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LOWELL, Mass. - Freshman Lance Crawford (Davie, Fla.) posted a team-high 14 points in a 69-48 setback for the UMass Lowell men's basketball team (6-4) against Dartmouth College (3-4) on Wednesday evening in Lowell.
 
"We ran into a very good Dartmouth team tonight," said Head Coach Pat Duquette. "They were well-coached and they have upperclassmen that have played together for a long time. They came into our gym, shot the ball well and executed. We did a lot of good things defensively in the first half. I thought that 95% of the time we played great, but as soon as we made one mistake, they capitalized and hit open threes because that's what good teams do. They deserved to win the game."
 
The River Hawks played aggressive in a fast-paced offense in the opening minutes, jumping out to an early 7-2 lead with the help of a pair of buckets from graduate student Marco Banegas-Flores (Boston, Mass.). The Big Green cut the difference to just two at 11-9, but Crawford answered with four-straight points with just under 11 minutes remaining in the first half. The teams traded baskets, with UMass Lowell maintaining a slight advantage until Dartmouth took its first lead of the night, 21-20, at 6:49.
 
The River Hawks regained the upper hand on a pair of free throws by senior Chad Holley (New York, N.Y.), but the lead was short lived, as the visitors closed the period with a 14-5 spurt to take a 36-27 edge into halftime.
 
Coming out of halftime, Dartmouth worked to extend its lead to 47-29. UMass Lowell would cut the difference back to 14 on two occasions, including at 54-40, following a three from Banegas-Flores with just over 11 minutes to play. However, the Big Green then took its largest lead yet, 63-43, at 7:10. 
 
Free throw shooting helped the River Hawks score their final points of the night, but it would not be enough, as the visitors secured the 69-48 decision.
 
Holley added to the River Hawks' offense with 10 points, while Banegas-Flores controlled the glass with a team-high seven rebounds. UMass Lowell shot 34.9% (15-43) from the floor overall, including 31.3% (5-16) from beyond the arc, and 54.2% (13-24) on free throws. 
 
Alex Mitola led four double-digit scorers for the Big Green with 19 points. Gabas Maldunas added a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds. As a whole, Dartmouth shot 43.5% (27-62) from the field, 40.9% (9-22) from three-point territory and 66.7% (6-9) from the line.
 
Wednesday's contest marked just the second meeting ever between UMass Lowell and Dartmouth in the sport of men's basketball. The Big Green now lead the all-time series, 2-0. The River Hawks will enjoy a 10-day break from action before traveling to Duquesne University on Saturday, December 20 for a 1 p.m. tilt.