River Hawks Threaten for Upset, But Fall at Albany, 69-59

Saturday, February 7

Albany, N.Y.

7:30 PM

University of Massachusetts Lowell

10-14, 4-7AE

Albany

16-7, 11-0AE

Team	1	2	F
UMass Lowell	25	34	59
UAlbany	40	29	69

River Hawks Threaten for Upset, But Fall at Albany, 69-59

2/7/2015 10:46:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Box Score (PDF)

ALBANY, N.Y. – Senior Chad Holley (New York, N.Y.) recorded a season-high 17 points to pace the UMass Lowell men's basketball team (10-14, 4-7) in a 69-59 loss at UAlbany (16-7, 11-0) on Saturday evening.

The River Hawks threatened to pull out the upset in the final minutes of play, coming within two points of the lead, but the Great Danes were able to hold on. Holley set a new career high, going 9-for-9 at the foul line. Graduate student Marco Banegas-Flores (Boston, Mass.) added to the offensive effort with 10 points, while freshman Brad Schaub (Marlette, Mich.) controlled the glass with five rebounds.

"I'm proud of my guys," said Head Coach Pat Duquette. "They played their tails off in the second half. Albany came out and shot the lights out in the first half, while we didn't shoot well at all. At halftime, I tried to tell them that if we came back out and shot like they did, then we were going to put ourselves in a position to win. We fought and scrapped our way back, and had a chance to tie it on a layup, even though we were outsized by the best team in the league."

UMass Lowell controlled the pace of play in the opening minutes, scoring the first seven points of the night, including a three-point play by freshman Lance Crawford (Davie, Fla.). UAlbany responded with 13 straight points to pull in front at 11:25.

After five scoreless minutes, sophomore Tyler Livingston (Hudson, N.H.) broke the silence for the River Hawks with a three from the wing and redshirt-senior Kerry Weldon (New York, N.Y.) followed with a layup to cut the difference to just one at 13-12 with 10:23 remaining in the first half.

The teams traded baskets and the visitors made it a one-possession game twice more before the Great Danes put together a 14-2 run in the next four minutes to take a 40-23 advantage at 1:12. Holley converted on a pair of free throws in the last minute of the period, but the home team would take a 40-25 lead into the break.

Coming out of halftime, Holley hit two more free throws and Banegas-Flores knocked down a three from the far corner to spark a 13-4 spurt and pull the River Hawks within six at 44-38 with 14:05 left to play. UAlbany regained a nine-point edge, but UMass Lowell would not go quietly, as Holley drained a long ball to make the score 47-43 at 10:09.

The excitement continued when freshman Matt Harris (Erie, Pa.) hit back-to-back threes, clipping the UAlbany lead to just one, 58-57. However, the Great Danes retaliated with 11 of the final 13 points of the night to secure the 69-59 decision.

Evan Singletary paced three double-digit scorers for UAlbany with 18 points. Sam Rowley logged a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds, as well. The Great Danes, who logged eight first-half three-pointers, shot 52.5% from the floor in the outing.

Saturday's contest marked the 13th meeting between UMass Lowell and UAlbany in the sport of men's basketball. The River Hawks still hold a slight, 7-6 advantage in the all-time series. UMass Lowell will visit Vermont next on Wednesday, February 11. Tipoff for that contest is slated for 7 p.m.