Lowell, Mass. — The Central Connecticut State Blue Devils beat the UMass Lowell River Hawks, 57-54, at Tsongas Center on Saturday.
UMass Lowell got out of the blocks well, holding a 14-9 lead at the 10-minute mark of the first half. Minutes later, they would extend their lead as far as 19-11. However, the River Hawks seemed to take their foot off the gas as the lead grew, opening the door for the Blue Devils of Central Connecticut.
The tide suddenly shifted toward the visitors when senior guard Tre Breland hit his first three of the night with 7:11 to play in the first. Breland would proceed to hit four of his next five shots (including three-of-three from deep). This set off a 16-0 run for the Blue Devils, during which time the River Hawks would turn the ball over five times. By the time Lowell’s Yuri Covington finally broke up Central Connecticut’s streak, the River Hawks’ eight-point lead had evaporated into a six point deficit.
At the end of an ugly first half, the Blue Devils would lead the hosts 31-25. Points were at a premium in the opening 20 minutes. Both teams shot a combined 35.7 percent from the field.
Dealing with the Devils
In contrast to the end of the first half, Lowell would have the upper hand for the opening stanzas of the second. After an early Blue Devils score, the River Hawks would claw their way back into the game. A 14-4 run gave them a 39-37 lead on a triple from sophomore wing Brayden O’Connor with 11:17 to play.
The lead see-sawed back-and-forth for a few minutes before Central Connecticut would break serve with a putback by senior guard Jordan Jones. This would set off an 8-0 run for the visitors. It was capped by a Kellen Amos dunk which forced UMass Lowell head coach Pat Duquette to use a timeout.
Seemingly emboldened by a heated exchange between Tre Breland and Lowell’s Ayinde Hikim, Lowell took the fight to the Blue Devils. They would go on a seven-point run to cut the lead to one going into the final media timeout.
With under a minute to play, the River Hawks would find themselves on the favorable side of two major calls. Following a missed three-pointer from O’Connor, the ball would graze the forearm of Amos on its way out of bounds. This would give the River Hawks the ball on the Blue Devils’ doorstep.
On said inbound, the Blue Devils closed off any openings for Hikim. Just before the official’s hand could chop the final second of the five-second count, Duquette would call a timeout. It saved the River Hawks from a likely costly turnover. Later in the possession, Lowell’s Cam Morris would draw a foul and hit a free-throw to tie the game at 52.
Central Connecticut would take the ball with eight seconds remaining in regulation and the score at 54-54. On their succeeding trip down the floor, O’Connor would foul Amos along the sideline.
That foul would end up costing the River Hawks the game. The inbound pass from Joe Ostrowski would set up Jordan Jones to bury a corner three with four seconds remaining. Hikim’s three-point try to send the game to overtime would come up short.
Hardwood Haven no More
The Blue Devils’ 57-54 win ended a 20-game home unbeaten streak for the River Hawks. It dates back to their 64-48 loss to New Hampshire on March 1, 2022.
“This just wasn’t one of our best performances,” said UMass Lowell head coach Pat Duquette. “Just a tough way to lose a really hard-earned 20-game home winning streak that we’ve had going for the last year-and-a-half.”
Lowell struggled on the offensive side of the ball, going 20-of-58 from the field and 4-for-19 from three-point range.
“Shooting better probably would have masked how poor we were in other areas,” said Duquette. “If we don’t shoot the ball better, it’s going to be tough to win night after night. We’re a better shooting team than we’ve been, but our percentages don’t show that at all.
The River Hawks will take a short trek south to Comm Ave to face off against the Boston University Terriers next Friday at noon on ESPN+.
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