LOWELL, Mass. – Senior
Max Brooks (Waldorf, Md.) registered a team-best 17 points to help lead the UMass Lowell men's basketball team (7-3) to a 78-65 victory against Long Island University (1-8) on Tuesday at Costello Athletic Center.
"It was great to be back home in front of a good crowd," said Head Coach
Pat Duquette. "We're still a work in progress, but we'll take the win. I think what I'm most pleased about is that my players felt the same way as I did after the game. We'll take the win, but we have to get better. Better to learn from a win than a loss. LIU is one of the most improved teams that I've seen. They have noticeably more talent and they gave us a heck of a fight."
With the decision, the River Hawks extend their home win streak to 20 games, including 3-0 this season. Rebounding was the story of the game, as the River Hawks dominated on the boards, 51-27, including 17 offensive rebounds leading to 21, second-chance points.
Brooks shot 58% (7-12) from the floor and added seven rebounds in the win. Senior
Quinton Mincey (Upper Marlboro, Md.) chipped in with a season-high 14 points and grabbed eight boards. Senior
Ayinde Hikim (Washington, D.C.) and sophomore
Brayden O'Connor (Ottawa, Ontario) added to the offense with 13 points apiece, while junior
Cam Morris III (Alexander City, Ala.) rounded out the double-digit scorers with 11 points. Senior
Yuri Covington (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.) let the way on the glass with nine boards.
The teams traded buckets and the lead in the opening minutes, as the River Hawks used threes from Covington and Hikim to stay within one possession. Driving slams from both Morris III and O'Connor on consecutive trips down the court followed to put UMass Lowell on top, 12-11, with 13:57 to go in the first.
O'Connor fought to the hoop for an and-1 to snap a 7-1 Shark run, but the visitors were able to maintain a one-basket lead until another Morris III dunk sparked a string of 12 straight home points that was capped off by five from Brooks, giving the River Hawks a 33-24 edge at 2:26. Morris III added another layup inside the final minute and Hikim beat the buzzer on the final play of the period to send UMass Lowell into the break with a 37-27 advantage.
Points from Brooks and Hikim after halftime stretched the buffer to 12, but LIU responded with a 7-2 spurt to cut it back to single digits. However, UMass Lowell answered right back with 10 in a row, as baskets from Morris III bookended back-to-back layups from Mincey to make it 54-37 with 11:43 left to play.
The River Hawks maintained a double-digit lead until the Sharks strung together a three and a layup to cut the difference to 63-54 at 5:42. The visitors continued to pressure, pulling within nine four more times, but the home team used points from Hikim, Covington and Mincey to close out the 78-65 victory.
The River Hawks will play in the Tsongas Center for the first time this season on Saturday, December 16 when they square off against Central Connecticut State at 5 p.m.
