UMass-Lowell rolls past Maine 85-54 in America East opener

LOWELL, Mass. (AP) — Brayden O'Connor led second-seeded UMass-Lowell over seventh-seeded Maine on Saturday night with 14 points off of the bench in an 85-54 victory in the first round of the America East Conference tournament.

O'Connor shot 4 for 7 (1 for 3 from 3-point range) and 5 of 6 from the free throw line for the River Hawks (24-7). Everette Hammond added 13 points while going 5 of 8 from the field, and he also had five assists. Ayinde Hikim finished 6 of 12 from the field to finish with 12 points.

Gedi Juozapaitis finished with 16 points and four assists for the Black Bears (13-16). Kellen Tynes added 11 points, four assists and three steals for Maine. Peter Filipovity also put up eight points.

UMass-Lowell took the lead with 13:52 remaining in the first half and did not relinquish it. The score was 44-26 at halftime, with O'Connor racking up 11 points. UMass-Lowell extended its lead to 81-49 during the second half, fueled by a 9-0 scoring run. Abdoul Karim Coulibaly scored a team-high 10 points in the second half as his team closed out the win.

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