River Hawks Battle To 80-74 Victory Over Stonehill

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NORTH EASTON, Mass. – Senior Ayinde Hikim (Washington, D.C.) tied his career-high with 25 points to help propel the UMass Lowell men’s basketball team (5-1) to defeat the Stonehill Skyhawks (1-7), 80-74, on Wednesday night at Merkert Gymnasium.

“I’m proud of my team for sticking with it and coming up with another gutsy road win against a very well-coached team who had it going,” said Head Coach Pat Duquette. “We stayed the course and got some important stops just at the right time. I was impressed with how hard and disciplined Stonehill played.”

Hikim, who joined the 1,000 Career Point Club with his 20th point of the game, also added a game-high seven assists. Senior Max Brooks (Waldorf, Md.) chipped in with a season-best 14 points alongside nine rebounds. Senior Quinton Mincey (Upper Marlboro, Md.) had a big night off the bench, contributing 12 points and eight rebounds, while senior Yuri Covington (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.) drilled the late go-ahead three on his way to 10 points and eight rebounds. As a team, UMass Lowell shot a perfect, 18-for-18, from the free throw line.

The opening minutes proved to be a battle, as the two teams combined for only ten points by the first media timeout. Although Hikim sank two free-throws to knot the game up, 6-6, the home team followed with five straight points to take an early advantage. The River Hawks continued to claw at the lead, including using threes from both junior Andres Fulgencio (Englewood, N.J.) and Mincey to make it a one-basket game at 11:41, but the Skyhawks worked to stretch the buffer as far to 30-21 with 5:46 on the clock.

The River Hawks, however, found their rhythm on both sides of the ball, as they put together a 15-3 run, highlighted by an impressive alley-oop dunk from Brooks, to take their first lead of the night, 36-33, with just over a minute to play in the first. Three free throws and a layup by the hosts helped cut into the lead, but Brooks countered with a perfect fadeaway, giving his team the one-point edge, 38-37, at the break.

UMass Lowell started the second half strong with a putback layup from junior Cam Morris III (Alexander City, Ala.), and despite a three-pointer from the Skyhawks evening the score, Covington quickly hit a trey of his own to retake the upper hand with 18:55 on the clock. Stonehill responded with haste, though, putting together a 15-2 run over the next five minutes to jump back in front, 55-47. The two sides followed with a back-and-forth battle before a three by Jackson Benigni gave the hosts a nine-point margin, tying their largest of the night, at 67-58 with just over nine minutes to play.

As they have all year, the River Hawks showed their resiliency, as Morris III converted on an and-one to give his squad momentum. Hikim and Brooks followed up with buckets of their own, but a three-point play for the Skyhawks made it a three-possession difference. Looking to chip away at the lead with just under five minutes to play, sophomore Brayden O’Connor (Ottawa, Ontario) fired right back with a triple, kickstarting an 11-2 run by the visitors that ended with a deep ball by Covington, tilting the board back in favor of his side at 76-74 lead with 2:13 remaining.

In the final minutes, the UMass Lowell defense locked down, holding the opposition scoreless on six shot attempts, including five from beyond the arc. On the other end of the court, Hikim and Mincey sank two shots apiece from the line, sealing the 80-74 final.

Next up, the River Hawks will conclude their six-game road trip when they head to local rival Merrimack on Saturday, December 2. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at Hammel Court.