Trailing 54-32 after a made jumper from UMass-Lowell point guard Ayinde Hikim at the 17:50 mark in the second half, UMBC would put together an incredible 32-13 run over the next 13:28 to cut their deficit to three, 67-64 with 4:22 remaining. However, the Riverhawks, led by Grad Student Everette Hammond’s clutch shooting down the stretch would hold off the Retrievers 75-70.
UMBC floor general Craig Beaudion II led the way with 14 points, game high 6 assists and 3 rebounds on 4-7 shooting, Colton Lawrence added 13 points and 5 rebounds while junior sniper Matteo Picarelli posted 13 points on 3-5 shooting from deep.
Hammond led the Riverhawks with a game high 19 points on 6-11 shooting, junior forward Max Brooks added 13 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks while senior forward Allin Blunt scored 11 points and added 3 rebounds.
Everette Hammond:
was simply special. Throughout the game and in the clutch, Hammond hit tough momentum killing shots that said he wouldn’t allow the Riverhawks to be denied a victory. Hammond scored 5 of the Riverhawks final 7 points, including a HUGE clutch 3-pointer with 51 seconds remaining to give UMass-Lowell the separation they needed to hold on for the win. Hammond shot 6-11 from the field, 5-7 from deep and 2-2 from the line. He was deadly efficient and once again proved why he should be in consideration for an All America East First Team selection.
Craig Beaudion II:
stepped up and did a little bit of everything including nearly willing the Retrievers to a comeback win after being down 24 points. Beaudion used his speed and size to be a pest defensively, finishing with a game high 4 steals, while living in the paint where he either scored or found open shooters. He was efficient from the floor (4-7) and did as good of job defensively on UMass-Lowell’s talented point guard Ayinde Hikim as one can do, by helping hold Hikim to 2-9 shooting from the field. Beaudion showed that with him on the floor, if he’s on his game, UMBC will be a tough out in the upcoming conference tournament.
Front Court Production:
edge went the Riverhawks way and ultimately, was the x-factor in their win over the Retrievers. UMBC forward Jarvis Doles had his moments, scoring from the high and low posts while forward Yaw Obeng-Mensah who was plagued by foul trouble, displayed some inspiring energy during the home stretch including a ferocious dunk over Karim Coulibaly, however, they weren’t as consistent or productive as Coulibaly and Max Brooks. Coulibaly and Brooks not only outscored Doles and Obeng-Mensah 21-16, they also won the rebounding battle 15-6, including pulling down 7 of the Riverhawks 12 offensive boards, which were key to their 16-4 advantage in second chance points. Both Coulibaly and Brooks are candidates to be an All Conference selection and they proved as such against a quality, experienced UMBC front court in their win.
