EASTON, Mass. – Senior
Austin Green (Sicklerville, N.J.) posted a team-high 14 points, as the UMass Lowell men's basketball team (2-6) took down the Stonehill Skyhawks (2-6), 75-64, to cap off the five-game road trip.
"A good team win on the road against a very-well coached team," said Head Coach
Pat Duquette. "Great contributions from our bench."
Green, who added six rebounds, was one of four River Hawks to finish with double-digit points. Junior
Xavier Spencer (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) finished with 13 points, while junior
Darrel Yepdo (Dracut, Mass.) added 12 points alongside a personal-best 10 rebounds for his first career double-double. Rounding out the top scorers, junior
Angel Montas Jr. (La Romana, D.R.) tallied a season-high 10 points and a career-high three steals.
The River Hawks went to work right away, as Green sank a layup only four seconds in, followed by a triple from Spencer for the early five-point advantage. The Skyhawks responded, using a 9-0 scoring stretch to take the lead, but ten straight by the visitors, including treys from Yepdo and freshman
Victor Okojie (Castlebar, Ireland), to jump back in front, 15-9, with 13:34 on the clock. Stonehill, though, fired off two quick shots from beyond the arc, knotting the score up midway through the first.
With just over eight minutes to play and the score tied at 17-17, UMass Lowell took over, scoring six straight to take a two-possession lead. Although the hosts interrupted the run with a three, the River Hawks refused to back down, adding the next 11 points of the game, featuring four from Okojie, to own a commanding 34-20 advantage with 3:08 to play. Looking to claw away the lead, the Skyhawks added three more in the final minutes to make it a 34-23 game at the break.
Coming out of halftime, both sides traded a pair of baskets before a quick, 5-0 burst by the Skyhawks cut the visitors' lead to 39-33. Despite Green sinking a layup to stop the run, a 9-3 advantage by Stonehill continued to chip away at the lead before Yepdo pulled up from beyond the arc, putting his squad back in front, 47-42. Both teams continued to go back and forth, but moments later, a triple by the hosts made it a two-point game with ten minutes to play.
UMass Lowell continued to battle, as Montas Jr. sank a layup to ignite a 7-3 stretch for his squad. Stonehill answered right back, though, scoring eight of the game's next 12 points to once again make it a one-possession game, 60-58, with five minutes remaining. The River Hawks proceeded to lock down on defense, allowing only two baskets the remainder of the way. Meanwhile, they took care of business at the free-throw line, going 8-9 from the charity stripe while Montas Jr. sank a clutch three and Green added two layups, sealing the 75-64 decision.
Next up, the River Hawks return home for the first time in nearly three weeks when they host the Emerson Lions on Saturday, November 29. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at the Kennedy Family Athletic Complex.