Men's Basketball Dealt a Setback at UMass Lowell, 86-69

The Central Connecticut men's basketball team was dealt an 86-69 setback at UMass Lowell on Sunday in the Costello Athletics Center. The Blue Devils got a career-high 21 points from senior Khalen Cumberlander and a double-double from senior Tidell Pierre, but it was not enough to overcome the hot-shooting River Hawks.

CCSU slips to 2-8 overall following the defeat, while UMass Lowell is now 3-8.

Cumberlander led all scorers with 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting. He also collected a career-high five steals, matching a total set against UML last season. Pierre finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds for his first career double-double. Sophomore Austin Nehls added 11 points.

The Blue Devils shot 44.4 percent (24-of-54) overall, but was forced into 18 turnovers.

The River Hawks shot 68.6 percent (35-of-51) overall, including 10-of-18 (.556) from three-point range. UML had five players in double-figures, led by Matt Harris and Logan Primerano with 16 points apiece.

The Blue Devils hung around early with Cumberlander scoring seven straight for CCSU at one point. His three-point play at the 14:41 mark got Central within, 14-12.

Following a layup by Cumberlander at the 12:01 mark, UMass Lowell would hold CCSU to one field goal during a span of over seven minutes to pull away. The River Hawks would use a 17-4 burst in that span to take a 39-20 lead following a three-pointer by Ryan Jones.

The Blue Devils would score five straight points at one point to trim the deficit to 42-29 after a layup by senior Tafari Whittingham, but the River Hawks would score the final five points of the period to build a 47-29 lead at the intermission.

UML, which hit 7-of-8 from the field at one stretch in the opening half, shot 76 percent (19-of-25) overall in the opening period. CCSU was held to 38.6 percent (10-of-26) in the first half.

UMass Lowell scored the first five points of the second half to push its run to 10-0 and the Blue Devils would be unable to get closer than the final margin the rest of the way.

After UML took its largest lead of the day at 85-59, Central would get two straight baskets from freshman Harrison Kay and two more from Cumberlander as part of a 10-1 run to close the game. Freshman Donyell Marshall Jr. hit a pair of foul shots to close out the scoring.

CCSU completes the non-conference portion of its schedule on Wednesday, Dec. 21, with a game at Fordham. The game is scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. start.