LOWELL, Mass. – Graduate student Christian Lutete (Silver Spring, Md.) recorded a game-high 26 points in an 80-68 setback for the UMass Lowell men's basketball team (7-10, 1-1 AE) against America East foe Hartford (9-8, 2-0 AE) on Wednesday evening at the Tsongas Center.
 
"It was a frustrating night for both the coaches and the players," said Head Coach Pat Duquette. "I thought we came off one of our best efforts of the season in our win at UMBC and we just didn't follow it up. I've never seen so many loose balls not go our way. We didn't capitalize on fast-break opportunities and we didn't play with the grittiness and toughness that we did at UMBC. I'm not sure why, but I do know we don't have enough depth that if some of our key guys aren't playing well, we don't have an answer for that."
 
Lutete shot 11-for-18 (61%) from the field with five rebounds in the contest. Junior Obadiah Noel (Frederick, Md.) added to the offense with 19 points. Junior Jordyn Owens (Montclair, N.J.) totaled six assists, while graduate student Josh Gantz (Grove City, Ohio) chipped in with three steals.
 
The River Hawks were quick to attack, winning the tip and opening the scoring with a three from Lutete. The home team maintained the upper hand early until a 9-3 run put Hartford on top, 14-11, with 11:58 remaining in the first half.
 
Freshman Connor Withers (Manassas, Va.) banked in a layup and Noel converted on a pair of free throws to regain the upper hand for UMass Lowell before the visitors built a two-possession buffer, 22-17, at 8:50. However, the River Hawks scored seven of the next nine points, including a triple by Noel to erase the difference and knot the score, 24-24, at 7:10. The board was even once more, although Hartford would work to build a seven-point buffer in the waning minutes, taking a 41-34 advantage into the break.
 
UMass Lowell outscored Hartford, 8-2, coming out of halftime with the help of four from Lutete to make it a one-point game. The Hawks would maintain the lead until Lutete drained a long ball to put the River Hawks in front, 50-49, with 13:42 still to go.
 
The teams traded buckets with two quick lead changes before Hartford got hot from beyond the arc, knocking down three straight triples as part of a 14-2 run that created the game's first double-digit buffer, 70-56, at 7:11. The River Hawks battled back with 10 unanswered points, closing the gap to 70-66 with less than five minutes to play, but were unable to come any closer, as the visitors pulled away for the 80-68 victory.
 
Hartford now owns a 13-6 lead in the all-time series against UMass Lowell. Next up, the River Hawks host Binghamton on Saturday, January 11 at 5:30 p.m.