Box Score NEW YORK – Junior Yuri Covington (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.) tallied a game-high 20 points, as the UMass Lowell men's basketball team (2-0) took down the Columbia Lions (0-2), 89-62, on Thursday evening.
"It was good to get an early convincing road win where almost everybody contributed," remarked head coach
Pat Duquette. "Our depth was huge tonight."
Senior Abdoul Karim Coulibaly (Bamako, Mali) recorded his second career double-double in as many games with 13 points and a career-high 13 rebounds. Junior Ayinde Hikim (Washington, D.C.) chipped in 13 points while graduate student Everette Hammond (Silver Spring, Md.) rounded out the double-digit scorers with 12 points.
After the Lions quickly built a 13-4 lead in the opening minutes of the contest, Coulibaly converted an and-one for a three-point play, and graduate student Mikey Watkins (Roselle, N.J.) followed with a three-pointer to pull the River Hawks within three. Columbia followed with a free throw and converted a shot from deep, extending their lead to 17-10.
Coulibaly and freshman Brayden O'Connor (Ottawa, Ontario) combined for nine points over the next four possessions, sparking an 18-0 run for UMass Lowell to take a 28-17 lead with just under five minutes remaining in the first half. The Lions responded with five unanswered points to cut the lead down to six with 2:04 remaining, however, Hammond buried a three to kick off an 8-2 run for the River Hawks, giving the visitors a 36-24 lead at the break.
Coming out of the locker room, the River Hawks picked up right where they left off as Coulibaly, junior Max Brooks (Waldorf, Md.), and Hikim drilled consecutive shots to further the lead to 18. UMass Lowell's defense continued to lock up the Columbia offense as they allowed only one basket in the first four and a half minutes of the second half.
With 13:18 remaining in the game, Covington drained back-to-back threes, followed by a layup from Coulibaly to give the River Hawks a 62-35 advantage. Minutes later, Covington sank another three-pointer for his game-high fourth of the night. Both teams continued to battle, but the UMass Lowell lead was too substantial for Columbia to overcome.
Next up, the River Hawks have a quick turnaround as they head to New Jersey to take on Rutgers on Saturday, November 12 at 2 p.m.
