River Hawks Remain Undefeated with Hard-Fought, 63-61, Victory Over Marist

Sunday, November 8

Lowell, Mass.

1PM

University of Massachusetts Lowell

3-0,0-0America East

Marist

1-2,0-0Metro

Team	1	2	F
Marist	29	32	61
UMass Lowell	30	33	63

11/8/2026 5:15:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Highlights Postgame

LOWELL, Mass. – Freshman Jasiah Cannady (Prince George's County, Md.) recorded a team-high 13 points, as the UMass Lowell men's basketball team (3-0) continued its strong start to the 2026-27 season on Sunday afternoon, defeating Marist, 63-61, at the Kennedy Family Athletic Complex to go 2-0 in the America East-Metro Conference Challenge.

"Another great win for us," said Head Coach Pat Duquette. "I wasn't sure this early in the season that we would be able to win these types of games, so I'm real happy. This one, we won kind of ugly, and sometimes you've got to be able to do that."

Cannady, who was one of four River Hawks to finish with double-digit points, added three assists, a rebound, and a steal to his stat line. Right behind him, sophomore Victor Okojie (Castlebar, Ireland) added 11 points and eight rebounds, while sophomores Christian Jones (Houston, Texas) and Jayden Harris (Dumfries, Va.) each added 10 points. Leading the team on the glass, senior Jakai Newton (Covington, Ga.) posted 10 boards alongside seven points. As a team, UMass Lowell outrebounded Marist, 37-32, including a 12-3 advantage on the offensive glass, while forcing 12 turnovers and committing just six.

Although sophomore Isaiah Walter (Central Coast, Australia) hit a three-pointer less than a minute in, the game quickly proved to be a defensive battle, with neither side able to establish a comfortable advantage. Following Walter's shot, Jones and Newton each sank a layup to knot the game up at 7-7 before a four-minute scoring drought for both sides. Ending the stretch, junior Kenyon Giles (Cleveland, Ohio) knocked down a triple, before the Red Foxes added one of their own to make it 10-10 midway through the first.

Despite Marist retaking the lead, 15-14, with 7:47 on the clock, the hosts responded quickly, using a 7-0 burst, kickstarted by a three from Okojie, to jump back in front, 21-15. The back-and-forth battle continued, with Marist tying the game up at 23-23 with 2:17 to go, but a pair of free throws by Harris, a trey from Cannady, and a layup by Okojie helped give UMass Lowell a slight, 30-29, edge heading into halftime.

Coming out of the break, the two sides continued to lock in on the defensive end with neither team able to build more than a two-possession lead. With the River Hawks leading by one, 40-39, with 14:38 remaining, Harris dropped in another layup, while Newton added one of his own, but the Red Foxes added three baskets of their own to take a one-point lead with just over ten minutes to play. Moments later, with Marist leading by three, the River Hawks' offense got the spark it was looking for, as Cannady hit Harris in stride with a bounce pass, setting up the Virginia native with an easy dunk, firing up the home crowd.

With momentum on their side, the hosts regained the lead with a handful of free throws, and despite a pair of baskets by the visitors putting them back on top, Jones hit a step-back triple, tying the game up at 55-55 with 5:30 on the clock. In the final stretch, with the game still tied, Cannady found Harris again, this time for an alley-oop, before the freshman recorded a steal and a fastbreak layup to put his team in front, 61-57. Although Marist sank four free throws in the final two minutes, Okojie added a layup with 1:15, and the UMass Lowell defense stood strong in the final seconds, sealing the thrilling, 63-61 victory.

Next up, the River Hawks hit the road to take on Massachusetts on Wednesday, November 11. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Mullins Center in Amherst, Massachusetts.