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UMass Lowell Athletics

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Tickets
Watkins
67
Winner UMass Lowell Lowell 13-2,1-0 America East
64
NJIT NJIT 3-11,0-1 America East
Winner
UMass Lowell Lowell
13-2,1-0 America East
67
Final
64
NJIT NJIT
3-11,0-1 America East
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
UMass Lowell Lowell 40 27 67
NJIT NJIT 31 33 64

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1/5/2023 | 6PM

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Jan. 05 (Thu) / 6PM
 Maine
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Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

River Hawks Mount Final Minute Comeback in 67-64 Victory at NJIT

NEWARK, N.J. – Graduate student Mikey Watkins(Roselle, N.J.) recorded a season-high 15 points, as the UMass Lowell men's basketball team (13-2, 1-0 AE) scored the final 13 points to prevail in a 67-64, comeback victory at NJIT (3-11, 0-1 AE) in the America East opener.

Although the Highlanders led by 10 with under four minutes to play, the River Hawks continued to battle, using a 9-0 run that was capped off by a jumper from Watkins to cut the lead to just one with less than two minutes remaining. As time ticked under a minute, the River Hawks pressed on defense, forcing a dangerous pass by the Highlanders that was intercepted by senior Ayinde Hikim (Washington, D.C.), who then went coast-to-coast for the go-ahead basket with 26 seconds to go. Following a miss by NJIT on the other end, junior Max Brooks(Waldorf, Md.) converted on a pair of free throws to seal the victory.

"They had us on the ropes," said Head Coach Pat Duquette. "I thought midway through the second half, we allowed them to feel comfortable. They're very talented and once we allowed that, it was hard to get them out of rhythm. That felt like the turning point of the game. Our guys fought back. It was a chaotic game that went our way in the end. We were fortunate to come out with a win."

Watkins shot 85.7% from the field with a game-high three baskets from beyond the arc. Hikim added 12 points alongside four steals, while Brooks chipped in 10 points and six rebounds.

After NJIT opened the game with a three, the River Hawks jumped out to an early lead, putting together a 9-0 spurt only four minutes into the game. The Highlanders followed with a run of their own, though, scoring 17 of the game's next 19 points to take a 20-11 lead with 11:45 to play in the first half. However, it didn't take long for UMass Lowell to tie the game, as senior Connor Withers (Manassas, Va.) and Watkins combined to make three straight treys, knotting the game up at 20-20.

With 5:38 remaining in the first half and the game still tied, the River Hawks scored 11 in a row, ignited by six straight points from graduate student Everette Hammond (Silver Spring, Md.), to take a 36-25 lead. After trading a handful of shots, the Highlanders found one more bucket before halftime to cut the River Hawks lead to 40-31.

Both teams played lockdown defense to open the second half, allowing one basket each in nearly five minutes of action. Despite trailing by 10, NJIT continued to fight, and six straight points by Miles Coleman sparked an 11-0 run to give the Highlanders a one-point lead. A layup from Watkins would end the drought for the River Hawks, but the hosts tacked on six more to take a 50-45 lead.

The back-and-forth battle continued as a layup from junior Quinton Mincey (Marlboro, Md.) closed the gap to two with 6:43 remaining. The Highlanders quickly responded with an 11-3 spurt, creating a double-digit lead with 3:50 left in the game. However, the River Hawk defense did not allow a basket for the remainder of the game, setting up the 13-0 unanswered points to pull off the comeback.

Next up, the River Hawks will return home to take on Maine on Thursday, January 5. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m.
 
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