Box Score
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PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Redshirt-freshman Jahad Thomas (Williamsport, Pa.) scored 19 points and pulled down six rebounds, as the UMass Lowell men's basketball team (6-5) fell, 79-63, at Duquesne University (4-5) on Saturday afternoon.
 
"This wasn't one of our best efforts," said Head Coach Pat Duquette. "Duquesne played well and hit a bunch of threes in the first half. We didn't do enough to prevent them from shooting such a high percentage. I don't think this was a typical game for us and I don't think the long layoff helped us heading into this afternoon. We'll have to pick the pieces up and do a little bit better job getting ready to play after another long break coming up."
 
Senior Chad Holley (New York, N.Y.) and graduate student Marco Banegas-Flores rounded out the River Hawks' double-digit scorers with 13 and 11 points, respectively.   
 
Although Banegas-Flores scored the first points of the day, the teams traded baskets in opening minutes and were tied on four occasions until the Dukes tallied eight in a row to pull ahead, 18-10, at 10:08. Thomas broke the silence for the River Hawks with a jumper from the lane and freshman Lance Crawford (Davie, Fla.) added a pair of free throws to make it a two possession game, but Duquesne was quick to answer, taking a double-digit lead at 26-14 with less seven minutes remaining in the first half.
 
Holley and Banegas-Flores each knocked down a three-pointer in the next three minutes before the Dukes would use a 9-2 spurt to take a 40-24 advantage into the break.
 
Coming out of halftime, Thomas drained back-to-back buckets for UMass Lowell and Banegas-Flores converted on a pair of free throws. Holley followed with consecutive long-range jumpers to give the River Hawks a slight scoring edge in the period, even though the DU still led, 51-36, with 13:29 to play.
 
Duquesne continued to pull away, outscoring the visitors 24-12 in the next eight minutes. The River Hawks came to life in the waning minutes, however, scoring 15 of the last 17 points, but it was not enough as the Dukes secured the 79-63 decision.  
 
Crawford finished the day with nine points, while Weldon added eight points and five rebounds. As a team, UMass Lowell shot 41.5% (22-53) from the floor.
 
Duquesne's effort from beyond the arc helped lead the team's attack. The Dukes finished 12-for-21 (57.1%) from three-point territory, while shooting 51.8% (29-56) from the floor overall. Micah Mason paced the squad with five threes en route to 17 points.
 
Saturday's contest marked just the second meeting ever between UMass Lowell and Duquesne in the sport of men's basketball. The Dukes now lead the all-time series, 2-0. The River Hawks will break for the holiday before returning to action at Boston College of the Atlantic Coast Conference on Monday, December 29. Tipoff for that contest is slated for 2 p.m.