LOWELL, Mass. – Fifth year Max Brooks (Waldorf, Md.) registered 22 points to help propel the UMass Lowell men's basketball team (17-13, 6-9 AE) to a 79-53 victory against Binghamton (15-15, 7-8 AE) on Senior Day at Costello Athletic Center.
 
"I thought last game was the best game we've played all year against Bryant, but this game we played even better," said Head Coach Pat Duquette. "Maybe things are turning the right way. We've got to finish against a really tough Maine team, but I like where this team is. This senior group is very special to me. We have spent a lot of time together, had a lot of blood, sweat and tears together. A lot of wins and a lot of heartbreaking losses, but I love them all and I've enjoyed every minute of it, so I can't wait to finish the season and play our next game."
 
Brooks, who leads the nation in field goal percentage, shot 77% in the contest. Fifth year Quinton Mincey (Upper Marlboro, Md.) added 20 points and seven rebounds, while freshman Martin Somerville (Bowie, Md.) rounded out the double-digit scorers with 13 points and nine assists. As a team, the River Hawks shot 61% from the floor, and boasted 20 assists and 10 steals.
 
The teams traded baskets and the lead in the opening minutes until fifth year Yuri Covington (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.) fought through the paint to spark a 10-3 spurt that included four points from Brooks to give the River Hawks a 15-9 edge with 10:30 remaining in the first half. A Binghamton bucket broke up the stretch, but on the next possession, Somerville drained a triple, igniting 11 straight points from five different scorers for the home side to stretch the lead to double-digits, 26-11, at 6:22.
 
Less than a minute later, back-to-back threes from Mincey and senior Xzavier Lino (Phoenix, Ariz.) opened another River Hawk run, this time an 11-2 stretch that was capped off by an and-1 from senior Cam Morris III (Alexander City, Ala.) to make it 37-16 with 3:41 left in the period. However, the Bearcats responded with nine of the next 12 points to cut the difference to 40-26 heading into the locker room.
 
The River Hawks scored the first 12 points after the break, including eight from Somerville. Following a Binghamton bucket, Brooks hit two in a row, as the home team exploded for an 11-2 run to pull away, 63-30, with 12:35 left to play.
 
The Bearcats worked to string together nine straight points, but Mincey kept the River Hawks going with seven points before Brooks added a layup of his own to make it 72-41 at 7:23. UMass Lowell kept the pressure on with dunks from Brooks and Mincey two minutes later, as the team secured the 79-53 victory.  
 
Prior to the game, UMass Lowell honored seven seniors. Up next, the River Hawks close out the regular season at Maine on Tuesday, March 4 at 6 p.m.