Box Score (PDF)

LOWELL, Mass. – Senior Matt Harris (Erie, Pa.) logged a game-high 19 points, as the UMass Lowell men's basketball team (0-1) fell behind in the final minutes of a 74-69, season-opening loss at Massachusetts (1-0) on Friday.
 
The closely-contested battle saw 12 lead changes and 12 tied scores, including at 58-58 with less than five minutes left to play. However, the Minutemen followed with eight unanswered points to take their largest advantage of the night. The River Hawks used a 9-2 run to cut the difference to one with just 31 seconds remaining, but the home squad would score six of the last eight points to hold on for the decision.
 
"I thought both teams played hard and I was happy with the way our guys defended, particularly in the perimeter," said Head Coach Pat Duquette. "We made a couple mistakes down the stretch, but overall I thought it was a good basketball game. We'll learn from this, grow and get better."
 
Harris, who also led UMass Lowell on the boards with six, scored all four of his field goals from beyond the arc in the outing. Redshirt-junior Josh Gantz (Grove City, Ohio) and junior Shawn Jones (Bridge City, La.) added to the offense with 13 and 12 points, respectively.
 
The defense dominated the opening minutes of the contest, but redshirt-sophomore Connor Bennett (Wilmington, Mass.) banked in the River Hawks' first points of the season in his first career start. Harris pulled up for a three and Gantz followed with an and-1 to give the visitors their first lead of the night at 8-7 with 15:35 remaining in the first half.
 
The teams battled for control, while the margin stayed within just one possession for the next 10 minutes. The Minutemen were able to pull ahead by as many as five before a steal and a fast-break layup by S. Jones sparked a 10-2 run to put the River Hawks on top, 31-27. Harris and Massachusetts' Rayshawn Miller then traded long balls in the waning seconds, as UMass Lowell took a slight, 34-32 edge into the break.
 
Coming out of halftime, freshman Obadiah Noel (Frederick, Md.) got things started with an explosive dunk, although the home squad quickly knotted the score at 36-36. The board was even once more before a floater from junior Ryan Jones (Rio Rancho, N.M.) and another three from Harris gave the visitors' their largest at 43-38 with 15:44 left to play.
 
Massachusetts would use a 7-1 spurt to regain the upper hand, but the River Hawks continued to pressure, forcing five more tied scores.
 
As a team, the Minutemen shot 47.1 percent (24-51) from the floor with five players scoring in double digits. Malik Hines notched a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds.
 
Friday's contest marked the fifth meeting between UMass Lowell and Massachusetts. The Minutemen now lead the series, 4-1. The River Hawks will kick off a six-game homestand with their home opener against UMass Boston on Sunday, November 12. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m.