Box Score LOWELL, Mass. – Freshman
Martin Somerville (Bowie, Md.) matched his career highs with six threes and 22 total points, as the UMass Lowell men's basketball team (10-4) used an efficient second half to defeat Boston University (5-7), 83-71, on Saturday, December 21 at Costello Athletic Center.
Although the game featured nine lead changes and seven tied scores, with BU leading by as many as 13, the River Hawks shot 72% in the second half to pull away for the victory. The team also moved the ball incredibly well, compiling a season-high 24 assists.
"This was a great win today and I'm real happy for my guys," said Head Coach
Pat Duquette. "That was a good BU team, well-coached. They had our backs against the wall in the first half and had us a little rattled, I would say more so than a lot of teams we've played, so credit to them. Our guys worked through the adversity and came out in the second half really sharing the basketball. It was really fun to watch the ball move. Everybody got to score and we got to shoot higher-percentage shots because of it. I think we're a really good team when we move the ball like that and find the open guy. We had 24 assists, which is an awesome number for us, so great win. We'll take some much-needed time to rest and hang out with our families and get ready after Christmas."
Fifth year
Max Brooks (Waldorf, Md.) added 20 points in the outing, in addition to a career-high six assists and a team-best seven rebounds. Classmate
Yuri Covington (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.) chipped in with 14 points, while senior
Cam Morris III (Alexander City, Ala.) finished with 10.
Morris III tallied the River Hawks' first points of the contest, as BU built an early, 9-2 edge. Somerville entered the game and broke up the stretch with an open trey, but the Terriers led by as many as 13 at 18-5 with 11:05 remaining in the first half.
Somerville and senior
Xzavier Lino (Phoenix, Ariz.) combined for an 11-2 River Hawk run to cut the difference to 20-16 at 6:12. The Terriers maintained the upper hand, leading by five once more, before the home team went on to score eight of the final 11 points of the period, including a bucket from fifth year
Quinton Mincey (Upper Marlboro, Md.) with less than a minute on the clock to force a 27-27 stalemate heading into the break.
Brooks sunk the first points of the second half, and although the teams were all tied up four more times, Morris III converted on an and-1 to give the River Hawks a 36-35 edge three minutes in. Both sides continued to go shot-for-shot on either end, trading the lead four times and being knotted once more before Covington and Somerville drained threes to bookend a putback from Brooks and put the home squad on top, 49-41, with 13:23 left to play.
The Terriers were back within six twice, but Somerville and Brooks responded with seven straight points to create a 58-45 advantage at 10:54. Minutes later, the River Hawks were able to stretch the buffer as far as 66-51 following back-to-back buckets from Mincey and Brooks with seven minutes to go. In the final minutes, Covington would score the team's last seven points to help secure the decision.
The River Hawks are now off until Monday, December 30 when they wrap up non-conference play against Emerson. Tipoff for that contest is scheduled for 2 p.m.
