LOWELL (Nov. 16, 2008) – Junior F Victor Colon (Chicago, IL) registered 22 points and 10 rebounds to lead UMass Lowell over St. Thomas Aquinas, 67-56, Sunday night in the UMass Lowell Tipoff Classic second round at the Costello Athletic Center.

With the victory, the River Hawks improved to 2-0 and open Northeast-10 Conference play Wednesday night (7:30) at Franklin Pierce. St. Thomas Aquinas slipped to 0-2.

Colon converted 10 of 15 field goals while junior G Craig Heatherly (Mishawaka, IN) added 14 points on 5 of 9 field goal shooting (2 for 3 from long range). Freshman Sean Romsek (Fowlerville, MI) chipped in 10 points, six rebounds and three assists.

Senior F Akeem Comas (Brooklyn, NY) led the Spartans with 18 points and five rebounds while shooting 5 for 8 from the field and 8 for 9 from the free throw line. Senior F Jelani Winfield (Woodside, NY) and senior G Robert Payne (Chester, PA) each chipped in nine points for St. Thomas Aquinas.

The River Hawks shot .537 for the game (22-41), including .643 in the pivotal second half (9-14) while the Spartans shot .395 overall and .435 in the second stanza.

UMass Lowell also had a slight edge on second chance points, 8-3.

UMass Lowell led 52-44 on a jumper by Colon with 8:41 left to play, but St. Thomas Aquinas answered with 10-1 run to grab a 54-53 edge with 5:04 remaining, capped by a conventional 3-point play by junior F Ahmed Allen (Brooklyn, NY).

The River Hawks, however, ended the game with a 14-2 run, led by seven points from Colon. UMass Lowell converted 6 of 8 free throws in the final 2:58 to seal the win.