Box Score

FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Redshirt-freshman Jahad Thomas (Williamsport, Pa.) posted a game-high 17 points and redshirt-senior Kerry Weldon (New York, N.Y.) logged 10 points and 11 rebounds to help the UMass Lowell men's basketball team (1-2) hold on for its first win of the year, a 57-54 decision at Sacred Heart University (1-1) on Thursday.
 
"I'm real excited for these guys," said Head Coach Pat Duquette. "We all know how many freshman we have in our lineup, so to get a road win under these conditions in the third game of the season is a great sign. It wasn't a pretty game on offense, but we built on the progress we made on our half-court defense at Rhode Island, and that's what kept us in the game long enough to win today. I'm especially proud of the team for that because that is one of the foundations of our program, and we know that we're going to win basketball games with tough, man-to-man, half-court defense."
 
Thomas scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half, allowing the River Hawks to pull away by as many as 12. Weldon's double-double marked his first since 2012, and the team's first of the season.
 
Although the Pioneers were quick to jump out to an early lead, senior Chad Holley (New York, N.Y.) knotted the score at 7-7 with a three-pointer from the top of the key. The River Hawks took their first lead of the game on a second-chance layup by Weldon before sophomore Tyler Livingston (Hudson, N.H.) and freshman Matt Harris (Erie, Pa.) knocked down back-to-back threes, giving their squad a 15-8 edge with 15:09 remaining in the first half.
 
Over the next nine minutes, UMass Lowell maintained at least a five-point margin, and led by as many as eight on three occasions, until Sacred Heart scored five unanswered points to cut the difference to just three at 26-23 with 5:50 to go in the half. Harris drained another jumper from beyond the arc in the waning minutes, and although De'von Barnett put in a layup at the buzzer, the River Hawks took a 31-27 advantage into the break.
 
Coming out of halftime, the sides battled for possession for almost three minutes before SHU's Evan Kelley completed a three-point play to pull his team within one at 31-30. Thomas responded for the River Hawks with five straight points, however, sparking a 17-6 UMass Lowell run that gave the team its largest margin of the night at 48-36 with 12:26 remaining.
 
Sacred Heart would not back down, answering with an 11-2 spurt, to make it 50-47 with six minutes left. Thomas and Weldon notched a pair of buckets for the River Hawks, but the home team made it a one-possession game twice more, including at 56-54 with less than a minute to play. However, in the final seconds, Holley came up with a great steal and was fouled on the play to give UMass Lowell the 57-54 edge that they would hold onto to secure the win.
 
Livingston added to the River Hawks offensive performance with eight first-half points. Holley logged six points, while graduate student Marco Banegas-Flores (Boston, Mass.) had a team-best three assists. As a team, UMass Lowell shot 38.1% (24-63) from the floor, including 26.1% (6-23) from beyond the arc, and 60.0% (3-5) on free throws.
 
Kelley was the only double-digit scorer for the Pioneers, while Steve Glowiak added nine points and six assists. As a whole, Sacred Heart shot 35.3% (18-51) from the field, 25.0% (4-16) from three-point territory and 66.7% (14-21) from the foul line.
 
Thursday's contest marked the 40th meeting between UMass Lowell and Sacred Heart, but was just the first as Division I opponents. SHU still holds a 23-17 advantage in the all-time series. The River Hawks will play two more games this week, beginning at NJIT on Saturday, November 22. Tipoff for that contest is slated for 2 p.m.