LOWELL, Mass. – Graduate student Everette Hammond (Silver Spring, Md.) logged a game-high 20 points to help lift the UMass Lowell men's basketball team (14-2, 2-0 AE) to a closely-contested, 72-70 victory against Maine (6-8, 0-1 AE) on Thursday evening.
 
The River Hawks led by as many as 13 early in the second, but the Black Bears chipped away to make it a two-point game, 63-61, with just under five minutes on the clock. A two-handed slam by junior Max Brooks (Waldorf, Md.) and a jumper from senior Ayinde Hikim (Washington, D.C.) kept their side in front and accounted for the team's final field goals of the night. Hammond and Hikim then drained crucial free throws in the final seconds, making a buzzer-beating three for Maine irrelevant to the outcome.
 
"It's good to get a win tonight against a much improved Maine team that has a different look and different aura about them," said Head Coach Pat Duquette. "They kept coming at us and didn't give up. They changed their defenses and tried to keep us off rhythm. We have to get more contributions. We have to get five or six guys in double digits. Overall, I'm please with the win against a very good Maine team and we have to keep getting better."
 
Hikim and classmate Connor Withers (Manassas, Va.) each chipped in with 15 points on the night. Withers went 5-for-6 from beyond the arc, while Hikim added six assists. Senior Karim Abdoul Coulibaly (Bamako, Mali) led the team on the boards in the outing with eight rebounds.
 
The Black Bears scored four of the first six points of the night, but the home squad quickly settled in and used an inside-out three from Hammond to spark a string of nine unanswered that gave the River Hawks an 11-4 edge five minutes into the contest. However, Maine followed with a 10-3 run to erase the difference and even the board at 14-14 halfway through the period.
 
The teams traded baskets and were tied three more times in the first before Hikim ignited a 13-2 River Hawk run. The spurt included a trio of threes from Withers to finish a perfect 5-for-5 from long range in the half and send the home side into the break on top, 38-29.
 
UMass Lowell scored seven of the first 10 points coming out of halftime, thanks to a layup from Brooks and a triple from junior Quinton Mincey (Upper Marlboro, Md.). The River Hawks maintained at least an eight-point buffer until Kellen Tynes and Peter Filipovity pulled the Black Bears within five, 51-46, with 11:46 still to play.
 
Maine continued to pressure and was able to cut the difference to one, 55-54, with less than eight on the clock. Hammond drove to the hoop to keep his squad in front, although it was a one-point game once again two minutes later. The River Hawks responded with a jumper from Hikim before Hammond went the full length of the court to make it a two-possession game. Kristians Feierbergs would knock down a timely three for Maine, putting the visitors back within a bucket to set up an exciting final five minutes.
 
The River Hawks will return to action on Sunday, January 8 when they visit UAlbany for a 3 p.m. tipoff.