River Hawks rally late to get past Loyola (MD)

Courtesy of LoyolaGreyhounds.com

LOWELL, Mass. – Matt Harris made four second-half 3-pointers for the University of Massachusetts, Lowell, three as part of a big River Hawks run that led them to an 83-75 non-conference victory over Loyola University Maryland at the Costello Athletic Center.

Isaiah Hart made a free throw for the Greyhounds with 11:24 left in regulation, but it was the last point Loyola would score for more than nine minutes until two Cam Gregory free throws with 2:16 to play.

During that stretch, UMass Lowell (5-1 overall) made six 3-pointers, three by Harris who finished with a game-high 19 points.

Cam Gregory recorded a double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds, leading four Loyola (1-4) players in double-figures. Andre Walker scored eight points in the first three mintues of the second half and finished with 17, while Andrew Kostecka and James Fives both had 10.

Jahad Thomas scored 17 points and had 14 rebounds for the River Hawks, while Ryan Jones and Rinardo Perry scored 13 and 10, respectively.

Loyola led for the majority of the first half, three times going ahead by eight. A Walker layup with just 25 ticks left in the stanza put Loyola in front, 45-37, and it would go into the locker room ahead, 45-40.

Gregory scored in the paint, and Walker hit a three on the Greyhounds’ first two possessions of the second half, pushing the Loyola advantage to double-digits for the first time in the game. After a Perry basket for UMass Lowell, Walker scored in the paint and with a three, giving Loyola a 55-42 lead.

Harris hit a three to trim the advantage back to 10, but Fives knocked down threes on consecutive possessions to make it a 61-45 Greyhounds lead with 15:47 on the clock.

Overall, Loyola shot 42.4 percent from the field, but UMass Lowell countered with 45.6. The River Hawks made 12 of 25 from behind the 3-point arc.

The Greyhounds will stay on the road for their next game, a Tuesday, November 28, contest at Dartmouth College.