Box Score
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BOSTON, Mass. – Redshirt-freshman Jahad Thomas (Williamsport, Pa.) posted a personal-best 21 points with five rebounds to lead the UMass Lowell men's basketball team (5-2) to a 69-59 victory at Boston University (1-4) on Sunday afternoon.
 
"I'm really pleased with the way we played today," said Head Coach Pat Duquette. "To get our fourth road victory in five games is great. I'm really proud of these guys. BU is a well-coached basketball team with some good shooters, so to beat them on their home floor is a great sign of where our program is at. We've started to establish an identity that begins on the defensive end. These guys have clearly bought into who they are and how they win, and to see that as a coach is truly gratifying."
 
With the decision, the River Hawks pick up their fifth-straight win, four of which have been on the road. Thomas was aided by two other double-digit scorers in the outing, as junior Mark Cornelius (Westford, Mass.) and senior Chad Holley (New York, N.Y.) logged 11 and 10 points, respectively.
 
Cornelius laid in the first buckets of the day for the River Hawks, but the Terriers jumped out to an early two-possession advantage. BU maintained the difference until UMass Lowell put together a 10-1 run that was capped off by a pair of threes from freshman Lance Crawford (Davie, Fla.) and sophomore Tyler Livingston (Hudson, N.H.) to give the visitors their first lead of the day at 15-14 with just over eight minutes remaining in the first half. BU retaliated, forcing a pair of ties and three lead changes, but the River Hawks answered with a 10-3 spurt to take their largest lead of the half into the break at 29-22.
 
Boston University outscored UMass Lowell, 12-3, coming out of halftime to take the upper hand at 34-32 with 15:31 left to play. The River Hawks knotted the score at 34-34 before graduate student Marco Banegas-Flores (Boston, Mass.) put in a jumper from beyond the arc and Thomas drove to the basket for a layup to give their squad the lead for good at 39-38 with 12:25 still to go. Four points from Cornelius and a hard shot from the floor by Crawford then extended UMass Lowell's buffer to nine at 47-38.
 
The Terriers continued to battle, however, pulling within as few as three points, four times, in the waning minutes of the outing, including at 60-57 with less than one minute to play, but Banagas-Flores, Holley, Crawford and Thomas hit free throws to help seal the 69-59 decision.
 
As a team, UMass Lowell shot more than 50% from the floor for the second consecutive game (52.4%, 22-42). After not attempting a single free throw in the first half, the team finished the game going 18-24 (75.0%) from the line. In addition to Thomas, Holley and Cornelius helped lead the team on the boards with five rebounds apiece.
 
Cedric Hankerson paced the Terriers with a game-high 22 points. Nathan Dieudonne added 14 points and a team-best eight rebounds, as well. As a whole, BU shot 35.7% (20-56) from the field, 31.0% (9-29) from three-point territory and 55.6% (10-18) from the line.
 
Sunday's contest marked just the third meeting ever between UMass Lowell and Boston University in the sport of men's basketball. The Terriers still hold a slight, 2-1 advantage in the all-time series. The River Hawks will return to action on Wednesday, December 3 when they host NJIT beginning at 7 p.m.