Zegarowski led the Skyhawks with a game-high 18 points, draining 4-of-6 three-pointers (PHOTO BY Brian Foley)

Coulibaly double-double leads balanced River Hawks effort

LOWELL, Mass. (November 27, 2022) – The University of Massachusetts Lowell placed five in double-figures and held off a late Stonehill College push to secure a 73-59 victory in a non-conference men's basketball matchup at the Costello Athletic Center this afternoon.

Senior Abdoul Karim Coulibaly notched a double-double and junior Quinton Mincey scored a team-high 15 points off the bench to lead a balanced UMass Lowell effort with five in double-figures in the win. Coulibaly totaled 14 points and a game-high 14 rebounds (five offensive), finishing 7-for-10 from the floor, while Mincey made 5-of-8 shots off the bench, including 3-for-4 from three, with eight boards and a steal in 13 minutes of play.

Postgrad Max Zegarowski led Stonehill with a game-high 18 points on 5-of-10 shooting, including 4-for-6 from long range.

UMass Lowell held a 17-point lead (63-46) after a free-throw from postgrad Everette Hammond with 4:35 to go, but Stonehill reeled off an 11-3 run over the next three minutes to close within nine (66-57) after a Zegarowski three-pointer with 1:41 still to play. The Skyhawks had a chance to close the gap further after a UML turnover, but the River Hawks held and a Max Brooks dunk after two free-throws by postgrad Mikey Watkins reclaimed a 13-point cushion (70-57) with 53-seconds to play and the hosts did enough at the line the rest of the way to seal the win.            

Leaders

Stonehill

Zegarowski: Game-high 18 points (4-for-6 threes), rebound, assist, steal and blocked shot.

Ethan Meuser Freshman, Guard: Season-high ten points (4-for-9) off the bench, season-best six rebounds (four offensive), two blocked shots, steal.

Isaiah Burnett Fifth-year, Guard: 11 points (5-for-6 FTs), two rebounds, two assists, two steals, blocked shot. 

UMass Lowell

Coulibaly: 14 points (7-for-10), game-high 14 rebounds.

Mincey: 15 points (5-for-8, 3-for-4 threes), eight rebounds, steal.

Brooks: 10 points (5-for-8), nine rebounds (five offensive), assist, steal, blocked shot.

Yuri Covington Junior, Guard: 11 points (3-for-6 threes) off the bench. 

Meuser notched season-highs with 10 points, six rebounds, two blocked shots and a steal (PHOTO BY Brian Foley)

How it Happened

• UMass Lowell scored the first five points of the contest with a Hammond three-pointer and Coulibaly putback to grab a quick lead three minutes into the game.
• Stonehill bounced back with a 10-2 run over the next six minutes to grab a three-point lead (10-7) after eight-straight points, including back-to-back three-pointers, from Zegarowski.
• The River Hawks responded to that with eight-straight points, including back-to-back threes by Covington and Mincey to reclaim the five-point lead (15-10) midway through the half.
• Leading by two after a three-pointer from Stonehill junior Thatcher Stone, UML reeled off nine-straight to push its lead to double-figures (26-15) with an Ayinde Hikim jumper with 5:43 to play in the half.
• Stonehill answered that with six-straight points of its own to cut the lead back to five (26-21) after a Cole Bergan layup with four minutes remaining and was back within four (33-29) after a Meuser putback with a minute to play.
• Stonehill looked poised to head into the intermission down by the four-point margin (35-31) after Burnett scored with five seconds to play, but Watkins capped the half with a running layup at the buzzer for a six-point (37-31) halftime lead.
• Coulibaly stretched the UMass Lowell lead back to eight (39-31) to open the second half, but Stonehill reeled off a 9-2 run over the next two minutes, sparked by a Zegarowski three-pointer, to close back within a point (41-40) after a jumper from fifth-year Shamir Johnson.
• UMass Lowell wouldn't surrender the lead and scored the next nine, including five by Mincey around a Covington triple, over the next four minutes.
• Stonehill worked back within five (49-44) after two Burnett free-throws with 12:11 to play, when UML used a 14-2 run over the next eight minutes to grab a game-high 17-point lead (63-46) after a Hammond free-throw with 4:35 left that seemingly sealed the win.
• Stonehill made one last push, closing within nine (66-57) after a Zegarowski three with 101 seconds still to play, but could get no closer as UMass Lowell closed the game with a 7-2 run.

Noteworthy

• This afternoon marked the first meeting between the two former Northeast-10 Conference members since February 2013, prior to UMass Lowell starting its NCAA Division I transition the next year. UML now holds a 24-19 edge in the all-time series that dates back to 1980, having won the last three meetings.
• UMass Lowell outrebounded Stonehill 50-29, including 19 offensive rebounds that produced a 21-8 advantage in second chance points.
• Zegarowski scored in double-figures for the fourth time this season and 39^th in his collegiate career overall, including his seasons at Lynn University and Franklin Pierce University. He drained four-plus three-pointers for the 14^th time in his career and second time this season.
• Burnett has reached double-figures for the seventh time in eight games this season.
• Meuser registered season-bests in points (10), rebounds (6) and blocks (2), while matching his season-best steal total (1) for the second time in eight games.

Up Next

Stonehill (2-6, 0-0 NEC) is right back in action on Wednesday, when it hosts Eastern Nazarene College at Merkert Gymnasium at 7 p.m. UMass Lowell (6-1, 0-0 America East) hosts Merrimack College on Wednesday at 6 p.m.

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