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LOWELL, Mass. – Sophomore Logan Primerano (Peru, Ind.) and junior Matt Harris (Erie, Pa.) led five double-digit scorers for the UMass Lowell men's basketball team (3-8) in an 86-69 victory against Central Connecticut (2-8) on Sunday afternoon.
 
"I'm pleased with the way we played today," said Head Coach Pat Duquette. "Anytime you look at a stats sheet and you've got five of your guys in double figures with a total of 24 assists, you're doing a lot of things right offensively. You're sharing the basketball and making the right plays. I was equally as happy with our defensive effort. That's been one of our weaknesses early on."
 
The decision snapped a four-game skid for the River Hawks, in addition to marking the squad's largest margin of victory against a Division I opponent since beginning the transition in 2013-14. Primerano went 7-for-7 from the floor en route to setting a new season high for points. Redshirt-junior Jahad Thomas (Williamsport, Pa.) added to the offense with 14 points of his own, while chipping in a team-best nine rebounds and tying a career high with eight assists. Sophomore Ryan Jones (Rio Rancho, N.M.) and freshman Cameron Wolter (Fishers, Ind.) rounded out the double digits scorers with 13 and 10 points, respectively. As a team, the River Hawks tallied season bests for field goals (35), field goal percentage (68.6%), three-point percentage (55.6%) and total assists (24).
 
Both teams were aggressive on offense right from the start, trading baskets in the opening minutes of the contest and forcing an 8-8 stalemate just three minutes into play. Harris and senior Tyler Livingston (Hudson, N.H.) drained back-to-back threes for UMass Lowell, but the score was knotted once again, this time 14-14, at 14:02 in the first half.
 
The River Hawks took control of the momentum with a 14-3 run that included four points from both Primerano and Wolter, giving the home squad a 28-17 edge with 10:17 to play in the period.  The Blue Devils were able to pull within 10, but would not come any closer before Primerano and Jones each drained a long ball to help UMass Lowell put together a quick, 11-2 spurt and create a 39-20 buffer at 5:28 in the first. Although CCSU scored nine of the next 12 points to cut into the difference, Thomas banked in a layup and Jones completed a three-point play in the last minute, making it a 47-29 lead at the break.
 
UMass Lowell stayed hot with the first five points coming out of halftime to take a 23-point advantage. The Blue Devils responded with a 10-5 stretch, dropping the deficit to 57-39 with 15:33 still to play in the outing. CCSU would close the gap to 18 three more times until the River Hawks used a 10-2 run that was capped off by five points from Thomas to gain their largest lead of the afternoon, 84-58, at 4:56 in the second. Despite Central Connecticut notching 11 of the final 13 points on the day, UMass Lowell secured the decisive, 86-69 victory.
 
Prior to the contest, the River Hawks celebrated their first Team IMPACT Day in honor of Nathaniel Fortes, their Team IMPACT match that joined the squad on November 1 through the Boston-based nonprofit organization, whose mission is to improve the quality of life for children facing chronic illnesses.
 
"It was hard not to be touched by the ceremony," Duquette added about the Team IMPACT celebration. "In the short period of time since he's become a part of our family, we've grown close to him and really appreciate the time we spend with him. It's a great relationship for him and us."
 
Sunday's contest marked the 11th meeting between UMass Lowell and Central Connecticut in the sport of men's basketball. The Blue Devils still lead the all-time series, 8-3. The River Hawks remain home to host Boston University at the Tsongas Center on Wednesday, December 21, in a 7 p.m. tilt.