Jan. 30, 2010 Box Score

The UMass Lowell River Hawks (13-7, 10-5 NE-10) bounced back from a two-game skid with a 73-54 victory over Southern Connecticut State University (2-18, 1-14), in Northeast-10 action on Saturday in New Haven. UMass Lowell shot 53.6% from the floor (30-56) and held the Owls to just 15 field goals in the game.

The River Hawks were led by Kyle Caiola's (Parma, OH) 18 points, as the guard went 7-11 from the floor. He added eight assists, four rebounds and three steals in the victory.

"I really liked how Kyle distributed the ball and got everyone involved in our offense," head coach Greg Herenda said. "We shot the right number of threes and ran our sets well."

On the glass, UMass Lowell was led by Ali Kanaan (Montreal, Que.) and Robbie Walton (Boston, MA), who grabbed five boards apiece. Kanaan was a perfect 4-4 from the floor and finished the night with nine points, while Walton sank a pair of threes and had eight points on the afternoon.

UMass Lowell opened the game on a 10-0 run and held the Owls without a field goal for the first 5:18 of the game. Southern Connecticut battled back, tying it at 22 with just under five minutes remaining in the first stanza. UMass Lowell went on to finish the half on a 16-7 run, entering the break with a 38-29 lead.

They opened the second in similar fashion, going on an 11-0 run behind a pair of threes by Max Kerman (Watertown, MA), a trey by Kanaan and a jumper by Marcus Johnson (South Bend, IN). UMass Lowell held the Owls without a field goal again for nearly five minutes to start the half.

Kerman finished the night with nine points and was a perfect 3-3 from behind the arc. The guard also swiped a pair of steals and had three rebounds. Johnson went 4-5 from the floor, finishing the night with eight points.

"I was very pleased with our 40 minute defensive effort and think we played every possession very hard," Herenda said. "Our defense created some great offensive opportunities for us."

The River Hawks, continuing their aggressive defensive play, forcing 22 Southern Connecticut turnovers and swiping 13 steals in the contest. They owned the slight, 14-11, advantage on the offensive glass and were at an even 29 rebounds each in the tilt.

The River Hawks held their opponent to 38.5% shooting on the night (15-39), but the Owls were led by Tobin Carberry's 19 point effort. Behind him was Kieran Ramsey with 10 points and six boards, and Dexton Williamson with nine points and a team-best seven boards.

"Every win is big, but at this time of the year, each win is huge," Herenda said. "We have seven games left and we need to compete like that in all of them."

Next up for the River Hawks is Saint Michael's College at home on Wednesday, Feb. 3 at home in Costello Gymnasium at 7:30 p.m.