River Hawks Fall Just Short at Massachusetts

Wednesday, November 11

Amherst, MA

7PM

University of Massachusetts Lowell

3-1,0-0America East

Massachusetts

2-1,0-0MAC

Team	1	2	F
UMass Lowell	37	25	62
Massachusetts	31	41	72

11/11/2026 10:43:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

AMHERST, Mass. – Sophomore Victor Okojie (Castlebar, Ireland) led his team with 13 points, as the UMass Lowell men's basketball team (3-1) fell to the Massachusetts Minutemen (2-1), 72-62, in a hard-fought battle on Wednesday night.

"I am really encouraged by our fight and the way we played," said Associate Head Coach Matt Graves. "Credit to UMass for being the more physical team. Free throws, rebounding, and offensive execution are all things that we can control and we just have to be better in those aspects. As I told the guys in the locker room, we have to keep getting better everyday and learn from this experience."

Okojie, who added three rebounds and two assists, was one of nine River Hawks to score in the contest. Right behind him, sophomore Christian Jones (Houston, Texas) added ten points and four rebounds, while sophomore Jayden Harris (Dumfries, Va.) chipped in with nine points and six boards. Senior Jakai Newton (Covington, Ga.) and freshman Jasiah Cannady (Prince George's County, Md.) rounded out the top scorers with eight points apiece.

Despite Massachusetts jumping out to an early 7-2 advantage, the River Hawks quickly erased the difference with a 17-4 stretch, highlighted by four three-pointers, including two from Okojie, to jump in front 19-11 with 13:30 on the clock. Although the hosts interrupted the stretch with a layup to make it a six-point game, the UMass Lowell offense couldn't be cooled off, as Jones and Cannady each connected from deep to give their team their largest lead yet, 25-13, with just over ten minutes left in the half.

Following a 6-0 burst by the Minutemen, the River Hawks went right back to work, starting with Cannady, who drove through traffic to knock down a hard-fought layup. Moments later, Newton added three points off a layup and a free throw, while junior Kenyon Giles (Cleveland, Ohio) knocked down a triple to give UMass Lowell a 33-19 lead with 5:57 on the clock. The hosts fought back, though, adding 12 points down the stretch, while senior Jerrell Roberson II (Upper Marlboro, Md.) added all four points for his team, giving the visitors a 37-31 lead heading into the break.

Coming out of halftime, the two sides exchanged points, with Harris and Newton sinking free throws, while Okojie added a layup, to make it a 42-36 game less than four minutes into the period. Massachusetts clawed back, scoring six straight to tie it up, but Harris followed up with a monstrous dunk to kickstart an 8-2 run for the River Hawks, capped off by two free throws by freshman Elhadji Diallo (Dakar, Senegal) to own a six-point advantage with ten minutes to play.

Despite a strong defensive effort from UMass Lowell, the Minutemen continued to fight, putting together a 12-3 run to jump back in front before Jones knocked down a huge three with 5:12 to play, tying the game up at 56-56. The hosts refused to back down, going on a 10-3 run before knocking down six free throws in the final 30 seconds, sealing the 72-62 decision.

Next up, the River Hawks return home to host the Saint Peter's Peacocks on Tuesday, November 17. Opening tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Kennedy Family Athletic Center.