College roundup: Vermont defeats UMass Lowell men’s basketball team

Senior Quinton Mincey (Upper Marlboro, Md.) tallied a team-high 18 points, but the UMass Lowell men’s basketball team fell 74-62 to the Vermont Catamounts on Saturday afternoon at Patrick Gymnasium in Burlington, Vt.

Mincey, who connected twice from beyond the arc, was one of three double-digit scorers for the River Hawks (20-8, 11-4 AE). Behind him, senior Yuri Covington (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.) finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds for the second double-double of his career. Senior Ayinde Hikim (Washington, D.C.) rounded out the double-digit scorers with 13 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Vermont improved to 24-6, 14-1 AE. UML had a four-game win streak snapped.

The River Hawks’ defense came out strong to start the game, holding the Catamounts to only one basket in the first three minutes. Vermont, however, began to heat up, sinking three triples as part of an 11-0 run to own a 13-4 lead with 14:02 on the clock. A jumper by Hikim interrupted the scoreless stretch before free throws from Mincey and junior Cam Morris III (Alexander City, Ala.) cut the deficit to 16-9 with just under 12 minutes remaining in the half.

The Catamounts responded quickly, using two triples to kick start a 13-2 run to extend their advantage to 29-11 with 8:17 to play in the half. Refusing to back down, the River Hawks locked down on defense, allowing only one basket over the next six and a half minutes of play. The River Hawks added seven points to whittle away at the deficit, but the hosts ended the half with six straight to own a 38-18 lead at the break.

UML tried to rally in the second half to no avail. The River Hawks will finish off the regular season at Maine on Tuesday at 6 p.m.

Women’s basketball

UML nipped: UMass Lowell fell 55-51 to the Vermont Catamounts in the regular season finale at the Tsongas Center.

Prior to tip-off, the River Hawks (4-24, 4-12 AE) honored seniors Baylee Teal (Penfield, N.Y.), Sydney Coombs (Newmarket, N.H.), Leilani Rodriguez (Worcester) and graduate student Mili Carrera (Lima, Peru) in a special senior day ceremony.

Rodriguez led the squad with 16 points, going 6-for-11 from the field and 3-for-3 from three. Carrera added 14 on 5-for-10 shooting to go with four rebounds. Redshirt junior Sydney Watkins (Indianapolis, Ind.) was all over the scoresheet with 10 points and team-highs with six rebounds and five steals.

Davey shines: The Bowdoin College women’s basketball team pulled away in the second quarter and cruised to a 69-48 win over Western New England in the opening round of the NCAA Division III Tournament in Brunswick, Maine

Sophomore Carly Davey, a sophomore from Westford and a former Westford Academy star, finished with a career-high 21 points, including 5-for-8 shooting from three-point range, for Bowdoin.

Men’s lacrosse

Hunt shines: Sophomore Brady Hunt (Billerica) scored the game-winning goal midway through the second overtime to lift Plymouth State University to a 9-8 win over Curry College in non-conference action at Panther Field.

Hunt went up high to snag a pass from behind the cage from junior Matt Miner (Chelmsford) and, in one motion, fired a shot to the bottom right corner as he was being hit from behind to secure the win. The game-winner was Hunt’s third goal of the game.

UML falls: Freshman James Donnelly (Ottawa, Ontario) tallied two goals and two assists, as UMass Lowell to the LIU Sharks, 13-6.

Donnelly, who now has back-to-back multi-goal games, was one of five River Hawks (0-4) to find the back of the net. Freshman Jayden Consigli (Franklin, Mass.) scored the first goal of his career, while seniors Curtis Redd (Amherst, N.H.) and Justin Longo (Kingston, N.Y.), and freshman Colby Frigon (Providence, R.I.) all added one.

In net, graduate student Mark Pav (South Setauket, N.Y.) made 11 saves in the start, while senior Anthony Mancino (Holbrook, N.Y.) made one save in relief.

Women’s lacrosse

St. George sparkles: Fitchburg State defeated UMass Boston, 13-7, as  Jessica St. George (Dracut) and Nicole Orlowski led the way.

The pair combined for seven of the 13 goals, with Orlowski scoring a game-high four goals and two assists, with George netting another three goals and four draws.

Track

Camara stars: The Fitchburg State University women’s indoor track & field competed at the 2024 Tufts National Qualifying Meet at the Gantcher Center in Medford. Senior Makany Camara (Lowell) led the way for the Green and Gold, finishing fifth in the high jump with a mark of 1.64 meters.

On the men’s side, sophomore Liam Bourassa (Shirley) claimed sixth in the weight throw with a mark of 15.78 meters and 11th in the shot put with a throw of 13.58 meters.

Softball

UMass Lowell’s doubleheader against Howard and Towson at the TowsonDemarini Invitational has been cancelled due to inclement weather.

The River Hawks have a 1-1 record at the invitational hosted by Towson, falling short against Providence and earning a win against Towson. UMass Lowell concludes the weekend in Maryland with a rematch against Providence on Sunday at 10 a.m.