River Hawks Battle to Overtime, But Fall, 77-75, at Rhode Island

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KINGSTON, R.I. – Senior Abdoul Karim Coulibaly (Bamako, Mali) recorded a team-high 16 points, as the UMass Lowell men’s basketball team (11-2) fell in overtime, 77-75, at Rhode Island (4-7) on Tuesday night.

Although the River Hawks led for the first 19 minutes of the second half, the Rams knotted the score twice inside the final minute, including at 64-64 on a buzzer-beater by Brayon Freeman to send the game into overtime. The home team then jumped in front to open the extra period, but UMass Lowell continued to battle, erasing the difference for the final time on a jumper by senior Ayinde Hikim (Washington, D.C.) with 36 seconds on the clock. However, a pair of free throws by Ishmael Leggett would prove to be the difference, bringing the River Hawks’ win streak to a close at nine games.

Along with leading the team in points, Coulibaly finished second on the team with nine rebounds. Junior Max Brooks (Waldorf, Md.) added 15 points and a team-best 11 rebounds to tally his third double-double of the season. Graduate student Everette Hammond (Silver Spring, Md.) chipped in with 11 points, and senior Ayinde Hikim (Washington, D.C.) and junior Yuri Covington (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.) rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10 points each.

The two teams played aggressive defense to open the game, with neither side able to break open the scoring in the first three minutes. UMass Lowell was first to get on the board off a corner three from graduate student Allin Blunt (Crownsville, Md.). On the next possession, Hammond went 1-2 from the line, and Covington immediately followed with a three of his own, giving the visitors a 7-0 lead.

With nine minutes remaining in the half, Rhode Island’s offense found its rhythm and put together an 8-2 spurt to give the Rams the lead, 18-16. However, the River Hawks stayed relentless, responding with a 10-2 run that was capped off by a three-pointer from junior Quinton Mincey (Upper Marlboro, Md.). The Rams found one more bucket before halftime to cut the River Hawk lead to 26-22.

Coulibaly opened the second-half scoring for the River Hawks, tallying six of the first nine points for his team. With 14:59 on the clock, Brooks jumped in front of a pass and went coast-to-coast to give UMass Lowell a 12-point advantage. Minutes later, Rhode Island continued to chip away, cutting the lead down to four, but the River Hawks responded again, this time with a quick, 5-0 burst thanks to a layup from Brooks and a trey from Covington.

After the hosts converted four straight free throws to make it a one-basket game, Coulibaly made two free throws of his own, and Hammond chipped in with a quick layup, giving UMass Lowell a six-point buffer with two minutes remaining. The Rams scored the next six points of the game, though, and after a Hikim layup gave the River Hawks the lead with six seconds remaining, the visitors found one more basket to send the game to overtime.

The extra period went back and forth, featuring three lead changes, but the Rams sunk two free throws with six seconds remaining to close the game.

Next up, the River Hawks will have a week off before taking on Boston University on Wednesday, December 21. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. at the Costello Athletic Center.