Photo by George DeLuca/Connector
The River Hawks rained down threes like Reggie Miller and shattered rims like Shaq in what was on multiple levels an explosive game at Costello Athletic Center Tuesday afternoon.
“No matter what I have to say about the game, today will forever be the day that we smashed the glass at Costello,” said UMass Lowell head coach Pat Duquette. “Give credit to the administration for having a spare.”
UMass Lowell defeated their non-conference opponent Wheelock 104-76 to improve their season record to 2-2. There were points and rebounds and all of those basketball related things, but those stats will not be what people who attended the game will be talking about.
With 1:45 remaining in the first half, Dontavious Smith found himself on a break away for the River Hawks. With a Wheelock defender in close pursuit, Smith went up for what turned out to be an explosive slam. Smith’s missed the dunk, and instead brought down the rim as the backboard shattered to the floor.
Play was delayed by an hour and 45 minutes after a dunk attempt by Dontavious Smith broke a Costello Athletic Center backboard late in the first half of Tuesday’s matchup against Wheelock. (Photo by George DeLuca/Connector)
No one was hurt by the pile of flying glass.
After over an hour delay, the two teams called it an early halftime, and decided to add the final minute forty-five seconds to the beginning of the second half.
Both teams came out on fire after the tip. Ryan Jones fueled the River Hawks early. The freshman guard came into Tuesday’s matchup averaging 6 points per game. Jones more than doubled that in the first five minutes against Wheelock, as he dropped 16 points on six-of-seven shooting before the first media timeout.
“I just tried to relax and let the game come to me today,” said Jones. “I was trying to force things before and I was thinking too much. But I just tried to relax, and my teammates found me.”
UMass Lowell sustained the advantage for the majority of the first half. The Wildcats cut the lead to just three at 37-34, but a pair of threes from Isaac White and Josh Gantz brought the River Hawk lead back up to nine. UMass Lowell had a 45-36 lead when the backboard debacle occurred.
The wait seemed to rejuvenate the River Hawks, however, as the home team went on a 6-0 run to end the first half to put the score at 51-36.
The second half was all River Hawks. They came out of the break clicking on both ends of the floor. Within three minutes, UMass Lowell had extended its nine-point lead to twenty. The largest the River Hawks got up was thirty.
“I thought we did a good job coming back from the delay,” said Duquette. “We played good offensive basketball. We’re ahead on the offensive end as a team I think than we are on the defensive end.”
Smith got himself on the scoring sheet with a layup in transition, and followed that with a not-as-exciting two-handed dunk that luckily did not break anything. He scored all of his 14 points in the second half.
Jones led the River Hawks with 20 points on the day. Freshman Kieth Hayes had 15, and Josh Gantz added 12. Sophomore Jahad Thomas had a double-double. He recorded 13 points, and hit the glass hard, not as hard as Smith, for a team-leading 10 boards.
“I know that’s one of my biggest roles on this team,” said Thomas. “I feel as though if I’m the best at rebounding, than I take pride in that and I’ll go out there and grab as many rebounds as I can.”
The River Hawks will be in game action Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. against Cornell.
