Lutete powers UMass Lowell past Sacred Heart in OT

Dec 30, 2019, 06:52 am

FAIRFIELD, Conn. -- Christian Lutete poured in 29 points on 10-of-12 shooting, scoring five in a 12-2 overtime run, to lead UMass Lowell to a 100-91 victory over Sacred Heart on Saturday.

Lutete sank 4 of 6 from 3-point range and grabbed nine rebounds for the River Hawks (8-7), who made 46 percent from distance (11 of 24). Obadiah Noel pitched in with 22 points, five rebounds, five steals and three assists. Ryan Jones scored 18 and Josh Gantz contributed 10 points and seven assists.

Sacred Heart (4-9) led 42-41 at halftime and 82-74 after E.J. Anosike made 1 of 2 free throws with 2:52 left to play. But Lutete hit a 3, Noel scored on a layup and Gantz connected from beyond the arc with 56 seconds left to send the game to overtime. The extra period was all River Hawks as Noel scored on a layup 41 seconds in and UMass Lowell stayed ahead from there.

Koreem Ozier topped Sacred Heart with 20 points, but he hit just 6 of 19 shots, including 2 of 9 from distance. Sean Hoehn added 16 points and Zach Pfaffenberger came off the bench to score 13.