Box Score (PDF)

BALTIMORE, Md. – Redshirt-senior Jahad Thomas (Williamsport, Pa.) recorded a game-high 21 points and 12 rebounds in a hard-fought, 83-75 loss for the UMass Lowell men's basketball team (11-17, 5-10 AE) at UMBC (20-10, 11-4 AE) on Saturday.
 
Thomas' performance marked his ninth double-double of the year and his sixth consecutive contest with 20+ points. Sophomore Rinardo Perry (Washington, D.C.) chipped in with 19 points, while redshirt-junior Josh Gantz (Grove City, Ohio) rounded out the River Hawks' double-digit scorers with 11 points.
 
"There was just that one stretch with about four minutes left where UMBC made some great plays and hit their shots," said Head Coach Pat Duquette. "They're a very good team. They space the floor and have a lot of guys that can shoot the ball. This is a team we didn't play well against earlier in the year, so I was much happier with the effort this time around. In the second half, I thought we got good contributions from everyone who played on both sides of the floor."
 
Perry drained a pair of threes in the opening minutes of action and Thomas added a layup to give the River Hawks an early advantage. Gantz followed with back-to-back buckets, but the Retrievers, who scored their first four buckets of the contest from beyond the arc, evened the board at 12-12 with 15:26 remaining in the first half.
 
The teams were tied once again before UMBC used a 13-5 run to take its first lead of the day, 25-17, at 10:09. However, the River Hawks battled to regain the momentum, holding the Retrievers scoreless for five minutes during a 9-0 stretch that was capped off by a finger roll from Perry, putting the visitors back on top, 28-27, with 4:59 left in the period.
 
UMass Lowell and UMBC traded baskets with two quick lead changes until the home squad closed the half with nine of the last 11 points to hold a 39-35 advantage at the break.
 
Coming out of halftime, junior Ryan Jones (Rio Rancho, N.M.) laid in a pair of buckets and senior Matt Harris (Erie, Pa.) kicked out a good pass to Gantz for the triple to cut the difference to just one, 43-42, with 16:52 left to play. Perry would then convert on an and-1 and hit a three on the next trip down the court, giving the River Hawks a 48-46 lead at 15:27.
 
The Retrievers forced two more stalemates as the teams continued to battle, but a long ball from freshman Obadiah Noel (Frederick, Md.) and a layup from Thomas made the score, 56-51, with 12 minutes still to play. UMass Lowell held onto at least a one-point buffer for the next six minutes, but UMBC would use 13 straight points to jump in front, 77-68, at 3:34 and keep the lead for good.
 
Joe Sherburne finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds for UMBC. Jairus Lyles totaled 16 points, as well.
 
Saturday's contest marked the 10th meeting between UMass Lowell and UMBC in the sport of men's basketball. The River Hawks still own a 6-4 advantage in the series. The squad now concludes the regular season on Tuesday, February 27 at New Hampshire.