River Hawks Tripped Up By Vermont, 74-62

Saturday, March 2

Burlington, VT

3 PM

University of Massachusetts Lowell

20-8,11-4America East

Vermont

24-6,14-1America East

Team	1	2	F
UMass Lowell	18	44	62
Vermont	38	36	74

Game Notes

River Hawks Tripped Up By Vermont, 74-62

3/2/2024 5:38:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

BURLINGTON, Vt. – Senior Quinton Mincey (Upper Marlboro, Md.) tallied a team-high 18 points, as the UMass Lowell men's basketball team (20-8, 11-4 AE) fell to the Vermont Catamounts (24-6, 14-1 AE), 74-62, on Saturday afternoon at Patrick Gymnasium.

"We just dug too big of a hole against a very talented and hot-shooting Vermont team in front of a sellout crowd," said Head Coach Pat Duquette. "We turned in a good second-half effort, but it was too little, too late."

Mincey, who connected twice from beyond the arc, was one of three double-digit scorers for the River Hawks. Behind him, senior Yuri Covington (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.) finished with 15 points and ten rebounds for the second double-double of his career. Senior Ayinde Hikim (Washington, D.C.) rounded out the double-digit scorers with 13 points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals.

The River Hawks' defense came out strong to start the game, holding the Catamounts to only one basket in the first three minutes. Vermont, however, began to heat up, sinking three triples as part of an 11-0 run to own a 13-4 lead with 14:02 on the clock. A jumper by Hikim interrupted the scoreless stretch before free throws from Mincey and junior Cam Morris III (Alexander City, Ala.) cut the deficit to 16-9 with just under 12 minutes remaining in the half.

The Catamounts responded quickly, using two triples to kick start a 13-2 run to extend their advantage to 29-11 with 8:17 to play in the half. Refusing to back down, the River Hawks locked down on defense, allowing only one basket over the next six and a half minutes of play. The River Hawks added seven points to whittle away at the deficit, but the hosts ended the half with six straight to own a 38-18 lead at the break.

Coming out of the locker room, the River Hawks began to heat up on offense, as Morris III sank a layup and Covington sank a triple to make it 42-23 with 18 minutes remaining. Although Vermont used a quick 6-0 burst to take their largest lead of the afternoon, UMass Lowell countered immediately with a trey from Mincey to ignite a 12-5 run for the visitors. The hosts' Aaron Deloney tallied nine straight for his team though, making it 62-38 midway through the half.

With ten minutes to play, the River Hawks attacked on both ends of the court, holding the opposition to only five points over six minutes of action. Meanwhile, UMass Lowell put up 17 points, including eight from Mincey, to make it a 12-point game, 67-55, with 4:04 remaining. Moments later, Covington sank another three-pointer to cut the margin to 11, but Vermont refused to let it get any closer, sealing the 74-62 final.

Next up, the River Hawks will finish off the regular season on the road at Maine on Tuesday, March 5. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Cross Insurance Arena.