LOWELL, Mass. – Redshirt-senior
Jahad Thomas (Williamsport, Pa.) posted a game-high 20 points and 13 rebounds for the UMass Lowell men's basketball team (8-13, 2-6 AE) in a 77-70 heartbreaker against America East foe Hartford (12-10, 5-3 AE) on Saturday evening.
The River Hawks led by as many as 26 in the first half before Hartford took its first lead of the contest halfway through the second. Six lead changes and three tied scores followed, including at 70-70 with less than three minutes to go, but the Hawks tallied the final seven points to secure the outcome.
"This was one of our toughest losses since I've been here, and probably in part because we played so great the first 15 minutes," said Head Coach
Pat Duquette. "We built a huge lead and it was fun to watch. We've never been in that position and I know it's tough to play with big leads, but we lost our confidence, which was tough to watch. To me, it was a tale of two games. One when we played with confidence and one when we lost our confidence. We are going to learn from this."
In addition to logging his fifth double-double of the season, Thomas matched a season high with eight assists. Senior
Matt Harris (Erie, Pa.) totaled 15 points, while junior
Ryan Jones (Rio Rancho, N.M.) finished with 13 points and six assists. As a team, UMass Lowell tied a season best with 12 three-pointers.
The River Hawk offense went to work right away, as redshirt-junior
Josh Gantz (Grove City, Ohio) scored the first points of the night just seconds into play. Hartford would pull within two in the opening minutes, but sophomore
Rinardo Perry (Washington, D.C.) then drained a three to spark a 20-0 run that included a trio of triples from Harris, giving the home squad a 26-4 edge with 10:50 remaining in the first half.
J.R. Lynch scored the first bucket for the visitors in almost eight minutes, although Jones was quick to answer with his first long ball of the day followed by a free throw from freshman
Obadiah Noel (Frederick, Md.) and a layup from redshirt-sophomore
Connor Bennett (Wilmington, Mass.) to create the largest buffer of the game, 32-6, at 7:11.
The Hawks took control of the momentum in the latter part of the period, outscoring UMass Lowell, 26-8 over the next six minutes and cutting the different back to single-digits. However, a jumper from Thomas in the last 30 seconds sent the River Hawks into the break with a 42-32 advantage.
The visitors tallied the first five points coming out of halftime to make it a five-point game, but the River Hawks responded with a bucket from Perry, and five straight points from Thomas and Gantz to regain a 10-point buffer at 49-39 with 17:26 left to go.
Hartford recorded 13 of the next 15 points to take its first, 52-51, at 13:31. The teams traded baskets and the lead on six occasions before Harris' and-1 knotted the score, 70-70, at 2:40.
Jason Dunne logged 20 points to pace Hartford, while Hassan Attia grabbed 10 rebounds.
Saturday's contest marked the 15th meeting between UMass Lowell and Hartford in the sport of men's basketball. Hartford now leads the all-time series, 10-5. The River Hawks hit the road for their next three America East contests beginning on Wednesday, January 31 at Maine.
