Lowell, Mass.— UMBC men's basketball used a furious second half rally, sparked by junior guard Jairus Lyles (Silver Spring, Md./DeMatha) to earn a 102-86 victory on Sunday at UMass Lowell. The Retrievers hit 11 threes in the win, as three hit double figures.

UMBC moves to 13-6, 4-2 AE on the year while the River Hawks fall to 8-13, 3-4 AE.

Senior Will Darley (Timonium, Md./Dulaney) led all scorers with 28 points, going 7-14 from the field including 11-11 from the free throw line. Lyles had 22 points on 10-20 shooting, adding seven rebounds.

Jahad Thomas led the River Hawks with 22 points and 11 rebounds.

The Retriever bench stepped up, outscoring UML 31-6, including 18 points from Rodney Elliott (Baltimore, Md./John Carroll). UMBC forced the River Hawks into 12 turnovers, scoring 17 points off those turnovers.

UMBC used a big 10-2 run to open the second half to give the visitors a six points lead, led by six big points from Darley. That spurt quickly opened up to a 16-4 run spanning five minutes, giving UMBC a lead they would not relinquish.

UMass Lowell would have a run of their own midway through the stanza, but each time the Retrievers found a way to quell that run en route to a 102-86 victory on Sunday.

As a team the Retrievers shot 53 percent from the field, going 21-36 in the second half.

UMass Lowell got out of the gates early going 4-4 from beyond the arc to race out to an early 14-8 lead. They would continue their hot shooting, pushing ahead by as many as 14 in the first 20 minutes after back to back 6-0 runs.

However the Retrievers would wake up offensively, storming back to within four late in the half. UMBC would end the first stanza on a 13-4 run to trail by three heading into the locker rooms.

Darley led the Retrievers with 13 points in the opening half, as Jairus Lyles added seven points and five boards. The River Hawks shot 63 percent in the opening 20 minutes, connecting on six threes. 

UMBC men's basketball will be back in action on Wednesday, Jan. 25 with a road contest against Stony Brook at 7 p.m.