LOWELL, Mass. – Binghamton men's basketball shot a season-high 63 percent but host UMass Lowell (13-15, 8-5 America East) scored 49 second-half points to outpace the Bearcats (6-23, 2-12 AE) 92-79 Saturday afternoon at Kennedy Family Athletic Complex.

The offenses ruled the game as both teams scored at a breakneck pace throughout. But the River Hawks used their size and physicality to pull down 10 offensive boards, including several off missed free throws. Those extra possessions, plus 15-of-18 free throw conversion in the second half, tilted the game toward UML.

"When a team scores over 90 it's hard to win," head coach Levell Sanders said. "We couldn't get stops when we needed to. Offensively we were fine, other than missed free throws. But they are big and strong and play a physical brand of basketball. They put a lot of pressure on defenses and it was tough to slow them down."

Junior point guard Jeremiah Quigley produced his fifth double-double of the season with 14 points and 11 assists and in the process, set the school record for assists in a season. With his fifth handout early in the second half, Quigley earned his 174^th assist, breaking the mark set by Symir Torrence two seasons ago.

"That's a big-time achievement for JQ," Sanders said. "To be first in anything at your school and your basketball program … that's something to be proud of."

Senior guard Wes Peterson, Jr. tallied a team-high 21 points on 9-of-12 shooting. Junior forward Zyier Beverly added 19 points on 9-of-11 accuracy.

The teams had 11 lead changes in the opening nine minutes. Binghamton trailed by 12 before using a 13-2 run midway through the half to pull within one. But UML closed the first half with a 9-2 run to carry a 43-35 lead into break.

The Bearcats hit 8-of-11 (73%) to start the second half but somehow, still lost ground. The River Hawks extended their lead to double figures and didn't allow Binghamton closer than eight points over the game's final 10 minutes.

With the loss, Binghamton is on the brink of playoff elimination. The Bearcats need to sweep their final two games (home vs. UNH and Maine) and have Bryant drop its remaining three games to forge a tie and tiebreak advantage over the Bulldogs, who had a bye on Saturday.   

"We still have something to play for and we have to be ready to go on Thursday," Sanders said. "We are playing to get into the tournament."