Box Score (PDF) | Postgame Interview

VESTAL, N.Y. – Redshirt-junior Jahad Thomas (Williamsport, Pa.) surpassed 1,000 career points with a personal-best 28, as the UMass Lowell men's basketball team (7-9, 2-0 AE) defeated America East foe Binghamton (9-8, 0-2 AE) on Sunday afternoon.
 
The decision gave the River Hawks their third consecutive win and their fifth victory in six games. Additionally, the outcome marked the squad's second 2-0 start in America East play ever.
 
"We've been playing good basketball, especially on the offensive end," said Head Coach Pat Duquette. "If we want to be a really good team, we have to be able to win a basketball game when we don't shoot the ball really well, and when you play on the road, that's typically the way it goes. I thought tonight was a positive step in the right direction because I don't think we shot the ball nearly as well as we do at home, yet we were able to gut out a win. Obviously, a huge part of that was Jahad Thomas. I'm really happy with the way he played today and the amount of composure that he played with."
 
Thomas, who became the program's 40th player ever to join the prestigious 1,000 Point Club and the first to do so at the Division I level, knocked down a career-high 12 field goals. He logged his fourth double-double this season with 15 rebounds on the night, as well. Three other River Hawks joined Thomas in double figures, as senior Tyler Livingston (Hudson, N.H.) posted 17 points, and sophomore Ryan Jones (Rio Rancho, N.M.) and freshman Cameron Wolter (Fishers, Ind.) added 13 points each. Jones also handed out a personal-best six assists. As a team, the River Hawks notched a new season high with 49 rebounds in the contest.  
 
The offense for both sides struggled to convert in the first minutes of play until Thomas drove to the hoop to open the scoring. Despite a pair of early stalemates, the Bearcats scored 10 unanswered to jump out to a 12-5 edge. Thomas laid in back-to-back buckets to end the silence for the River Hawks, though, and make it a two-possession game with 13:30 remaining in the first half.
 
The Bearcats led by as many as eight, but a pull-up jumper from Jones sparked an 8-2 spurt for UMass Lowell that included four from Wolter, cutting the difference to 19-17 with just over nine minutes left in the half. The visitors then made it a one-point game on two occasions before taking advantage of three scoreless minutes from BU to go on top, 25-24, at 3:43. The teams traded baskets in the waning minutes of the period, forcing four tied scores, until Wolter tallied the last three points before the buzzer to give the River Hawks a 34-32 buffer at the break.
 
Coming out of halftime, Binghamton knotted the score once more, although UMass Lowell would take control of the momentum with a 14-3 run that gave the squad a 48-37 lead at 14:50 in the second. Following a three from BU's Fard Muhammad, the River Hawks tallied seven in a row to create their largest buffer of the night at 55-40 with 11 minutes still to go.

The Bearcats continued to battle, however, closing the gap to four, 70-66, at 3:10. The game remained closely contested down the stretch, as Binghamton faced just a two-point margin with 21 seconds on the clock. The River Hawks were able to hold on in the final seconds with the help of a pair of free throws from Jones to secure the 79-75 win.
 
Sunday's contest marked the 12th meeting between UMass Lowell and Binghamton in the sport of men's basketball. The River Hawks own an 8-4 lead in the all-time series. The squad will remain on the road for one more game, as they are slated to visit Maine for a 7 p.m. matchup on Wednesday, January 11.