Junior Patrick Lee posted 17 points, eight rebounds and two blocks against UMass Lowell tonight. (PHOTO BY Bert Lane) |
River Hawks bury 12-of-19 three's ride hot-shooting first half to victory
UMass Lowell (20-8, 14-8 NE-10) advances to Thursday's NE-10 semifinal round where it will host seventh-seeded Adelphi University (18-10, 12-10 NE-10) at 7 p.m. The Panthers upset second-seeded American International College (20-8, 16-6 NE-10) in a quarterfinal tonight in Springfield, Mass. Stonehill (21-7, 16-6 NE-10), who has dropped back-to-back games for the first time since closing out the 2008-09 season with a pair of postseason losses, awaits word on a near certain automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Tournament for a third-straight year when bids are announced on Sunday night via www.ncaa.com at 10 p.m.
UMass Lowell finished shooting 54-percent (27-for-50) from the field, including a blistering 12-for-19 (63.2%) from three-point range, after hitting 62.5% (15-24) of its shots in the first half to take a 12-point (42-30) lead into halftime thanks to a buzzer-beater from beyond half court by junior Robbie Walton (South Boston, Mass./Boston Latin). The River Hawks made 9-of-13 (69.2%) three's in the first half and finished the game with a 16-12 edge in points off turnovers. Stonehill was held to 38-percent (19-50) shooting overall, just 3-for-10 (30%) from beyond the arc. The Skyhawks outscored UML 28-13 from the free-throw line, converting at 73.7% (28-38) for the night, compared to 13-20 (65%) for the guests.
Junior Ivan Almeida also had 17 points to go with four rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals. (PHOTO BY Bert Lane) |
Freshman Akeem Williams (Brockton, Mass./The Winchendon School) led five UMass Lowell players in double-figures with 21 of his game-high 26 points after halftime as he finished shooting 8-for-16 from the field, including 3-for-6 from three-point range, and converted 7-of-10 free-throw attempts for the night to go with four rebounds and three assists.
Sophomore Romeo Diaz (Methuen, Mass./Methuen) added 15 points (13 first half) by draining 4-of-6 three's to go with four rebounds, while Walton finished with 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the field, including both three-pointers, adding three rebounds, three assists and three steals. Sophomore Matt Welch (Lowell, Mass./Lowell) contributed 11 points, draining 3-of-4 from deep, and four rebounds, while freshman Antonio Bivins (Miami, Fla./American) chipped in ten points on 5-of-8 shooting off the bench with a team-high five rebounds (four offensive) and two steals.
Junior Patrick Lee (Fayetteville, N.Y./Fayetteville-Manlius) led Stonehill with 17 points, shooting 6-for-11 from the field, eight rebounds (four offensive) and two blocked shots. Classmate Ivan Almeida (Praia, Cape Verde) posted 17 points (11 first half), aided by 11-for-13 shooting from the free-throw line, four rebounds, three assists, two blocked shots and two steals, while senior Mike Kernan (Medford, N.J./Shawnee) contributed 11 points, shooting 4-for-6 from the field and 3-for-5 at the line, with eight boards (four offensive).
Stonehill held an early five point lead (8-3) after a layup by Kernan 2:22 into the contest, but UMass Lowell used a 16-3 run over the next four minutes to take the lead and open an eight point cushion (19-11) with 13 minutes left in the half after back-to-back three's (a minute apart) by Diaz. The Skyhawks got a three-point play by junior Andre Tongo (Boxford, Mass./Acton-Boxford) on its next possession, but the River Hawks scored the next eight points to extend the run to 24-6 and open a 12-point lead (27-15) after a Welch three with 9:15 left in the half.
UMass Lowell worked its lead to as much as 15 (38-23) with 1:58 to go before halftime after back-to-back three's by Walton and Williams, but Stonehill scratched back within nine before Walton capped the half with his half court buzzer-beater for a 12 point (42-30) margin at the break.
Stonehill wouldn't go down quietly, cutting the gap to six (45-38) with two Lee free-throws 4:03 into the second half. The Skyhawks made that opening run by making just two field goals, while holding the River Hawks to 1-for-9 shooting to start the half. UMass Lowell pushed its lead back to 11 (53-42) after a Williams layup with 12:48 to play, but Stonehill drew within two (57-55) on two Almeida free-throws to cap a 14-3 run with 9:18 left. Sophomores Sam Markle (Bethany, Conn./Saint Thomas More) and Brian Hamor (Guilderland, N.Y./Bishop Gibbons) sparked the run with back-to-back three's.
That would be as close as Stonehill would get as UMass Lowell held the Skyhawks right there and regained a double-digit lead (67-57) after a layup from junior Heman Honore (Medford, Mass./St. Celment) with 5:05 to play. The Skyhawks cut the lead to seven (67-60) after a Lee layup with 3:33 left, but the River Hawks answered again and led by 11 (71-60) again following a Bivins layup with 2:10 on the clock. UML sealed the upset win from there by canning 6-of-8 free-throws in the final minute.
