Box Score
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BRONX, N.Y. – Graduate student Marco Banegas-Flores (Boston, Mass.) led four double-digit scorers for the UMass Lowell men's basketball team with 14 points in a 64-57 victory at Fordham University (1-3) of the Atlantic 10 on Sunday evening at the Rose Hill Gym. With the win, the River Hawks sweep three-straight on the road this week to improve to 3-2 on the year.
 
"We weren't perfect offensively, especially in the first half, but our defense was so gritty and tough that we were able to give ourselves a chance to win," said Head Coach Pat Duquette. "We were outsized and outmatched, but our guys fought so hard, it kept us in the game. Every win is a tremendous win for this team. I'd be lying if I told you that I knew we were at the point with this program to be able to go on the road and win three Division I games in four days, so I'm pleasantly surprised and we just raised the bar for ourselves."
 
The teams were battling back and forth throughout the game until a 13-2 UMass Lowell run put the game out of reach. Redshirt-senior Kerry Weldon (New York, N.Y.) and redshirt-freshman Jahad Thomas (Williamsport, Pa.) added 12 points each, while senior Chad Holley (New York, N.Y.) rounded out the double-digit scorers with 11 points.
 
Weldon put UMass Lowell on the board with the first points of the night, but Fordham jumped out to an early, 13-4 lead thanks to a trio of threes. The River Hawks answered, though, with a 12-2 run that spanned over five minutes and was capped by a layup from Thomas to take their first lead of the contest at 16-15 with 6:48 remaining in the first half. The Rams quickly regained the upper hand, but a three from Holley and a fast-break layup by Banegas-Flores helped the team stay within one possession of the lead in the waning minutes until Thomas pulled up for a jumper to give the River Hawks a 25-24 lead at halftime.
 
Coming out of the break, Holley knocked down a long three, but the Rams knotted the score twice before pulling ahead 31-28 at 17:50. Weldon dribbled in for a massive dunk and Banegas-Flores followed with a layup to regain the lead for UMass Lowell at 32-31, but after eight lead changes in a three-minute stretch, the teams found themselves tied at 42-42 with 13:38 left to go.    
 
The teams were tied once more before freshman Lance Crawford (Davie, Fla.) drained a pair of free throws and Holley connected with Weldon for a bucket from the pain, making the score 48-44 in favor of the visitors with just over nine minutes left.
 
UMass Lowell pulled away, 57-46, with nine unanswered points. Fordham continued to battle, cutting the buffer to six, but a tip-in by Weldon and another three by Banegas-Flores gave the team its largest lead of the night at 63-51 with less than two minutes to play. A dry spell at the foul line allowed the Rams to close the gap in the final minute, but the River Hawks held on to secure the 64-57 outcome.
 
Banegas-Flores tallied a game- and season-high five assists in the outing, as well. As a team, UMass Lowell shot 42.4% (25-59) from the floor, including 29.2% (7-24) from beyond the arc.
 
Eric Paschall led three players in double-figures for the Rams with 16 points. Ryan Rhoomes notched a game-high 15 rebounds, as well. As a whole, Fordham shot 33.9% (20-59) from the field, 18.5% (5-27) from three-point territory and 60.0% (12-20) from the foul line.
 
Sunday's contest marked the first meeting ever between UMass Lowell and Fordham in the sport of men's basketball. The River Hawks return to Lowell to host Mount Ida College in their home opener on Tuesday, November 25. Tipoff for that contest is slated for 7 p.m.