UMass Lowell Runs Win Streak to Nine With 68-59 Win

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It may not have been one of their better performances of the season, but good teams always find a way to win. The UMass Lowell River Hawks (11-1) found themselves in that position on Saturday night playing a St. Francis-Brooklyn (4-5) team that came to play. The River Hawks needed everyone dressed in white to contribute if they were going to keep this alive. Last night it was the bench that came through with 33 points with two members of that group, Cam Morris III (11 points) and Yuri Covington (11 points, 3-of-6 from deep), being the main weapons off the bench. The win streak is now at nine after a 68-59 win over the Terriers.

Coach Pat Duquette was honest after the game, saying “This was not a very good performance from our guys.” While his point is well taken, the ability of this group to dig a little deeper and come away with a victory speaks loud and clear about where this team is right now. The nine-game winning streak is the program’s longest since the 2008-09 season. The overall record is the best since the 2002-03 season. This team is starting to get noticed. They played this game in front of their biggest crowd of the season. The 2,025 enjoyed what they saw.

The River Hawks led this contest from wire to wire. There were two ties, both came early in the first half. The first time was at 5-5 on two free throws by Terriers guard Rob Higgins (14 points). The second tie was at 7-7 on two more Higgins free throws. From there, the River Hawks took over. For the most part, this year it has been about points in the paint that have been the difference. On Saturday night, it was the three-ball. UMass Lowell went on a 14-2 run that featured three-point shooting. Two each from Covington and Connor Withers who after the game said “I have been struggling with my shot.” Covington then knocked down a mid-range jumper, Morris took the ball to the basket for a layup, and suddenly it was 21-9 River Hawks with 11:24 left in the first half. St. Francis did cut the lead back to single digits thanks to four straight points off layups from Roy Clarke (13 points) to make it a 21-13 game with 10:19 left. They would cut it to six at 23-17 on a Higgins fast-break layup off a River Hawk turnover with 2:45 to play. UMass Lowell then closed out the first half on an 8-3 run capped by Morris with a three-point play,.Allin Blunt with a hoop in the paint, and one more Covington three that took the River Hawks to the locker room up 31-20. Two numbers jump out at you about the first half. First, the Terriers had zero assists on seven made baskets. Second, they were 0-for-5 from behind the arc.

In the second half, the River Hawks were in control. St. Francis went on a couple of mini-runs The first one came halfway through the second twenty minutes. Clarke with a three-point play off a foul by Max Brooks, then Zion Bethea with a jumper to make it a six-point game at 39-33 with 13:29 to go. From there, UMass Lowell took the game back. Ayinde Hikim (12 points before fouling out) with a jumper and Abdoul Karim Coulibaly with a fast break layup off a Terriers mistake. Withers with a hoop in the paint, and it was 45-33 with 10:44 to play. UMass Lowell’s biggest lead came on a dunk by Brooks 64-49 with 3:24 to go. The River Hawks closed this one out with a 68-59 win in front of the home folks.

Cam Morris was a guy when the season began, that was used sparingly. Now he is getting minutes off the bench and doing well with them. When asked after the game how he worked himself into the rotation he said ” I just stayed patient and contributed.” Withers thinks this team is “a lot better” than other River Hawks teams he has been with. This is a group that gets along well with each other. Coach Duquette would like to see them become a little more vocal with each other and hold each other more accountable on the court. For now, it is hard to argue with the results. Next up for the River Hawks is a road game on Tuesday night at Rhode Island.