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LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell men's basketball team (8-13, 3-4 AE) was led by three, 20-point scorers in a 102-86 setback against America East opponent UMBC (13-5, 4-2 AE) on Sunday afternoon.
 
The River Hawks led by as many as 14 in the outing, but the game proved to be a tale of two halves, as the Retrievers took control in the second for the come-from-behind decision.
 
"We came out and played well early on today, especially offensively," said Head Coach Pat Duquette. "We really moved the ball well and got off to a great start. It was a high-scoring game. Both teams score the ball well and have a lot of guys that can make shots. Defensively, we didn't get enough stops. I do think as well as we played in the first offensively, the ball didn't move as well in the second. That's why we didn't score as many points, but again, UMBC is a very good offensive team and they are very unselfish."
 
Redshirt-junior Jahad Thomas (Williamsport, Pa.) paced the River Hawks with 22 points and 11 rebounds for his eighth double-double of the year. Sophomore Ryan Jones (Rio Rancho, N.M.) added a career-high 21 points, while junior Matt Harris (Erie, Pa.) contributed a season-best 20 points. Senior Tyler Livingston (Hudson, N.H.) rounded out the scorers in double figures with 10 points on the day.
 
Although UMBC was able to take the first lead of the day, the River Hawks drained long balls on four straight possessions to gain control of the momentum and build an early, 14-8 advantage. The Retrievers tallied the next basket to make it a two-possession game, but the home squad used a 9-2 spurt that was capped off by a three-point play from Jones to extend it margin to double-digits at 23-12 with 12:01 remaining in the first half.
 
UMBC answered with five consecutive points before Jones knocked down a triple and dished a strong pass to freshman Cameron Wolter (Fishers, Ind.) under the hoop for the bucket, putting the home squad on top, 28-17, at 9:01. UMass Lowell led by 14 at 37-23, following another jumper from beyond the arc by Jones and a layup from freshman Rinardo Perry (Washington, D.C). However, the Retrievers would put together a 12-3 run to close the gap to 44-40 with less than two minutes to play in the first. The teams then traded shots in the waning minutes, as Livingston accounted for the River Hawks' last two scores of the period to send his team into the locker room holding onto a 48-45 edge.
 
Will Darley converted on three free throws in the opening seconds of the second half to even the score at 48-48. Thomas broke the stalemate for UMass Lowell, but the Retrievers responded with a 16-4 run, pulling in front, 64-54 with 14:21 still to go. The River Hawks cut the difference back to seven on three occasions until UMBC worked to stretch its lead as far as 17, 98-81, at 2:57. Jones and Thomas drove through the lane in the final minutes to add to the board, but the visitors earned the 102-86 decision.
 
Sunday's contest marked the seventh meeting between UMass Lowell and UMBC in the sport of men's basketball. The River Hawks still own a 6-1 lead in the all-time series. The squad will make the short trip to New Hampshire for their next outing on Wednesday, January 25. That contest is slated to tip off at 7 p.m.