Box Score BOXSCORE PDF

Behind a flurry of 3-pointers the UMass Lowell men's basketball team avenged a loss against NJIT from earlier this season, beating the Highlander at Costello Athletic Center 73-64.
 
The River Hawks (7-14, 5-4 America East) won their second consecutive game by making 11 3-pointers with sophomore DJ Mlachnik (Muskego, Wisc.) tying his career-high of five made 3-pointers. The loss dropped NJIT to 9-15 overall and also marks the first series win for the River Hawks against the Highlanders.
 
The shots from deep started to fall early in the first half with junior Chad Holley (New York, N.Y.) leading a 21-7 charge with the first of four made triples during the run from the River Hawks. Holley would go on to total 13 points and set a season-high with eight of the River Hawks 19 assists.
 
"I thought it was the best offensive game we've played all year. We scored 40 points in the first half and I thought we really executed our offense really well, we shared the ball, we space the floor and had 19 assists in the game and shot a great percentage," said Head Coach Pat Duquette.
 
The River Hawks set a season-high in team rebounds finishing with 47 and held a 47-26 advantage over the Highlanders. The edge on the glass also resulted in an 18-2 lead in second chance points.
 
Senior Antonio Bivins (Miami, Fla.) crossed off his first double-double of the year totaling 10 points and 10 rebounds. Fellow senior Kerry Weldon (New York, N.Y.) was near a double-double of his own scoring seven points and grabbing 10 rebounds.
 
Bivins gave the River Hawks an added boost just before the half by throwing down an alley-oop off a feed from Akeem Williams (Brockton, Mass.) putting UMass Lowell up 11 at the break.
 
Williams finished the game with 12 points, five rebounds and five assists and added his second block of the year chasing down Damon Lynn's layup attempt.
 
Lynn a freshman guard for the Highlanders got off to a hot start by netting four of his first six 3-pointers before cooling off and finishing five of 14 overall from 3-point range.
 
UMass Lowell fell to NJIT 55-44 when the teams squared off in Newark on December 7^th. The River Hawks have come a long way since then and have recently won six of their last nine.
 
"I'd like to think we've gotten better, I know we have. We've seen progress from these guys in a lot of different ways," said Duquette. "They're a different team now than they were two months ago."

UMass Lowell hits the road for the next three games starting with a 7 P.M. tip Wednesday night at UAlbany.