMass Lowell, the Rams held a 13-4 advantage with 12 minutes remaining in the first half. The River Hawks used baskets from sophomore
Tyler Livingston (Hudson, N.H.), Thomas and Crawford to stay within 11 points of the home squad over the next four minutes until senior
Chad Holley (New York, N.Y.) and Crawford converted on four consecutive free throws following a URI technical foul, cutting the difference to just five at 19-14 with 7:16 to go in the half.
Rhode Island would works its way back to an 11-point margin, but freshman
Matt Harris (Erie, Pa.) hit a three from the wing and Crawford stayed perfect at the line with two more baskets to send UMass Lowell into the half down 29-23.
The Rams scored the first five points coming out of the break, as part of a 10-4 run. Banegas-Flores stripped the ball from a URI player at 15:21 before converting on the other end of the court with the fast-break layup to make the difference 39-29. Back-to-back layups gave URI its largest lead to that point at 47-33 with 11:34 to go before UMass Lowell responded with five-straight points.
Crawford drained a three-pointer with 5:15 to play, but Jarvis Garrett responded for the Rams with one of his own to make the score 60-47. Freshman
Brad Schaub (Marlette, Mich.) added a jumper from beyond the arc for the River Hawks, although the Rams took a slight, 12-9 scoring edge in the final minutes to seal the 72-56 decision.
As a team, UMass Lowell shot 37.2% (16-43) from the floor, including 33.3% (3-9) from beyond the arc.
Hassan Martin led the Rams with 18 points and eight rebounds. Terrell added 12 points, while Jarelle Reischel totaled 10. As a whole, Rhode Island shot 63.8% (30-47) from the field, 30.8% (4-13) from three-point territory and 47.1% (8-17) from the foul line.
Sunday's contest marked just the second meeting ever between UMass Lowell and Rhode Island in the sport of men's basketball. URI now leads the all-time series, 2-0. The River Hawks will return to action with three more road games next week, beginning at Sacred Heart on Thursday, November 20. Tipoff is plated for 7 p.m.
