Jayden Harris Drops 26 as UMass Lowell Tops Merrimack 71-61

Behind a 26-point performance from Jayden Harris, UMass Lowell defeated Merrimack 71-61 on Thursday night as the two schools separated by just 20 minutes renewed their rivalry. The UMass Lowell River Hawks (2-0) traveled to North Andover, Massachusetts, to take on the Merrimack College Warriors (0-2) in the opening game of the first-ever America East vs. Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Challenge. With three players scoring in double figures, UML made its first road trip of the season a successful one with the 10-point win over the Warriors.

Harris finished the game with his first double-double in a River Hawks uniform, logging 26 points and 11 rebounds to lead UMass Lowell. In the second half, he got scoring support from Victor Okojie (16 points, 6 rebounds) and Jakai Newton (12 points, 4 rebounds). While it wasn’t a flawless performance, it was a solid effort for the team’s first road contest of the season.

After Merrimack opened the scoring with a basket 16 seconds into the game, UML relied on long-range shooting to take control. Three consecutive 3-pointers from Christian Jones, Isaiah Walter, and Harris gave the River Hawks a quick 9-2 lead. Merrimack answered with three straight baskets to pull within 9-8, but Harris hit another shot from deep to extend UMass Lowell’s lead to 16-8 before the second media timeout. Out of the break, the Warriors responded with a 6-0 run to cut the deficit to 18-16.

FINAL: River Hawks take down Merrimack, 71-61, in first road game of the season! Harris with 26 points and 11 rebounds. Okojie with 16 points.

#UnitedInBlue https://t.co/k6tRxrxIX5

— UMass Lowell MBB (@RiverHawkMBB) November 6, 2026

The Warriors tied the game at 20-20 on a free throw by AJ Lesburt Jr. with under eight minutes left in the half and took a 21-20 lead on a free throw from Eli Wilburn. UML quickly countered from beyond the arc: Walter hit a 3-pointer from the corner, and Newton converted a three-point play to swing momentum back to the River Hawks at 29-23. Another 3-pointer from Harris forced Merrimack head coach Joe Gallo to call a timeout down 31-24. Harris capped off an 18-point first half by beating the buzzer with a final basket, sending UMass Lowell to the locker room with a 33-23 halftime cushion. Merrimack was led in the first half by Jeremiah Anderson, who scored 10 points.

The second half belonged mostly to UML, who never relinquished the lead. As Merrimack focused its defense on slowing down Harris, Okojie and Newton picked up the scoring load. With 11 minutes remaining, Anderson (who finished with 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting) hit three straight baskets to cut UMass Lowell’s lead to 49-40 and spark hope among the home crowd. However, the River Hawks answered every Merrimack push by extending their lead whenever the Warriors built momentum.

Merrimack struggled from the perimeter and the foul line, finishing just 3-of-24 (12.5%) from 3-point range and 8-of-20 (40%) from the free-throw line. UMass Lowell held the edge from the stripe, shooting 69.6% (16-of-23) and 30.4% (7-of-23) from long range. Denver Anglin also added 10 points for the Warriors.

On Sunday afternoon, the River Hawks will play game two of the challenge when they host Marist University for a 1:00 p.m. tipoff.