UMass Lowell skid reaches six in 74-62 loss to UNH

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UMass Lowell skid hits six and there is no question the River Hawks are in a funk. How they got into this may not be that important, but getting out of it is. This was the case last Saturday when the River Hawks got off to a bad start and never recovered. It continued yesterday with a loss to UNH, 74-62.

During this streak, shooting the ball has been a big problem for the River Hawks. They shot 38% for the game (19- for-49), and a miserable 2-for-15 from three-point land. For the second straight game, UMass Lowell never took the lead. Although Head Coach Pat Duquette of the River Hawks was happy with his team’s effort, he did admit that they did not shoot well and he was not happy with only five assists on 19 made baskets. Ball movement must get better as well.

Thomas puts up double-double with 22 points and 11 rebounds, but the River Hawks fall short on MLK day to New Hampshire.
Next Stop📍: Albany, NY vs the Great Danes on Thursday.
Roll the highlights⬇️🏀🎬 pic.twitter.com/4utNsSNdaC

— UMass Lowell MBB (@RiverHawkMBB) January 15, 2018

The Wildcats started the game hot, making 10 of their first 15 shots, including 5-6 from deep. It allowed UNH to jump out to a 25-6 lead nine minutes into the first half. While the Wildcats were on target, UMass Lowell was not going 3-10 from the field and 0-3 from behind the arc. This was not a good way to start a game or snap a losing streak.

UNH got production from a couple of guys in particular. Senior, Tanner Leissner chipped in 10 first-half points on the way to his fifth double-double of the season ( 26 points and 12 rebounds), and Sophomore, John Ogwuche added 13 on his way to a career-high of 15 for the game.

They were also cleaning up on the glass and that was being taken care of by Senior Iba Camera who had 11 first half boards, nine on the defensive end. He would finish with 17 rebounds, his 40th 10+ rebound game of his UNH career and the 13th of this season. Things were looking up for the Wildcats to win their first game on the road this year.

Recap, highlights, photos and more from today's game against New Hampshire here – https://t.co/a4OM6KAdim #AEHoops #UnitedInBlue

— UMass Lowell MBB (@RiverHawkMBB) January 15, 2018

UMass Lowell did make a bit of a run at stealing this game early in the second half. A 7-2 run by the River Hawks cut the halftime deficit of 41-26, then to ten at 43-33 with 17 minutes left. But the Wildcats retook control of the game quickly going on an 8-0 run of their own to balloon the advantages to 51-33 with 14:48 left in the game.

From there, the game played itself out with the Wildcats winning 74-62 to improve to 7-11 overall, and 3-1 in conference play. For the River Hawks, the loss dropped them to 6-11 and 0-4 in the league.

Jahad Thomas was the only double-digit player for UMass Lowell with a 22 point 11 rebound effort. It is his 4th double-double of the season.

Wildcats head coach Bill Herron, after the game talk about the “great start ” his team got off to. Believe his team is starting to play better now that conference season has arrived. Tanner Leissner said he thinks the team is going in the right direction, and always knew we were one step away.