River Hawks Use Late Run to Pull Away in 97-76 Win at UAlbany

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ALBANY, N.Y. – Senior Ayinde Hikim (Washington, D.C.) tallied 23 points, as the UMass Lowell River Hawks men’s basketball team (13-4, 4-0 AE) battled to a 97-76 victory at UAlbany (10-8, 2-1 AE) on Thursday night to remain undefeated in America East action so far this year.

The teams were separated by just a two-possession margin with under 10 minutes remaining in the contest, but the River Hawks outscored their hosts, 26-9 the rest of the way to pull away for the decisive victory. The River Hawks have now won six straight games to improve to 4-0 in America East play for the first time ever.

“I think that was our best win of the year, including the win over Georgia Tech,” said Head Coach Pat Duquette. “I just think they’re a good team and I thought that was a great environment. We had to battle a ton of adversity with foul trouble and injuries, and our guys played really well. They needed to play well to beat them.”

One of six double-digit scorers for the River Hawks, Hikim also led the squad with eight assists. Senior Max Brooks (Waldorf, Md.) was all over the box score, finishing with 22 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks. Off the bench, senior Quinton Mincey (Upper Marlboro, Md.) had another stellar performance with 17 points and five boards, while senior Yuri Covington (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.) totaled 12 points and seven rebounds. Sophomore Brayden O’Connor (Ottawa, Ontario) chipped in with 11 points and a career-high seven assists, while junior Cam Morris III (Alexander City, Ala.) finished with 10 points in what was a total team effort. As a whole, UMass Lowell shot 64.3% (36-56) from the floor with 17 points off turnovers and 58 points in the paint.

Although UAlbany opened the game with two quick buckets, the River Hawks responded instantly, going on a 9-0 run that was kickstarted by a triple from Covington to hold a 9-4 edge with 16:45 on the clock. A jumper by Aaron Reddish interrupted the run, but UMass Lowell continued to attack, outscoring the Great Danes 14-8, with the help of six points from Brooks, to extend the lead to nine with just under 12 minutes remaining in the first half.

The hosts began to find their rhythm offensively, and despite layups from Morris III on back-to-back possessions, the Great Danes jumped in front, 34-33, with 5:03 to play. The River Hawks would not stay quiet for long, though, as Hikim tallied five straight, followed moments later by four from Mincey, to give the visitors the 42-37 advantage. In the final minutes of the half, the Great Danes pulled closer, but UMass Lowell would stay in front, 44-43, heading into the locker room.

Coming out of the break, the River Hawks locked down on defense, allowing only eight points in nearly six minutes. Meanwhile, Brooks threw down a dunk, igniting the offense to 15 points in the same time frame, stretching the buffer to 59-51 with 14:24 on the clock.

However, UAlbany continued to fight back, cutting the difference to four on a trey by Sebastian Thomas just over two minutes later. The River Hawks gave themselves breathing room with free throws from Covington and consecutive layups from Brooks, but five points from the Great Danes made it a two-possession game once more. It would not come any closer, though, as UMass Lowell scored 13 of the next 16 points, including six from Brooks, to set up the strong finish.

Next up, the River Hawks head to Binghamton to take on the Bearcats on Saturday, January 20. The opening tip is set for 2 p.m.