UMass Lowell Athletics

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AMHERST, Mass. – Junior Matt Harris (Erie, Pa.) tallied a team-high 16 points, as UMass Lowell fell, 90-76, in the 2016-17 season opener at in-state foe Massachusetts (1-0) on Friday afternoon.  
 
"First of all, this is a great game for our university and we are happy that UMass Amherst agreed to play us," said Head Coach Pat Duquette. "It's a great experience for our kids and I think it's good for the university system. It wasn't our best game, not to discredit UMass at all, they did plenty of good things. But for us, we really need to take care of the basketball. Typically, we're very efficient with the ball and shoot a high percentage. We didn't do that tonight."
 
Harris was a perfect, 6-for-6 from the line en route to his 16-point performance. Redshirt-junior Jahad Thomas (Williamsport, Pa.) followed closely with 15 total points, while pacing the squad on the glass with eight rebounds. Freshman Stefan Borovac (Stoney Creek, Ontario) rounded out the River Hawks' double-digit scorers with 10 points in his collegiate debut. Fellow rookies Connor Bennett (Wilmington, Mass.), Rinardo Perry (Washington, D.C.) and Cameron Wolter (Fisher, Ind.) made their first appearances for UMass Lowell in the outing, as well.
 
The Minutemen got on the board first, but sophomore Isaac White (Ashland, Ohio) pulled up for a long three from the top of the key to score the River Hawks' first points of the year and help the squad jump out to an early 7-2 edge. Although the home team would follow with 10 unanswered, Harris drained a jumper from beyond the arc and Wolter added four points of his own, knotting the score at 16-16 with 12:13 remaining in the first half.
 
Massachusetts led by as many as seven in the next four minutes until Thomas drove hard to the basket to draw the and-one, making it a two possession game, 27-23, at 8:23. UMass Lowell was then able to put together a 7-2 spurt with the help of five from Harris to cut the deficit to just one at 31-30 with 6:22 to play in the half. However, the home squad retaliated with 12 consecutive points, and despite trading points in the waning minutes, Massachusetts would head into the break, up 48-37.
 
Coming out of halftime, the River Hawks were held without a field goal for four and a half minutes, as the Minutemen pushed their lead to 20 at 61-41. Thomas banked in a layup at 15:29, but the River Hawks were unable to come any closer until sophomore Logan Primerano (Peru, Ind.) sparked an 11-3 run that made the score 76-59 with 8:28 left in the outing. UMass Lowell took a 17-14 scoring edge in the final minutes of the game, thanks in part to seven down the stretch from Thomas, but Massachusetts would seal the 90-76 decision.
 
Rashaan Holloway paced the Minutemen with a game-high 21 points, while Donte Clark and Luwane Pipkins chipped in with 14 points apiece. The team forced 28 River Hawk turnovers and totaled 17 steals.
 
Friday's contest marked the fourth meeting between UMass Lowell and Massachusetts in the sport of men's basketball. The Minutemen hold onto a 3-1 lead in the all-time series. The River Hawks are slated to play their home opener on Monday, November 14 when they welcome Wagner to Costello Athletic Center for a 7 p.m. tilt.