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LOWELL, Mass. – Facing the 10th tied score of the night with just three minutes left to play, the UMass Lowell men's basketball team (6-9) tallied the final six points to pull away and secure an exciting, 85-79 victory in its America East opener against UAlbany (9-7) on Thursday.
 
The win was the River Hawks' fourth win in five games, in addition to marking the team's first victory against the Great Danes since the 2013-14 season. UMass Lowell is now 3-1 in America East openers.
 
"I thought tonight was a quality win for our team for two reasons," said Head Coach Pat Duquette. "First, the way we played on both sides of the ball was about as good as we can play. It requires a huge team effort and a lot of individual efforts to beat a team like Albany, and we did that. We played the right way. I'm also happy because it was a team like Albany. They have been one of the better teams in our league for a few years. They are well-coached and tough. I was really proud of our guys tonight."
 
Four River Hawks finished the night in double-digits paced by senior Tyler Livingston (Hudson, N.H.), who turned in 20 points. Sophomore Ryan Jones (Rio Rancho, N.M.) chipped in with a season-high 19 points, while junior Matt Harris (Erie, Pa.) added 17 of his own. Redshirt-junior Jahad Thomas (Williamsport, Pa.), who matched a personal best with eight assists, rounded out the scorers in double figures with 13 points.
 
The Great Danes won the opening tip and led by as many as four in the early minutes before Jones drained a three and freshman RInardo Perry (Baltimore, Md.) added a layup to give the River Hawks a slight, 9-8 edge. UAlbany answered with a quick, 8-3 spurt to regain the upper hand, but back-to-back triples from Livingston knotted the score at 18-18 with 12:50 remaining in the first half.  
 
Following one more stalemate, Jones knocked down another long ball to give the home squad a one-possession buffer that it would hold onto until the Great Danes used a 9-2 run to pull back in front, 35-32, at 5:39. However, the River Hawks stayed hot from beyond the arc with a three from Livingston to erase the gap. Both sides traded baskets in the waning minutes of the half, but UAlbany's David Nichols hit a jumper at the buzzer to send the visitors into the break with a slim, 41-40 lead.
 
UMass Lowell scored first coming out of halftime, as Thomas drove to the hoop to put his squad on top. The Great Danes responded with a 9-3 stretch, though, creating a 50-45 advantage with 16:42 to play. The River Hawks cut the difference to just one with the help of a pair of free throws from Harris and a layup from Thomas before UAlbany worked to make the score 59-53 at 13:13.
 
The visitors maintained at least a two-point margin until Jones and Thomas converted at the line to even out the board at 74-74 with 4:23 left to go. The teams were tied twice more in the final minutes, including at 79-79, but the River Hawks posted the last six points of the night thanks to four from Harris to seal the 86-79 outcome.
 
Joe Cremo led UAlbany with a game-high 23 points, while Nichols and Mike Rowley notched 19 and 12, respectively.
 
Thursday's contest marked the 16th meeting between UMass Lowell and UAlbany in the sport of men's basketball. The Great Danes still lead the all-time series, 9-7. The River Hawks will hit the road for a pair of America East games beginning on Sunday, January 8 when they visit Binghamton for a 2 p.m. tilt.