LOWELL, Mass. (AP) — Clancy Rugg scored 19 points and grabbed eight rebounds as Vermont surged back to defeat Massachusetts-Lowell 62-48 in an American East Conference opener for both teams Wednesday night.
Vermont (4-7, 1-0) faced a six-point deficit at the break, but opened the second half on a 14-5 run and grabbed the lead on an Ethan O’Day layup. Kurt Steidl had a three-point play and two free throws to continue the surge for the Catamounts, stretching the lead to 15 with 2:31 remaining.
Mass-Lowell (1-10, 0-1) had led by eight early in the first half but lost steam in the final 20 minutes, managing just 15 points. The River Hawks shot just 19 percent from the field in the second half after shooting 13 of 24 in the first.
Sandro Carrisimo scored 14 points and Luke Apfeld added 12 for Vermont.
Akeem Williams led the River Hawks with 16 points.
