LOWELL, Mass. – Graduate student Allin Blunt (Crownsville, Md.) and senior Ayinde Hikim (Washington, D.C.) each tallied 18 points to lift the UMass Lowell men's basketball team (15-3, 3-1 AE) to an 80-65 win against Vermont (8-10, 2-2 AE) on Wednesday evening.
 
With the decision, the River Hawks remain unbeaten at home this season, improving to 9-0 in friendly confines.
 
"I'm real pleased with the win against traditionally, one of the best teams in our conference," said Head Coach Pat Duquette. "Vermont has another really good team this year, who plays hard and disciplined and tough on defense, so this is a good win for us. I thought tonight, we were extra locked in and focused. We had energy from start to finish."
 
Blunt went 6-for-9 from the field and added a team-best six rebounds. Hikim was a perfect, 4-for-4 from beyond the arc and dished out seven assists, as well. Two other River Hawks scored in double figures, as graduate student Everette Hammond surpassed 1,500 career points with 17 on the night and senior Abdoul Karim Coulibaly finished with 10.
 
Threes from Hikim and Hammond gave the River Hawks a slight edge in the opening minutes, but the teams were even twice early in the first, including at 12-12 following a dizzying turnaround jumper by junior Yuri Covington (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.) eight minutes into the contest.
 
The teams battled to find an advantage with neither side able to gain more than a one-possession edge until Hikim drained his second three of the night to spark a 12-1 run that helped the River Hawks pull away, 28-19, at 4:16. Blunt kept the offense on fire in the waning minutes, accounting for the team's last eight points of the period and sending his team into the break with a 36-22 cushion.
 
Blunt continued to spur his team on the offensive end, drilling a pair of treys coming out of halftime, as UMass Lowell scored 11 of the first 13 points to go up by 23 for the largest lead of the night. However, the Catamounts were quick to get back into it, responding with an 20-7 run to cut into the difference and make it 54-44 with 7:49 left to play.
 
Coulibaly then knocked down a second-chance layup ahead of buckets from Hikim and Blunt to regain a 15-point buffer for the home team. Vermont was back within 10 with just over three minutes to go, but Hammond helped put the game out of reach with back-to-back threes.
 
The River Hawks now head to Binghamton for a Saturday matinee.