UMass Lowell in Title Game After 77-70 Win Over Bryant

This was a game that had eight lead changes and no ties. A game that was either won or lost, depending on who you were rooting for, in a couple of different ways. First, at the free throw line where UMass Lowell shot 15-22 for 65.2%. Coming into the game, the River Hawks were a 73.8% free throw shooting team. UMass Lowell shot 14-21 66.7% in the second half at the line. On the other hand, Bryant struggled at the line. For the game, they were 5-15, 33.9% In the second half, they were 5-12, 41.7%.

The other way this game may have been lost by the Bulldogs was on the glass. The River Hawks outrebounded Bryant by a 46-35 margin. In the second half, it was 26-15 in favor of UMass Lowell. Another way this game may have been lost by Bryant was not having the services of senior Earl Timberlake (14.6 points a game) whose hand was in a cast.

There was never a double-digit lead in the game as both team’s shotmaking ability kept them within reach of one another. In the first half, senior Sherif Gross-Bullock put his team on his back and carried them through most of the first twenty minutes. He would score 17 points in the first half on 8-13 shooting. He was not so good from long-range shooting only 1-6. But his ability to score from inside or from the perimeter was giving the River Hawks defense all it could handle. UMass Lowell liked what they had done all season trying to score in the paint. Cam Morris III had 11 of his team’s 34 first-half points on 5-10 shooting  The team as a whole scored 24 points in the paint in the first half, while Bryant had 22 paint points.

This was a big-boy game as each team took the ball to the basket looking for contact and points. The River Hawks bench came through as well, but it was not the usual source. Senior guard Anthony Blunt came off the River Hawks bench and played eight important minutes. He scored five points on a driving layup through a wide-open lane and then knocked down a left corner three later on. While they were the only points and minutes Blunt played, at the time they were big. The Bulldogs took a 37-34 lead with them to the locker room. When leading at the half, they were 14-3. When trailing at the half, the River Hawks were 2-7.

In the second half, adjustments were made on both sides. The River Hawks found a way to contain Gross-Bullock. He scored only two points in the half and finished with 19 for the game. However, UMass Lowell could not keep Rafael Pinzon under control. The junior, who had six points in the first half, had 18 in the second half (24 total) on 6-11 shooting, 3-5 from deep. He was a problem that UMass Lowell could not solve. He received help from another junior Daniel Rivera, who head coach Phil Martelli Jr. called “one of the 10 or 15 best players around.” He had eight points and six rebounds in the second half. For the game, the two combined for 40 points,14 rebounds, and five blocked shots. Rivera’s double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds was his fifth double-double of the season.  On the other side of the fence was the lack of production from graduate senior Connor Withers. He returned to Costello where his career started and went 0-for-4 for the game with no points in 34 minutes.

The Bulldogs had the lead for eleven minutes of the second half. The River Hawks did not take the lead until Yuri Covington finished off a 3-point play with 8:41 left in the game. It was part of a 6-0 run by UMass Lowell that gave them a 51-49 lead. UMass Lowell would get the lead to eight at 63-55 on a 3-pointer from Ayinda Hikim (14 points, 4 assists, 4 steals) with 5:31 left in the game. When Morris III hit one of two at the line, the lead was at its biggest, nine at 64-55 with 5:03 remaining. Four quick points from Rivera cut the lead to five at 64-59 with 4:27 left. The teams traded 3-point baskets with Pinzon hitting two of them to make it a four-point game at 69-65 with 2:12 left. Another layup by Rivera made it a four-point game again at 74-70 with 25 seconds left. The River Hawks ran out the clock and won 77-70.

River Hawks head coach Pat Duquette called it “A great college basketball game.” He believes Bryant is a very talented team. With regards to Saturday’s game at Vermont, he thinks “it is doable for his team” to go up there and win. Yuri Covington, who struggled shooting in the first half (1-of-5, 0-1 from deep), came on in the second half (4-of-8, 2-of-2 from deep, 2-0of-2 from foul line). He said, “You have to have a short memory when you struggle.” When asked about Saturday’s title game, he said “We want to finish the job.”

After the game, Bryant’s head coach Phil Martelli Jr. said what most if not all head coaches say when the season ends on the short end of things. “The offseason sucks.” He praised his team for “Playing their butts off.”

The River Hawks have three days to figure out how to go to Patrick Gym and give themselves a chance to cut down nets at the end. If they can figure it out, they will make history that has been eleven years in the making.