VESTAL, N.Y. – Fifth year Yuri Covington (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.) scored a season-high 21 points, as the UMass Lowell men's basketball team (15-9, 4-5 AE) fell to the Binghamton Bearcats (12-12, 4-5 AE), 66-54, on Thursday evening.
 
Covington, who led three double-digit scorers for the River Hawks, sank three triples on the night. Behind him, freshman Martin Somerville (Bowie, Md.) added 15 points while tallying a game-high four steals. Fifth year Quinton Mincey (Upper Marlboro, Md.) finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds, good for his fifth double-double of the season. Leading the team in rebounds, fifth year Max Brooks (Waldorf, Md.) tied his season high with 15 rebounds while making seven blocks.
 
Although the Bearcats opened the game with two quick baskets, it didn't take long for the River Hawks to find their footing on offense. Just over two minutes into the game, Somerville connected from beyond the arc to make it a one-point game, before Covington sank two layups in less than a minute to take the lead, 7-4, with 16:37 on the clock. Both sides then locked down on defense to keep the score the same for nearly two minutes, but the hosts hit their stride, going on a 12-2 stretch to own a 16-9 advantage midway through the first.
 
Looking to capture the lead, Covington sank a quick layup, and after a few key stops by the defense, the guard added another to cut the lead to three. Just over a minute later, with the score the same, Somerville battled to the basket for a hard-fought and-1, and moments later, fifth year Max Brooks (Waldorf, Md.) earned his first points of the night to give UMass Lowell the lead, 18-16, with 4:59 on the clock. Binghamton ended the first half strong, though, using an 8-0 run to jump back in front, before a triple by Covington with 12 seconds remaining cut the deficit to 24-21 at the break.
 
Coming out of the locker room, Mincey went right to work, fighting to the basket to make it a one-point difference. Binghamton responded with four more to extend their lead, and despite Covington countering with a turnaround jumper, the hosts added five more to make it 33-25 with 16 minutes to play. The back-and-forth battle continued, and although Covington sank a pair of threes on back-to-back possessions, the Bearcats were able to extend their lead to 45-34 midway through the half.
 
Looking to mount a comeback, the River Hawks used a 5-0 scoring burst, highlighted by a trey from Mincey, to make it a six-point game with ten minutes to play. Binghamton, however, followed with eight of the next ten points to make it 53-41. In the final minutes, UMass Lowell continued to battle but was unable to even the score, sealing the 66-54 decision.
 
Next up, the River Hawks return to action next week when they host UAlbany on Thursday, February 13. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Costello Athletic Center.