Sophomore captains Scotty Tavares Taylor (Roxbury, Mass.) and Matt Welch (Lowell, Mass.) combined for 41 points in the game, accounting for nearly half of the River Hawk offense. Thirteen of Tavares-Taylor’s 21 came in the second half, while Welch went a team-best 4-7 from behind the arc.
“Scotty did what I wanted him to do,” said third-year head coach Greg Herenda. “I know I always rave about his shooting, but once we start to rebound better and hit threes, I think we’ll be a very good team.”
Although the squads traded ties and leads through the start of the first, Post led by as many as six and held the advantage for most of the stanza. The River Hawks never led by more than two in the first, but cut the Eagles’ lead to just three at the break (36-33), thanks to a three by Welch at the buzzer to close the half.
The River Hawks shot 65.4% from the floor in the second frame, compared to just 37.8% in the first half, while Post hovered around 40% the entire contest.
UMass Lowell captured the lead on a layup by freshman forward Kerry Weldon (New York, N.Y.), with just under eight minutes remaining the contest and never looked back. The River Hawks went on a 16-5 run over a five minute span after Weldon’s layup, highlighted by six points from Tavares-Taylor, seven from Welch and a free throw from Romeo Diaz (Methuen, Mass.). They allowed Post just one field goal during that time, forcing them to the free throw line.
After that stretch, UMass Lowell led by as many as 10 with just under three minutes left in the game, holding on for the eventual six-point victory.
“I think we earned a great victory over a very well-coached, underrated Post team,” Herenda said. “I truly think that all of the work that we’ve put in since midnight on Oct. 15 paid off today, though. When we surged ahead down the stretch, I think it was because we had an extra gear to go to.”
Tavares-Taylor went 9-18 from the floor and added a game-best six assists in the tilt. The guard played all but two minutes in the game and went 3-4 from the charity stripe. Welch grabbed six rebounds and added three assists to his 20-point performance.
Weldon finished his first collegiate game with eight points and six boards, going a perfect 3-3 from the floor. Classmate Akeem Williams (Brockton, Mass.) contributed 10 points and five boards, adding two assists, as well. Fellow freshman Darrell Ward (White Plains, N.Y.) notched 11 points and five rebounds, going 4-5 from the floor in the game.
“Collectively, I think that our freshman class played so well. You go down the list of all their names and they each contributed,” Herenda said. “They played hard to earn their first collegiate victory and I think they showed that they are a very talented class and they are going to win a lot more games.”
The River Hawks outrebounded the Eagles 40-36 in the game and benefitted by outscoring Post 24-18 on second chances. They also outscored Post in the paint, holding the decisive 46-32 advantage.
Spencer Smith led the way for the Eagles, tallying 26 points and three rebounds, while Cecil Stinson also contributed 14 points and Devron Washington had a game-best eight boards.
“I love our team, though. We play hard, get after it and once the ball starts moving, I turn into a little bit of a fan,” Herenda said. “We really need to regroup and refocus because we’ve got another game to win in 24 hours against a very talented NCAA basketball team in Felician.”
The River Hawks will take on the Felician Golden Falcons in the second day of the 2010 Tip-Off Classic. The non-conference game will begin at 4:00 p.m., with Post taking on Pace University at 2:00 p.m.
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