Box Score (PDF)

LOWELL, Mass. – Sophomore Obadiah Noel (Frederick, Md.) totaled 17 points to help propel the UMass Lowell men's basketball team (1-1) to a thrilling, 88-84 victory against Wagner (1-1) in the squad's home opener on Saturday afternoon.
 
"This was a great college basketball game in a really fun, intense environment, so I'm happy for my guys," said Head Coach Pat Duquette. "These guys made enough good plays down the stretch to win the game, but I thought Wagner did a really good job. They were physical and made us speed up on offense, so that's a credit to their defense. Overall, it was good to get our first win here at home in front of a really good crowd."
 
Trailing by three with 45 seconds remaining in regulation in a game that featured 14 lead changes, senior Ryan Jones (Rio Rancho, N.M.) tossed an alley-oop up to Noel for an impressive, reverse dunk that gave the River Hawks the momentum they needed to knot the score at 73-73 and force overtime.
 
In the extra period, redshirt-junior Christian Lutete (Silver Spring, Md.) and freshman Alex Rivera (Lowell, Mass.) drained back-to-back threes to create a two-possession buffer. The Seahawks were able to cut the difference to just one on two occasions, but Lutete pulled down a vital rebound and sank a pair of free throws in the final seconds to secure the victory.
 
As a team, the River Hawks shot 47.6 percent (30-63) from the floor in the outing. Jones boasted a career-high eight assists, while Rivera totaled 14 points in his first career appearance. Lutete recorded his second straight double-double with 13 points and a game-high 11 rebounds, and redshirt-senior Josh Gantz (Grove City, Ohio) rounded out the double-digit scorers with 13 points.
 
With the help of five points from both Gantz and freshman Darius Henderson (Pasadena, Calif.), the River Hawks created a 16-6 lead in the first eight minutes of action. Wagner answered with a quick, 9-2 spurt to cut the difference to just three, but Rivera knocked down a triple to give the home team a 21-15 edge at 9:22.
 
Although the Seahawks would take their first lead at 24-23, UMass Lowell retaliated with six straight points, including four from freshman Joey Glynn (Portsmouth, N.H.), to regain the upper hand, 29-24, with 5:13 to go in the period. However, the visitors outscored the River Hawks, 12-5, in the waning minutes of the half to take a slight, 36-34 edge into the break.
 
Coming out of halftime, the board was even three times until Wagner tallied 10 unanswered to pull ahead, 61-51, with 9:11 left. UMass Lowell responded once again, though, as Noel sparked an 11-0 run and put his squad back on top, 64-63, at 5:32. Wagner led once more, but was unable to fend off the River Hawks.
 
The all-time series between UMass Lowell and Wagner is now tied, 2-2. The River Hawks open a four-game road swing on Tuesday, Nov. 13 at Central Connecticut State at 7 p.m.