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EVANSTON, Ill. – Freshman Isaac White (Ashland, Ohio) logged a team-high 15 points to lead the UMass Lowell (0-1) men's basketball team in a season-opening, 79-57 loss at Northwestern (1-0) on Friday evening.
 
"We liked the first half a lot better than the second half," said Head Coach Pat Duquette. "Our guys played really hard tonight. Physically, we were outmatched in every position, they were strong and we got hurt on the boards, but we really battled. In the first half, we played good offensive basketball. We shared the ball, a lot of guys got involved. We've got eight freshmen, and it was really good to see some of the new guys feel comfortable and contribute right away. That was a real positive for us tonight."
 
White went 3-for-5 from three-point territory on the night. Redshirt sophomore Jahad Thomas (Williamsport, Pa.), who paced the River Hawks on the glass with eight rebounds, added eight points in the contest. Junior Tyler Livingston (Hudson, N.H.) also notched three three-pointers to finish with nine points.
 
The early part of the first half was low scoring, as the teams traded possessions. Freshman Keith Hayes II (Little Rock, Ark.) tallied the River Hawks' first three points of the season from the foul line to put the visitors within one point at 16 minutes in the first half. The Wildcats used five straight points to create a buffer, but back-back threes from White put UMass Lowell back within a bucket at 11-9 with 12:02 remaining in the half.
 
Senior Mark Cornelius (Westford, Mass.) tied the score at 13-13 thanks to a well-placed pass before Thomas hit a jumper to give the squad its first lead of the night. Livingston followed with a pair of threes, putting the River Hawks on top, 21-15, at 7:12 in the first. Redshirt freshman Josh Gantz (Grove City, Ohio) would notch four straight points to cap off the 16-3 UMass Lowell run, producing the team's largest lead of the night at 25-16.
 
The Wildcats were able to cut the difference to back just one at 29-28, but White converted on two free throws and sophomore Matt Harris (Erie, Pa.) drained a jumper from beyond the arc to give UMass Lowell a 34-32 advantage at the break.
 
Coming out of halftime, the home team used an 8-1 spurt to regain the upper hand at 40-35. After UMass Lowell pulled within three on three occasions, the Wildcats outscored the visitors 10-5 to take a 55-47 lead. Livingston knocked down a three, making it a two-possession game, but 13 unanswered points helped NU pull away en route to the 79-57 victory.
 
Northwestern was led by Alex Olah and Aaron Falzon, who posted 21 and 20 points, respectively. Two other double-digit scorers helped to earn the win for the Wildcats, as well. Olah and Sanjay Lumpkin recorded a game-high 12 rebounds apiece.
 
Friday's contest marked the first meeting ever between UMass Lowell and Northwestern in the sport of men's basketball. The River Hawks will return to action on Wednesday, November 18 when they host Sacred Heart University in their home opener at the Tsongas Center in Lowell. The "White Out" game is scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m.