Box Score (PDF)

LOWELL, Mass. – Despite pulling within one with less than four minutes to go, the UMass Lowell men's basketball team (9-16, 3-9 AE) fell, 91-81, against America East foe UAlbany (20-8, 8-5 AE) on Thursday evening.
 
Redshirt-senior Jahad Thomas (Williamsport, Pa.) logged a team-high 22 points to pace five River Hawks in double figures. Junior Ryan Jones (Rio Rancho, N.M.) followed with 18 points, while senior Matt Harris (Erie, Pa.) added 16. Redshirt-junior Josh Gantz (Grove City, Ohio) and sophomore Rinardo Perry (Washington, D.C.) rounded out the leading scorers with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
 
The River Hawks shot 72 percent from the field in the second half en route to erasing a 15-point deficit and tying the game twice, although the Great Danes would outscore the home team, 14-5, in the final three minutes to secure the decision.
 
"We showed a lot of resiliency coming back in the second half after falling down by 15 points at halftime," said Head Coach Pat Duquette. "They jumped us from the start. We weren't entirely ready, so that part was slightly disappointing, but we saw a lot of good things in the second half. Albany is a really good team that I have a lot of respect for. We left a little on the foul line, but we got it to the point where there were some pivotal points in the game."
 
The River Hawks got off to a quick start with a pull-up three from Harris and a tip-in from Thomas in the opening seconds of the contest. The home squad would maintain at least a one-point buffer until UAlbany tallied 11 unanswered points to take their first lead of the night at 22-14 with 11:38 remaining in the first half.
 
Harris snapped the silence with buckets on consecutive trips down the court and freshman Obadiah Noel (Frederick, Md.) followed with a floater, putting UMass Lowell within four, but the Great Danes used a 7-0 spurt to extend its margin to double-digits, 32-21, at 7:41. The River Hawks retaliated with a 10-4 run of their own, although the visitors scored 12 of the last 14 points in the period to take a 48-33 advantage into the break.
 
Perry, Thomas and Jones scored a trio of buckets coming out of halftime for UMass Lowell. The Great Danes held onto a double-digit lead the next four minutes before the home team took control of the momentum with 15 straight points, including eight from Jones, to knot the score at 58-58 with 12:14 left to play.
 
The River Hawks evened the board once more, but UAlbany responded back with an 11-2 run to pull ahead, 72-63, at 7:24. However, the home team would not go quietly, as UMass Lowell battled back once again, capping off seven points in a row with a layup from Perry that made it a one-point game at 77-76 with 3:35 still to go.  
 
David Nichols notched a game-high 25 points to pace the Great Danes. Greg Stire chipped in with a game-high eight rebounds.
 
Thursday's contest marked the 19th meeting between UMass Lowell and UAlbany in the sport of men's basketball. The Great Danes now lead the all-time series, 11-8. The River Hawks will return to action on Sunday, February 18 when they welcome Binghamton to Lowell for a 2 p.m. tipoff.