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LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell men's basketball team (7-13, 3-4 AE) fell, 64-57, against America East Conference opponent Binghamton (4-15, 1-4) on Sunday afternoon at the Tsongas Center.
 
Four different River Hawks finished the day with nine points, including redshirt sophomore Jahad Thomas (Williamsport, Pa.), who registered a career- and game-high 14 rebounds. Senior Mark Cornelius (Westford, Mass.), who added three assists, classmate DJ Mlachnik (Muskego, Wis.) and freshman Isaac White (Ashland, Ohio) all chipped in with nine points, as well.
 
"Today wasn't our best game," said Head Coach Pat Duquette. "It's disappointing because we've been playing so well for the last three or four games. I don't think we came out with the right amount of energy or focus today. We turned the ball over early and that set a bad tone. Binghamton is a good team, but I just wasn't happy with the way we played. I know we are capable of playing better than we did this afternoon."
 
Redshirt freshman Josh Gantz (Grove City, Ohio) put the River Hawks on the board with a fast-break layup, thanks to a full-court pass from White, but the Bearcats jumped out to a 7-2 lead in the opening minutes of play. White knocked down the team's first three of the day to make it a two-possession game until Binghamton put up five straight points, taking a 12-5 advantage with 13:58 remaining in the first half.
 
UMass Lowell quickly erased the difference, using a 10-2 run that was capped off by a three from the corner by Cornelius to help the team take its first lead of the contest, 15-14, at 7:43. The teams traded baskets during the remainder of the half, with six lead changes before the Bearcats hit a bucket in the final seconds to send the teams into the break knotted at 24-24.
 
Coming out of halftime, Binghamton outscored the River Hawks, 12-1, to pull ahead, 36-25, with 14:27 still to play. Thomas converted on a free throw and followed with a layup, but the visitors responded with seven points in a row, creating a 43-28 buffer at 12:46.
 
Freshman Logan Primerano (Peru, Ind.) banked in a layup and junior Tyler Livingston (Hudson, N.H.) went 2-for-2 at the line to help UMass Lowell close the gap to 12 with 10 minutes to go, however, the Bearcats worked to take their largest lead of the contest, 54-37, at 3:56.
 
The River Hawks' offense battled down the stretch, as Thomas sparked a 10-0 run that included a three-point play from freshman Ryan Jones (Rio Rancho, N.M.) to cut the difference back to single digits at 54-47 with 1:55 remaining. Mlachnik contributed with a pair of three-pointers in the last minute, but the Bearcats used seven free throws to seal the 64-57 decision.
 
Marlon Beck II and Willie Rodriguez recorded 17 points apiece to lead the Bearcats. Thomas Bruce rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10 points.
 
Sunday's contest marked the 10th meeting between the two squads in the sport of men's basketball. The River Hawks still own a 7-3 lead in the all-time series. UMass Lowell returns to action on Wednesday, January 27 when they visit Albany for a 7 p.m. tilt.