LOWELL, Mass. – Led by graduate student Christian Lutete (Silver Spring, Md.) with a game-high 23 points, the UMass Lowell men's basketball team (9-14, 3-5 AE) outlasted New Hampshire (10-11, 3-5 AE), 77-75, to wrap up the first half of the America East slate on Saturday evening.
 
Although UMass Lowell led for over 35 minutes and by as many 17 points in the contest, the Wildcats made a late stand, using a 13-3 run to knot the score at 75-75 with just seven seconds on the clock. The River Hawks took advantage of a crucial foul on their final possession, though, as Lutete sealed the victory with a pair of free throws to get his team back in the win column following a four-game skid.
 
"First, I would like to give credit to New Hampshire," said Head Coach Pat Duquette. "I knew they weren't going to go away. We played a great first half with the best defense we played all year. New Hampshire plays hard and physical, and are really well coached. I told my team we were going to have to make them go away, and we did that for probably another 10 minutes and then things changed, so that part is disappointing. I know it's a win, but we're better than that and we didn't handle the last five minutes well at all."
 
Junior Obadiah Noel (Frederick, Md.) added to the offense for the home team with 21 points and three steals. Graduate student Josh Gantz (Grove City, Ohio) chipped in with 11 points, while freshman Connor Withers (Manassas, Va.) finished with 10 points and a team-high eight rebounds.
 
Gantz and junior Jordyn Owens (Montclair, N.J.) combined to give the River Hawks their first lead of the night, and although the teams traded three quick lead changes, Gantz knocked down a three from the top of the key to spark six unanswered from the home team, putting UMass Lowell ahead, 14-9, with 13:35 remaining in the first half.
 
The Wildcats erased the difference and evened the board twice until freshman Kalil Thomas (New Orleans, La.) and Noel drained back-to-back threes to help to River Hawks build a 24-16 edge at 8:28. The visitors pulled within a bucket, but the UMass Lowell offense ignited with a 15-4 spurt that was capped off by a turnaround jumper from Lutete to beat the buzzer and send the home team into the break on top, 39-26.
 
Coming out of halftime, the River Hawks were quick to stretch their lead as far as 17 with the help of a triple from Noel. UNH followed with a 15-2 stretch, making it a two-possession game, however, Noel converted at the line and Withers laid one in to give the River Hawks some breathing room at 56-47 with 10:13 still to play.
 
UMass Lowell would regain a double-digit buffer in the last six minutes with consecutive buckets from Withers and Noel, and were able to maintain at least an eight-point edge until the visitors began their march back inside of the final two minutes.
 
New Hampshire still leads the all-time series, 9-4. Up next, the River Hawks head to Stony Brook on Wednesday, February 5 for a 7 p.m. tipoff.