River Hawks Fall to CCSU, 69-67

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NEW BRITAIN, Conn. – Fifth-year Max Brooks (Waldorf, Md.) tallied a season-high 29 points, as the UMass Lowell men’s basketball team (5-4) fell to the CCSU Blue Devils (4-3), 69-67, on Sunday afternoon.

“We lost a hard-fought, close battle on the road to a very good and connected CCSU team today,” said head coach Pat Duquette. “We had our chances down the stretch, but just missed a few putbacks and open threes. We need to get home, get our rest, fix a few things, and get ready for UMass on Saturday.”

Brooks, who finished with his fourth double-double of the season, was all over the box score, adding 10 rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and two steals. Joining him with double digits was freshman Martin Somerville (Bowie, Md.) who finished the day with 13 points alongside two steals.

The game was a defensive battle in the early minutes, as CCSU held a slight, 3-2 edge, nearly four minutes into action. However, the scoring pace picked up quickly, as Brooks sunk a layup before fifth-year Quinton Mincey (Upper Marlboro, Md.) drilled a shot from beyond the arc to put their squad in front. Although the hosts used a 5-0 burst moments later to jump back on top, the River Hawks retaliated with a 10-2 scoring run, highlighted by five from Somerville to own a 17-13 advantage with 11:21 on the clock.

The back-and-forth battle continued, and although Somerville scored five straight for his squad, the Blue Devils used a 13-5 stretch to regain the advantage, 26-22, with just over six minutes remaining. The teams traded baskets, with senior Quincy Clark (Columbus, Ohio) sinking two layups to keep it a two-possession game. After an and-1 by the opposition gave them a 34-26 lead, senior Yuri Covington (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.) drilled a three and Brooks threw down a dunk to make it a three-point margin, but a last-second layup gave the Blue Devils a 36-31 lead heading into the break.

Coming out of halftime, the hosts found their stride offensively, using a 10-2 edge to extend their lead to 13, the largest of the afternoon. Looking to chip away at the lead, the River Hawks took over in the paint, using 10 points from Brooks, as well as two baskets from senior Cam Morris III (Alexander City, Ala.) and a dunk from Mincey to make it a one-point game, 50-49, midway through the second half. A few minutes later, following a quick scoring burst by CCSU to make it 58-52, Somerville sank a pair of free throws, and although the Blue Devils answered with one of their own, Brooks connected on a jumper and added two from the line to once again make it a one-point game.

With just over five minutes to play, after another free throw from the hosts, Covington knotted the game up at 60-60 with a hard-fought layup. The visitors quickly took the lead thanks to Brooks’ perfect shooting at the line, but six straight by the Blue Devils gave them the 67-62 lead with 1:24 on the clock. Despite the River Hawks’ comeback attempts cutting the lead down to two, they could not erase the deficit, sealing the 69-67 decision.

Next up, the River Hawks finish up their three-game road trip when they take on in-state rival Massachusetts on Saturday, December 7. Tipoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. at the Mullins Center.