LOWELL, Mass. – The LIU Brooklyn men's basketball team bounced back from an 18-point first half deficit Wednesday afternoon to cut UMass Lowell's lead to just one point with less than 90 seconds to play, but the River Hawks would score seven unanswered points in the final minute of action to take the win, 74-66.

Seniors Joel Hernandez and Jamall Robinson put together a 7-2 run towards the end of the second half that brought LIU within sight of the lead. Robinson would hit a three pointer at 1:24 to make it 67-66, but UML would hit back to back layups over the next 20 seconds to put the game out of reach.

The three by Robinson marked an incredible comeback effort by the Blackbirds, who had trailed by as many as 18 points in the first half. LIU struggled to get started Wednesday, as the home team would open the contest on a 13-0 run. Three-pointers from Raul Frias and Zach Coleman would help bring the deficit back down to single digits, 17-10 at 8:56. But over the next four minutes, UMass Lowell outscored the Blackbirds 15-4, taking a 32-14 lead with three minutes left in the first half. LIU would battle back on a 12-4 run of its own to close out the period, but trailed by 10, 36-26 at the break.

A rejuvenated Blackbird squad came out in the second half, and opened the period on an 8-0 run in the first two minutes. Sophomore Jashaun Agosto would hit a three, Hernandez would make a layup, and junior Raiquan Clark would convert a layup that made it 36-34 with 18:17 on the clock. Strong free throw shooting from the home team and costly LIU turnovers would help the River Hawks string together a 13-2 run that would widen the lead back up to 14 points, and the home team was able to hold LIU at arm's length from there.

But the Blackbirds slowly continued to chip away at the lead. A three from Robinson at 7:44 cut the gap to six points, and Robinson would score off a pass from Hernandez at 6:06 that made it a two-point game, 61-59. Five minutes later, Robinson hit a three, and LIU was within one of the 4-1 River Hawks. But the home team would go three-for-three from the field in the final minute, while LIU missed three last chance shots, and UMass Lowell took the win, 74-66.

NOTES FROM THE NEST

• With the loss, LIU moves to 2-4 on the season. Up next, the Blackbirds take on Brown, Saturday, November 25 at 1 p.m.
• Junior Raiquan Clark led LIU in scoring for the fourth time this season, with 21 points (8-of-14 shooting), and five rebounds.
• Senior Joel Hernandez had 18 points, six rebounds and two assists for LIU, while senior Zach Coleman had a career-high 15 rebounds to lead LIU, along with nine points and three assists. Senior Jamall Robinson added a season-high 10 points.
• The Blackbirds, just one game after having their best three-point performance in two years, struggled from long range, shooting just 21.4 percent (6-for-28).
• Redshirt senior Jahad Thomas led the River Hawks with 24 points, while Ryan Jones had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Rinardo Perry was the only other UML player in double figures, with 13 points.