Box Score (PDF) | Postgame Interview

LYNCHBURG, Va. – Redshirt-junior Jahad Thomas (Williamsport, Pa.) registered a game- and career-high 19 rebounds and eight assists to lead the UMass Lowell men's basketball team (2-4) to a 76-71 victory against Mississippi Valley State (0-5) in a neutral-site contest on Tuesday evening.
 
Thomas' 19 boards marked a Division I record for the squad, and the most in a single game for the program since Leo Parent totaled 20 against Brandeis back in 1979. Additionally, his 15 defensive rebounds set a new Vines Center record.
 
"It was a different type of game," said Head Coach Pat Duquette. "Two teams on a neutral floor, nobody in the stands, and a really unique style that Mississippi Valley State plays. They come at you in lot of different ways, they press and they trap. The flow of the game was back-and-forth, and we made just enough plays to pull the win out."
 
The River Hawks matched a season best with five double-digit scorers, including sophomore Isaac White (Ashland, Ohio), who notched a team-high 12 points with four three pointers. Senior Tyler Livingston (Hudson, N.H.), junior Matt Harris (Erie, Pa.) and sophomore Ryan Jones (Rio Rancho, N.M.) all chipped in with 11 points, while freshman Cameron Wolter (Fishers, Ind.) added 10.
 
The offense for both sides was slow to get going in the early minutes of the outing, and although the River Hawks scored first, the Delta Devils led by five at 11-6 with 15:16 remaining in the first half. Wolter and Jones drove to the hoop to close the gap to just one, but MVSU responded with an 8-2 spurt to pull ahead, 19-12, at 9:18.
 
However, UMass Lowell was able to take control of the momentum with 11 unanswered points in the next four minutes, capped off by a three from Livingston, gaining a 23-19 edge with just over five minutes to play in the period. The Delta Devils quickly made it a one-possession game, but the River Hawks' offense stayed on the attack, producing a 17-4 run to take their largest lead of the night and help send the team into the locker room on top, 39-30.
 
The teams traded baskets to start the second half, including four consecutive points from Thomas, before White drained a jumper from beyond the arc to regain a double-digit margin for the River Hawks at 48-38 with 15:35 left to play. UMass Lowell then led by as many as 13, 66-53, at 4:47 until the Delta Devils rallied back with a 12-4 stretch that made it a one-point game with less than two minutes to go. The River Hawks did not waver, though, scoring eight of the last 11 points to secure the 76-71 decision.
 
MVSU was led by Amos Given, who recorded 15 points, and Michael Matlock, who notched 15 rebounds.
 
Tuesday's contest marked the first meeting ever between UMass Lowell and MVSU in the sport of men's basketball. The River Hawks will finally return home and host LIU Brooklyn on Saturday, November 26 at the Tsongas Center in Lowell. Tipoff for that matchup is slated for 2 p.m.