Clock strikes 12 for UML
River Hawks one win short of NCAA tourney berth
HARTFORD, Conn. -- It was the biggest moment in UMass-Lowell’s brief eightyear history as a Division 1 men’s basketball program.
The NCAA Tournament, college basketball’s promised land, was within reach. The River Hawks just needed one more win on the road to get there for the first time, and they had proven to be unfazed by playing away from Lowell during an unprecedented postseason run. But sixth-seeded UML simply couldn’t buy a basket on Saturday and that ice-cold shooting ultimately doomed them in a 64-50 loss to No. 4 Hartford in the America East Conference championship game at Chase Arena.
Instead of the River Hawks making history, the Hawks (15-8) did with their first-ever AE championship and NCAA tourney bid.
“Just a tough game for us,” said UML head coach Pat Duquette, whose team finished at 11-12. “Not because we lost — we lost to a good team who competed hard and played well today. I just didn’t think we were ourselves all game, and couldn’t really regain that, and I take responsibility for that.”
UMass-Lowell, typically an explosive offensive team, struggled. The River Hawks shot 29.5% from the floor and went 7-for-34 from 3-point land. They had 14 turnovers, only attempted nine free throws and scored just 18 points in the first half — although, they trailed just 2318 at the break.
Senior star guard Obadiah Noel had 15 points on 5-for-15 shooting, and second-leading scorer for the season Connor Withers had only nine points on 3-for-13.
Hartford had advanced to last season’s AE championship at Vermont, but the game and the remainder of the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The hosts only shot 36.4% and made just 3-of-18 triples, but they took care of the ball and made an effort to get to the basket in the second half to build on their lead.
Graduate student guard Traci Carter led four players in double-figures with 19 points and four steals. Fellow senior guard Austin Williams added 17 points, eight rebounds and three steals. Williams also attempted 11 (made nine) of Hartford’s 25 free throws.
New stop for Hartford: Indianapolis.