Box Score (PDF)

LOWELL, Mass. – Redshirt-senior Jahad Thomas (Williamsport, Pa.) logged his fourth double-double of the season with 22 points and 11 rebounds in a 74-62 loss for the UMass Lowell men's basketball team (6-11, 0-4 AE) against New Hampshire (7-11, 3-1 AE) on Martin Luther King Jr. Day at the Tsongas Center.
 
"Tough game for us today," said Head Coach Pat Duquette. "We were outsized and we knew that going into it. They've got a lot of size at every position. In the past, we've done a pretty good job competing against them because we've shot the ball well, but we didn't shoot the ball well today. But, I was happy with the way we competed. We rebounded well from what I thought was our poorest game on Saturday and did a lot of good things. I was happy with the effort and the contributions we got off the bench, and I loved the way my guys stuck together the whole game."
 
Junior Shawn Jones (Bridge City, La.) and freshman Obadiah Noel (Frederick, Md.) chipped in with nine points apiece, while senior Matt Harris totaled eight.
 
New Hampshire registered the first eight points of the day until Harris and Thomas put the River Hawks on the board. However, the Wildcats quickly responded with another 12 unanswered to create an early, 23-4 advantage with 12:03 remaining in the first half.
 
Harris snapped almost five minutes of scoreless action for UMass Lowell with a pull-up jumper, sparking an 11-3 spurt for the home team that cut the difference to 26-15 at 8:05. UNH was able to stretch its lead back to 19 with 10 of the next 12 points before redshirt-junior Josh Gantz (Grove City, Ohio) and S. Jones converted at the line. Thomas followed with an and-1 on the fast break, and although free throws from Harris and Thomas closed the period, the River Hawks trailed the visitors, 41-26, heading into the break.
 
UMass Lowell's offense went to work coming out of halftime, as Thomas and junior Ryan Jones (Rio Rancho, N.M.) scored the first buckets of the second. Sophomore Rinardo Perry (Washington, D.C.) then drained a three from the wing to make it a 10-point game at 43-33 with 17:03 left to play.
 
UNH regained the momentum, though, using a 15-2 run to pull away, 58-35, at 12:25. Thomas would tally five straight points to help the River Hawks outscore the Wildcats, 9-2, and put the squad within 60-44 at 8:26. The visitors maintained at least a 16-point buffer until freshman Joey Naccarato (Coeur d'Alene, Id.), Thomas and Perry hit three of the game's last four baskets to seal the 74-62 outcome.
 
Keon Burns led four double-digit scorers for the Wildcats with 26 points and 12 rebounds. Iba Camara notched a game-high 17 rebounds, as well.
 
Monday's contest marked the ninth meeting between UMass Lowell and New Hampshire in the sport of men's basketball. The Wildcats now own an 8-1 edge in the all-time series.
 
UMass Lowell donned special MLK Day jerseys that were inspired by Dr. King's What is Your Life's Blueprint speech. The jerseys are now up for auction at goriverhawks.com/auctions. The River Hawks will play their next two games on the road beginning at UAlbany on Thursday, January 18. Tipoff for that contest is slated for 7 p.m.