Box Score (PDF)

LOWELL, Mass. – Seniors Matt Harris (Erie, Pa.) and Jahad Thomas (Williamsport, Pa.) each turned in 20+ point performances to help propel the UMass Lowell men's basketball team (2-1) to a closely-contested, 76-73 victory against Marist (0-2) on Wednesday evening in the second game of a doubleheader at Costello Athletic Center.
 
Harris tied a career-high with seven threes en route to a game- and season-high 23 points, while Thomas picked up a double-double with 21 points and 17 rebounds, in addition to chipping in with eight assists, in his first game of the season.
 
"It was great to get a win against a good Marist team," said Head Coach Pat Duquette. "I'm excited for the program. We're just getting healthy and just getting our rotation back in gear. We were led by our two seniors tonight and I thought overall we were a little better defensively. We have some guys that are leaving a little on the table right now, so we're not quite full strength, but it was still a very good win."
 
Redshirt-junior Josh Gantz (Grove City, Ohio) rounded out the double-digit scorers with 11 points. As a team, the River Hawks totaled 19 assists and forced 17 Marist turnovers.
 
The teams traded baskets in the opening minutes, as the score was tied on three occasions before junior Shawn Jones (Bridge City, La.) drained a three and Thomas followed with a jumper to give the River Hawks an early, 11-6 edge with 14:44 remaining in the first half.
 
The Red Foxes were able to make it a one-possession game, but Harris would knock down a three from the wing, sparking a 12-5 run that extended the River Hawks' advantage to 23-14 at 9:58. Although the visitors responded with a 10-4 spurt of their own, UMass Lowell maintained at least a two-point margin until Marist hit back-to-back layups to knot the score at 31-31 with 4:07 to go in the period.
 
Harris stayed hot from beyond the arc, draining two more long balls to put his squad back on top, while free throws from Gantz and Thomas helped the River Hawks record six of the last eight points to take a 48-43 lead into the break.
 
The Red Foxes cut the deficit to just one coming out of halftime, but Harris and Thomas combined for five points to hold on to the upper hand at 53-47 with 16:30 still to go.
 
Marist kept the pressure on throughout the second, staying within six until Harris and Thomas scored on consecutive trips down the court once again, this time to create a 68-61 buffer at 4:24. Then with the visitors back within three inside of a minute to go, Harris converted on a pair of free throws to seal the decision.   
 
David Knudsen paced the Red Foxes with 18 points, while Aleksandar Dozic totaled a team-best 11 rebounds.
 
Wednesday's contest marked just the second meeting between UMass Lowell and Marist in the sport of men's basketball. The all-time series is now tied, 1-1. The River Hawks will play their first game at the Tsongas Center of the new season on Sunday, November 19 when they host Cornell beginning at 1 p.m.