Box Score (PDF)

VESTAL, N.Y. – Senior Matt Harris (Erie, Pa.) logged a team-high 24 points to lead the UMass Lowell men's basketball team (7-12, 1-5 AE) to its first America East victory of the season, 79-71, at Binghamton (10-11, 1-5 AE) on Sunday afternoon.
 
The decision snapped a seven-game skid for the River Hawks, in addition to giving the squad its first road win since January 8, 2017, which also came in Vestal.
 
"The team showed really good poise almost the entire game," said Head Coach Pat Duquette. "We handled a whole variety of pressure, spaced the floor and made good passes. This was as good of a defensive effort as we've had, as well. I'm really happy for our team and this win. I think we won because we kept things together despite an incredibly tough stretch that we haven't had many of. It's been a tough month, but our group stayed together, stayed positive and kept believing in the right way to play."
 
Five of Harris' nine field goals came from beyond the arc in the outing. Three teammates joined him in double figures, including redshirt-junior Josh Gantz (Grove City, Ohio), who tied career highs with 19 points and three steals. Redshirt-senior Jahad Thomas (Williamsport, Pa.) chipped in with 14 points, while junior Ryan Jones (Rio Rancho, N.M.) and freshman Obadiah Noel (Frederick, Md.) finished with 10 points apiece.

Binghamton won the opening tip, but Harris quickly stripped the ball away, allowing Thomas to score the first points of the day. However, J.C. Show single-handedly accounted for a 13-1 stretch that gave the Bearcats a double-digit advantage with 13:51 remaining in the first half.
 
Freshman Obadiah Noel (Frederick, Md.) answered with a jumper as the shot clock expired, igniting a 13-2 run that included a trio of triples from Harris, which gave the visitors a 16-15 lead at 10:08. The teams traded seven lead changes over the next six minutes until four different River Hawks combined for eight straight points to help the squad take a 33-28 edge into the break.
 
Coming out of halftime, Thomas converted on a three-point play and Gantz drained his first long ball of the day to extend their team's buffer to 11.
 
Binghamton cut the deficit back to six on four occasions before Noel's second dunk of the game sparked seven straight UMass Lowell points, putting his squad ahead by their largest margin, 57-44, at 9:00. The home squad would not go quietly, though, scoring 10 of the next 12 points to close the gap to just five.
 
Harris jolted the River Hawk offense with another three, as the team battled to regain a double-digit margin once again. Although the teams alternated chances at the foul line in the final minutes, Jones came up with a big block in the final seconds to seal the 79-71 outcome.
 
Show paced the Bearcats with a game-high 26 points on the day, while Thomas Bruce posted 19 rebounds.
 
Sunday's contest marked the 14th meeting between UMass Lowell and Binghamton in the sport of men's basketball. The River Hawks now lead the all-time series, 10-4. The squad returns home to host Stony Brook on Wednesday, January 24 in a 7 p.m. tilt.