DURHAM, N.H. – Sophomore Brayden O’Connor (Ottawa, Ontario) scored a career-high 23 points to help lead the UMass Lowell men’s basketball team to a 82-75 victory against the New Hampshire Wildcats on Saturday afternoon in the conference opener.

“Great way to start conference play with a well-earned road win against a tough opponent,” said UML head coach Pat Duquette. “Lots of good contributions in a total team effort with some crucial execution and timely free throws down the stretch.”

One of four double-digit scorers for the River Hawks (10-4, 1-0 AE), O’Connor shot 58% (7-for-12) from the field, including hitting a personal-best three triples.

Senior Quinton Mincey (Upper Marlboro, Md.) also totaled a career-high with 19 points alongside a team-best 12 rebounds. Senior Max Brooks (Waldorf, Md.) added 17 points and eight rebounds, while junior Cam Morris III (Alexander City, Ala.) chipped in with 12 and nine boards, including eight on the offensive glass.

Brooks got things started early for the River Hawks, scoring the team’s first 10 points to put his squad up four with 15:46 on the clock. Meanwhile, UMass Lowell began to lock down on defense, allowing only one jumper over five minutes of play. The Wildcats (8-6, 0-1 AE) countered with a strong defensive presence of their own, but a triple and two free throws by Mincey helped the visitors maintain a seven-point edge, 17-10, with 11 minutes remaining in the first.

New Hampshire began to find its rhythm on the offensive end as Jaxson Baker sank the team’s first three of the night, followed shortly after by another three from Clarence Daniels. Although O’Connor followed with a trey of his own, the hosts responded with a 12-2 run over six minutes of play to jump in front, 28-24, with 3:34 on the clock. The River Hawks, however, battled right back with a 7-2 burst, highlighted by four points from O’Connor, to hold a one-point advantage, 31-30, heading into the break.

The start of the second half began with a back-and-forth that was capped off by a three-pointer from Trey Woodyard to put the Wildcats up one. The River Hawks maintained their composure, however, as they put together a 12-2 run highlighted by an aggressive defense that forced four Wildcat turnovers over five possessions. Although New Hampshire found a quick 5-0 burst to chip the lead down to 48-44 with 14:46 on the clock, UMass Lowell fired right back with seven straight points, kick-started by a second-chance bucket from Morris III.

Women win first

LOWELL – A dominant performance from the UMass Lowell women’s basketball team led to its first win of the season with a 70-53 victory over the New Hampshire Wildcats on Saturday afternoon at the Costello Athletic Center.

Graduate student Mili Carrera (Lima, Peru) led the River Hawks (1-13, 1-1 AE) with 18 points, shooting 5-for-9 from behind the arc, and added a team-high seven assists with five rebounds and three steals.

Freshman Maddie Rice (Charlottesville, Va.) added 14 points shooting 7-for-9 while redshirt-junior Sydney Watkins (Indianapolis, Ind.) grabbed a team-high seven rebounds and seven assists along with a team-high four steals. Freshman Rayne Durant (New Haven, Conn.) scored 12 points and had three rebounds.

New Hampshire fell to 6-9, 0-2 AE.