River Hawks Mount Second-Half Comeback in 73-62 Victory At Brown

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PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Senior Abdoul Karim Coulibaly (Bamako, Mali) recorded a game-high 18 points alongside seven rebounds to help mount a second-half comeback as the UMass Lowell men’s basketball team (5-1) took down Brown (1-4), 73-62, on Wednesday night.

With the win, the River Hawks have tied their best start in program history at the Division I level.

“I’m happy with our second half performance tonight,” said head coach Pat Duquette. “We held them to 23 points in the second half and fought through a lot of foul trouble while making our free throws down the stretch.”

Behind Coulibaly, graduate student Everette Hammond (Silver Spring, Md.) tallied 12 points while pacing UMass Lowell with nine rebounds. Rounding out double digit scorers was junior Max Brooks (Waldorf, Md.) who totaled 12 points alongside three blocks and two steals. As a team, the River Hawks shot 55.1% (27-49) from the field, while defensively they held the Bears to 43.6% (24-55).

In the opening minutes, both teams traded baskets before Coulibaly knocked down three straight baskets for the River Hawks, giving the visitors a 17-13 lead eight minutes into the game. The River Hawks continued to battle, tallying eight of the next 11 points in the game, growing their lead to 25-16. The nine-point advantage was the largest UMass Lowell lead had in the first half.

With just under ten minutes remaining in the opening half, a Brown three-pointer helped ignite a 11-0 run for the hosts, putting them in front 27-25, their first lead since the opening minute. The River Hawks continued to fight, but the Bears ended the period on a 12-7 run to own a 39-32 lead at the break.

Coming out of the locker room, UMass Lowell quickly found its groove, opening the half with six straight points to cut the Brown advantage down to one. After giving up back-to-back layups, the visitors went on a 14-2 run, capped off by a three-pointer from junior Connor Withers (Manassas, Va.), to own a 52-45 lead with 12 minutes to play. Brown immediately responded with a three of their own, but a quick 6-0 run by the River Hawks gave them their first double-digit lead of the night.

Following a Brown jumper and free throw, senior Allin Blunt (Crownsville, Md.) knocked down an important shot from behind the arc, giving UMass Lowell a 62-51 lead with 6:18 remaining. Following Blunt’s three, the Bears began to find their rhythm, and after tallying six straight points, cut the River Hawk lead down to two possessions with only two minutes remaining. The pressure, however, did not get to the River Hawks as they knocked down four straight free throws to close out the victory.

Next up, the River Hawks will return home to Costello as they take on Stonehill on Sunday, November 27, at 1 p.m.