Box Score (PDF)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – Redshirt-senior Jahad Thomas (Erie, Pa.) posted a team-best 19 points and seven rebounds, as the UMass Lowell men's basketball team (5-4) dropped a 90-72 decision at Wagner (6-1) on Tuesday evening.
 
"We had some really good moments tonight against a really good team," said Head Coach Pat Duquette. "I don't know if they're going to shoot the ball that well every night, but if they do, they're going to win a lot of games. I thought our guys battled and played extremely hard under some tough circumstances. Today wasn't such a bad loss because our guys competed, we just ran into a team that competed just as hard and shot the lights out in the first half."
 
Redshirt-junior Josh Gantz (Grove City, Ohio) and freshman Obadiah Noel (Frederick, Md.) tied season highs with 13 points apiece to add the offense. Gantz matched a career high with three steals on the night, as well, while Noel went a personal-best, 11-for-13 from the foul line.  
 
The Seahawks, who shot an impressive 63.6 percent (14-22) from long range, showed their strength from the perimeter early on, going 6-for-6 from beyond the arc in the first four minutes to jump out to a 22-7 advantage. Senior Matt Harris (Erie, Pa.) answered with a three of his own and Thomas followed with a layup to close the gap to 10 with 12:45 remaining in the first half.
 
Wagner maintained a double-digit buffer until Noel and Gantz combined for five consecutive points from the line, putting the visitors within eight, 29-21, at 8:30. The home squad would then lead by as many as 13, but Noel scored nine of his team's next 11 points before Thomas and sophomore Rinardo Perry (Washington, D.C.) banked in back-to-back buckets in the waning seconds to send the River Hawks into the locker room trailing, 45-36.  
 
Coming out of halftime, the Seahawks used an eight-point spurt from Blake Francis to spark an 11-0 run that gave the home squad a 58-39 advantage with 15:01 left to play. However, UMass Lowell continued to battle, with a pair of baskets from Thomas and a long ball from junior Ryan Jones (Rio Rancho, N.M.), making it an 11-point game at 12:38.
 
Threes from Thomas and Harris cut the difference to 67-57 with less than seven minutes to play. Although the River Hawks were within 10 twice more, the Seahawks logged the final seven points of the night to secure the 90-72 outcome.
 
Francis and Elijah Davis each hit four threes in the outing en route to 20 points apiece. Additionally, JoJo Cooper finished with a double-double of 10 points and 13 assists.  
 
Tuesday's contest marked just the third meeting ever between UMass Lowell and Wagner in the sport of men's basketball. The Seahawks now lead the series, 2-1. The River Hawks will conclude their three game road swing with some Saturday afternoon action at Brown. Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m.