Saturday, December 2
North Andover, MA
7PM
University of Massachusetts Lowell
5-2,0-0America East
68
at
74
Merrimack
4-5,0-0NEC
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| UMass Lowell | 28 | 40 | 68 |
| Merrimack | 32 | 42 | 74 |
Team Stats
Lowell
Merri
FG%
.464
.407
3FG%
.273
.316
FT%
.684
.828
RB
32
34
TO
17
14
STL
8
11
Game Leaders
Pts
18
FGM
9
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Pts
11
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
10
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
6
River Hawks Tripped Up By Merrimack, 74-68
12/2/2023 10:06:00 PM | Men's Basketball
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Senior Max Brooks(Waldorf, Md.) tallied a season-high 18 points, as the UMass Lowell men's basketball team (5-2) was tripped up by the Merrimack Warriors (4-5), 74-68, on Saturday night.
"It was a good college basketball game, good crowd, good atmosphere," said Head Coach Pat Duquette. "The guys came up short, but it's been a long three weeks, six-straight road games. We'll be happy to get home on Tuesday."
Brooks, who shot 9-for-13 from the field, was one of four double-digit scorers for the River Hawks. Senior Ayinde Hikim (Washington, D.C.) finished with 12 points, three assists and three steals. Right behind him, senior Quinton Mincey (Upper Marlboro, Md.) added 11 points, while collecting five rebounds. Sophomore Brayden O'Connor(Ottawa, Ontario) was all over the box score, chipping in with 10 points, six rebounds and four assists. As a team, the River Hawks shot 46.4% (26-56) from the field, while posting 40 points in the paint.
UMass Lowell started strong on its end of the court despite an opening three from Merrimack, as the River Hawks grabbed an offensive board on three straight possessions for four second-chance points. Although the Warriors countered with a dunk and a layup to hold a three-point lead, UMass Lowell responded, going on a 13-4 run, highlighted by a trey from senior Yuri Covington (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.), to take a 17-11 lead with 12:44 on the clock. Two buckets from the hosts made it a one-possession game, but a three-pointer from Hikim quickly gave the River Hawks a five-point cushion, 20-15, with just under ten minutes remaining in the first.
Following a layup by Merrimack, both sides locked down on defense, as it took nearly two minutes for the next basket, which came off the hands of Brooks. The back-and-forth battle continued as each side added four points over the next two minutes, making it 26-21 with 4:58 on the clock. In the final minutes of the half, the Warriors used an 11-0 stretch to jump back in front by six before a jumper by Brooks cut the deficit to 32-28 heading into the break.
After UMass Lowell opened the second half with a bucket, the Warriors used an 8-2 burst to grow the margin to eight points only three minutes into the period. The River Hawks once again showed their resilience, putting up five points in under 30 seconds to make it a one-basket game once again. However, Merrimack fired right back, going on a 12-4 run with 12 minutes to play, building an 11-point gap at 52-41.
Continuing to claw its way back, UMass Lowell used a layup by Covington and two more from Hikim to slice the deficit nearly in half. The Warriors again retaliated, using seven free-throws and a three from Samba Diallo to take their largest lead of the night, 63-51, with 5:10 to play. The River Hawk defense locked down, not allowing a field goal the rest of the way, allowing the offense to score seven straight, highlighted by a deep ball from Mincey, to make it a three-point game with 1:43 to go. Merrimack followed with seven more free throws, though, holding off the late rally to seal the 74-68 decision.
"It was a good college basketball game, good crowd, good atmosphere," said Head Coach Pat Duquette. "The guys came up short, but it's been a long three weeks, six-straight road games. We'll be happy to get home on Tuesday."
Brooks, who shot 9-for-13 from the field, was one of four double-digit scorers for the River Hawks. Senior Ayinde Hikim (Washington, D.C.) finished with 12 points, three assists and three steals. Right behind him, senior Quinton Mincey (Upper Marlboro, Md.) added 11 points, while collecting five rebounds. Sophomore Brayden O'Connor(Ottawa, Ontario) was all over the box score, chipping in with 10 points, six rebounds and four assists. As a team, the River Hawks shot 46.4% (26-56) from the field, while posting 40 points in the paint.
UMass Lowell started strong on its end of the court despite an opening three from Merrimack, as the River Hawks grabbed an offensive board on three straight possessions for four second-chance points. Although the Warriors countered with a dunk and a layup to hold a three-point lead, UMass Lowell responded, going on a 13-4 run, highlighted by a trey from senior Yuri Covington (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.), to take a 17-11 lead with 12:44 on the clock. Two buckets from the hosts made it a one-possession game, but a three-pointer from Hikim quickly gave the River Hawks a five-point cushion, 20-15, with just under ten minutes remaining in the first.
Following a layup by Merrimack, both sides locked down on defense, as it took nearly two minutes for the next basket, which came off the hands of Brooks. The back-and-forth battle continued as each side added four points over the next two minutes, making it 26-21 with 4:58 on the clock. In the final minutes of the half, the Warriors used an 11-0 stretch to jump back in front by six before a jumper by Brooks cut the deficit to 32-28 heading into the break.
After UMass Lowell opened the second half with a bucket, the Warriors used an 8-2 burst to grow the margin to eight points only three minutes into the period. The River Hawks once again showed their resilience, putting up five points in under 30 seconds to make it a one-basket game once again. However, Merrimack fired right back, going on a 12-4 run with 12 minutes to play, building an 11-point gap at 52-41.
Continuing to claw its way back, UMass Lowell used a layup by Covington and two more from Hikim to slice the deficit nearly in half. The Warriors again retaliated, using seven free-throws and a three from Samba Diallo to take their largest lead of the night, 63-51, with 5:10 to play. The River Hawk defense locked down, not allowing a field goal the rest of the way, allowing the offense to score seven straight, highlighted by a deep ball from Mincey, to make it a three-point game with 1:43 to go. Merrimack followed with seven more free throws, though, holding off the late rally to seal the 74-68 decision.
Next up, the River Hawks will return home for the first time in a month when they welcome the Fisher Falcons on Tuesday, December 5. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. at Costello Athletic Center.
Friday, April 10
Wednesday, March 11
Saturday, March 07
Saturday, March 07
