River Hawks Hold Off Boston University for 71-63 Win

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BOSTON – Senior Yuri Covington (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.) tallied a season-high 28 points, as the UMass Lowell men’s basketball team (8-4) held off a late rally by the Boston University Terriers (4-8) to earn a 71-63 victory on the road Friday afternoon.

“It was another really good road win for this team,” said Head Coach Pat Duquette. “We’ve had a ton of road games. This might be five or six wins on the road now. I’m really happy about that against a well-coached team. I have a lot of respect for Coach Jones and this program, and the way they do things.”

Covington, who knocked down a career-high seven triples, was one of three double-digit scorers for the River Hawks. Right behind him, junior Cam Morris III (Alexander City, Ala.) logged a personal-best 25 points alongside eight bounds, two assists, one block, and one steal. Senior Ayinde Hikim (Washington, D.C.) chipped in with 10 points, marking his 12^th straight game with double-digits to become the first River Hawk to do so in three seasons.

The game proved to be a battle early, as the two teams combined for only six points over the first three minutes. However, with 16:32 on the clock, Covington began to heat up, sinking his first triple of the afternoon off a pass from sophomore Brayden O’Connor (Ottawa, Ontario). The Terriers immediately followed with a layup to reclaim the lead, 6-5, but a 9-2 run by the River Hawks, capped off by a trey from Morris III, put the visitors up six with just over 13 minutes to play.

Attempting to cut into the deficit, the hosts used a quick, 5-0 burst to pull back within one, but UMass Lowell countered with a three from Covington before a layup from junior Andres Fulgencio (Englewood, N.J.) to maintain the advantage. Boston University, though, didn’t let up, connecting on three straight baskets to even the score at 19-19 with eight minutes remaining in the first half. The River Hawks held strong on the road, though, and took over for the remainder of the half, putting together a 27-6 run, highlighted by 13 points from Covington, who hit three baskets from behind the arc during the stretch, to create a commanding, 46-25 lead at the break.

Coming out of the locker room, both teams played lockdown defense, as each side tallied only four points by the 15-minute mark. BU began to find its footing on the offensive end, putting together a 7-0 stretch before senior Quinton Mincey (Upper Marlboro, Md.) connected from deep with 12:58 on the clock. The Terriers didn’t let up, however, as they used another scoring run, this time a 9-2 advantage, to cut the deficit to 55-45 midway through the second.

Showing their resilience, UMass Lowell once again caught fire from beyond the arc, as Morris III and Covington sank back-to-back triples, building the lead back up to 14. The hosts answered right back once again, holding the River Hawks scoreless for over three minutes, while adding nine points of their own to make it just a two-possession game, 61-56, with 3:27 remaining. In the final minutes, both sides exchanged a handful of free throws, but an and-one by Morris III followed by another trey from Covington helped seal the 71-63 victory.

Next up, the River Hawks return from the holiday break when they host the Emerson Lions on Sunday, December 31. The opening tip is set for 1 p.m. at Costello.