(Photo courtesy of UMass Lowell Athletics) “Quinton Mincey shoots against Catamounts”
Sarah Mahannah
Connector Editor
Both Men’s and Women’s basketball teams had a rough week as they both lost to the University of Vermont (UVM) Catamounts. The men’s team now stands at 5-1 in America East and is 14-5 overall. The Women’s team is currently 3-4 in America East and 3-16 overall.
This game was a big deal for the men of the UVM and UML teams. Both teams were looking to stay undefeated in the America East Conference.
Although they would end up losing 72-65 in overtime, there were some positives to come out of it. Senior Guard Quinton Mincey scored 20 points, which is a career-high for him. Mincy also had a perfect 9-for-9 from the foul line.
The River Hawks made a comeback with less than three minutes left in regulation by scoring seven points. Their defense proved strong by keeping the Catamounts down and bringing the score to an even 60-60 thanks to senior Max Brooks, forcing overtime.
The River Hawks scored five points in overtime, all of which came from sophomore Brayden O’Connor. Among his total of 16 points, he scored a deep three to even the score at 65-65 before the Catamounts’ would take back the lead.
Other stars of the night were junior Cam Morris III, who scored 12 points and senior Max Brooks who brought in eight rebounds and three blocks.
The men will have their next game February 1 at 6:30 p.m EST against the University of Maine Bears. The game will be at Costello Athletic Center and will be their Morgan’s message game, which aims to erase the stigma behind mental health in athletes.
As for the Women, they faced an uphill battle as they faced a team with a 13-7 record so far. Ultimately they fell 62-53 at Patrick Gym in Burlington, VT.
Junior Sydney Watkins led the game with 16 points on 6-8 shooting. She went 4-6 from the free throw line, along with one rebound and one assist.
There were high hopes for freshman Rayne Durant going into the game, on the week of January 15 she was named America East Rookie of the Week after she had spectacular performances against NJIT and UMBC.
Durant answered the call along with Maddie Rice to score 13 points and acquire five and six rebounds.
The River Hawks were quick to lead the game by forcing two quick turnovers. Unfortunately this swiftness would end early as they went over three minutes scoreless. This caused the River Hawks to trail the Catamounts by four halfway through the first.
During the second, Vermont opened with a 6-2 run but Cire Worley was able to combat with a triple and Maddie Rice had a layup that got the River Hawks closer to evening the score at 18-15.
After halftime, Vermont scored to push their lead to 11 points. The River Hawks struggled again with a scoreless drought but Watkins was able to get a 3-pointer and brought Umass Lowell back to six points behind.
Vermont was able to keep the lead despite pushback from Lowell. The River Hawks made 34 points during the second half but still were short.
They will return on February 1 at 6:00 p.m. EST against the University of Maine in Orono.
