NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Sophomore Max Brooks (Waldorf, Md.) posted 17 points and six rebounds to lead the way, as the UMass Lowell men's basketball (6-3) put together a thrilling, second-half comeback to defeat Merrimack (4-5) on the road on Saturday evening.
 
Despite trailing by as many as 14 on the night, including a 12-point deficit early in the second-half, the River Hawks mounted a 14-2 run in the final seven minutes to take back the lead for the first time since the opening minutes of the contest. An and-1 from Brooks was the go-ahead bucket, while junior Connor Withers (Manassas, Va.) sunk a turn-around jumper to give his squad its largest margin, 59-55, with 53 second left on the clock.
 
An all-important block from Brooks and free throws from senior Everette Hammond (Silver Spring, Md.) would then seal the decision in the final seconds.  
 
"This was a great college atmosphere," said Head Coach Pat Duquette. "It was nearly sold out, very loud, and it was a good game, back-and-forth. Both teams played well. Merrimack is very difficult to play against with their zone, but I thought our guys adjusted to it as time went on and we felt a little more comfortable in the second half, but defensively is where we won the game. In the second half, we picked up the pressure and I thought that got our energy level back and we played better help defense."
 
Hammond would finish the night with 14 points and five rebounds, while Withers shot 4-for-8 from the floor for 10 points in his first outing of the year.
 
Brooks reached above the opposition to float in the River Hawks' first four points of the night, but an early 11-2 spurt would give the Warriors a 13-6 edge with 13:22 remaining in the first half.
 
Junior Darion Jordan-Thomas (Brockton, Mass.) checked in and provided an offensive spark off the bench, combining with sophomore Ayinde Hikim (Washington, D.C.) for six points to cut the difference to just four halfway through the period. However, the home team used nine straight points to pull ahead by double-digits, 35-21, with five minutes left.
 
Senior Allin Blunt (Crownsville, Md.) made good on his opportunities at the line before dishing a pass to Withers for two, but neither side was able to score in the final two minutes and 40 seconds of the half to make it 37-27 in favor if the home team at the break.
 
The Warriors led by as many as 12 in the second, but Thomas hit a jumper to ignite a 13-3 run that was capped off by a bucket from Hammond to put the visitors within two, 44-42, with just over 13 minutes still to play.
 
Next up, the River Hawks visit Boston University on Wednesday, December 8 for a 7 p.m. tipoff.