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LOWELL, Mass. – Redshirt-junior Christian Lutete (Silver Spring, Md.) logged a career-high 28 points to help lift the UMass Lowell men's basketball (5-5) to a 94-71 victory against NJIT (7-2) at the Tsongas Center on Saturday.
 
"I'm really pleased with today's win," said Head Coach Pat Duquette. "It was a team effort. We took a step forward today and I think this is a moment we can feel good about ourselves. That's a good NJIT team. They were 7-1 coming into our building and we still have a lot of fresh faces. That was a commanding win. We played with poise with a lead, which young teams don't always do. And this was our best defensive effort."
 
With the decision, the River Hawks improve to 3-0 at home this season. Combining for a season-high 23 total assists, the team was highlighted by five double-digit scorers for the second consecutive game.
 
Lutete, who scored 25 of his points in the second half, tied a personal best with four three-pointers in the outing. Freshman Alex Rivera (Lowell, Mass.) and sophomore Obadiah Noel (Frederick, Md.) chipped in with 16 and 15 points, respectively, while senior Ryan Jones (Rio Rancho, N.M.) turned in just the second double-double of his career with 12 points and a career-high 10 assists. Redshirt-senior Josh Gantz (Grove City, Ohio) rounded out the scorers in double figures with 12 points, as well.
 
Jones pulled up for a jumper on the River Hawks' first possession, as the home squad jumped out to an early, 9-3 advantage. The Highlanders would put together a 10-2 spurt over the next four minutes to take their only lead of the day, but Gantz knocked down a three to spark 13 straight points for his squad, including eight straight from Rivera, that gave UMass Lowell a 24-13 edge with 9:27 remaining in the first half.
 
NJIT was able to close the gap back to nine before Noel put on an offensive show with two steals and three consecutive dunks, extending the River Hawks' lead to 35-19 at 4:04. The Highlanders answered with seven of the last nine points of the period, but the home squad would take a 37-26 edge into the break.
 
Coming out of halftime, Jones hit a jumper and Lutete drained a triple before freshman Darius Henderson (Pasadena, Calif.) and Noel gave their squad a 16-point buffer with less than 18 minutes remaining. NJIT battled to close the gap back to 10, but long balls from Jones and Lutete bookended a 9-1 spurt that put UMass Lowell on top, 55-37, with 13:36 left to go.
 
The visitors pulled within 13 on two occasions until the River Hawks used a 12-3 run to put the game out of reach, 75-52, at 7:41. UMass Lowell led by as many as 25 in the final minutes of the victory.  
 
As a team, the River Hawks shot 58 percent (34-59) from the floor.
 
The Highlanders still own a slight, 5-4 advantage in the all-time series. The River Hawks are back in action on Tuesday, December 4 when they make the short trip to Boston University for a 7 p.m. tipoff.