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LOWELL, Mass. – Redshirt-freshman Jahad Thomas (Williamsport, Pa.) paced three double-digit scorers with 20 points, as the UMass Lowell men's basketball team (9-12, 3-5) fell, 61-50, against the University of Vermont (11-9, 6-1) at the Tsongas Center on Sunday.
 
"Vermont is a really good basketball team," said Head Coach Pat Duquette. "There is a reason why they are at the top of the standings in the America East. My guys fought and played hard to keep it close, but we made some silly mistakes at crucial points in the second half. Plus, I think we might be playing some guys too many minutes. We need to get to our bench more and that should help us as a team.
 
"Playing in [the Tsongas Center] is awesome. It's one of the nicest buildings in the northeast. We take all of our recruits here. It's a gorgeous building and we had a great crowd, and we're looking forward to playing more and more of our games here."
 
Thomas went 6-for-11 from the field and 7-for-10 at the line en route to his third 20-point game of the year. Freshman Matt Harris (Erie, Pa.) added 13 points with three, three-pointers, while senior Chad Holley (New York, N.Y.) also scored in double figures with 10 points. Redshirt-senior Kerry Weldon (New York, N.Y.) led both teams on the glass with six rebounds.
 
The River Hawks jumped out in front early, getting on the board with five-straight points by Thomas. UVM would retaliate, however, with a 9-0 spurt to take its first lead of the day at 10-7 with 13:48 remaining in the first half.
 
Holley erased the buffer with a three from the wing, but after two quick lead changes, the Catamounts put together an 11-2 run to pull ahead, 23-15, at 5:37.
 
UMass Lowell changed the momentum with back-to-back layups from Holley and Thomas and a three from Harris, making it a one-point game with just over three minutes to play in the period. The Catamounts responded with eight quick points, and although Harris hit another three in the waning seconds, the visitors took a 31-25 edge into the break.  
 
Vermont extended its margin to double digits with the first four points of the second half. Thomas scored the next five points for the River Hawks, sparking an 11-0 run to regain the upper hand for the home team at 36-35 with less than 12 minutes left to play.
 
Dre Wills dunked for the Catamounts' first field goal following a six and a half minute lull before Ethan O'Day knotted the score at 39-39. Vermont outscored the home team, 9-1, in the next four minutes, but UMass Lowell chipped away with four free throws to make it a four-point game at 48-44 with five minutes to go.
 
Harris drained a three despite getting fouled and converted on his free throw to cut the difference to four-one more, but the squad was unable to come any closer, as Vermont hit seven free throws down the stretch to earn the 61-50 decision.
 
The Catamounts outscored the River Hawks, 36-16, in the paint. Wills led the team with 20 points, while O'Day added 13. As a whole, Vermont shot 54.1% (20-37) from the field.
 
Sunday's contest marked just the third meeting ever between UMass Lowell and Vermont in the sport of men's basketball. The Catamount now lead the all-time series, 3-0. The River Hawks return to action when they travel to Binghamton University for a 2 p.m. matinee on Saturday, January 31.