Jayden Harris scored 26 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, and the UMass Lowell River Hawks beat the Merrimack Warriors 71-61 on Thursday night at Lawler Arena before a crowd of 1,621.
Harris made 10 of 21 shots, including 5 of 11 from 3-point range, in 33 minutes. Victor Okojie added 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting with 6 rebounds, and Jakai Newton scored 12, going 6 of 8 at the free-throw line.
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The game turned late in the first half. With UMass Lowell up 25-23, the River Hawks scored 10 straight points to go ahead 35-23, and they took a 38-26 lead into the break. The lead changed hands three times and the teams were tied once. Merrimack's largest lead was 2, while UMass Lowell led by as many as 14.
Merrimack outscored the River Hawks 35-33 in the second half but could not close the gap. Jeremiah Anderson led the Warriors off the bench with 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting in 25 minutes. Denver Anglin scored 10 points on 4-of-13 shooting, and Ayden Johnson added 7.
The Warriors shot better from the field, 43% to 41%, and held a 42-30 edge in points in the paint and an 11-2 advantage in fast-break points. They went 3 of 24 from 3-point range and 8 of 20 at the line. UMass Lowell made 7 of 23 3-pointers and 16 of 23 free throws, outrebounded Merrimack 40-38 and had 15 assists to the Warriors' 8.
UMass Lowell improved to 2-0. Merrimack fell to 0-2.
