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Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

UMass Lowell sophomore guard Kyle Caiola was honored by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) as a 2010 First Team East Region selection, as announced by the NABC office on Wednesday.

Caiola is one of six members of the East Region First Team, and is eligible for the State Farm Coaches' Division II All-America teams, chosen by the NABC.

The guard finished the year averaging 20.2 points per game while shooting 46.9 percent from the floor (40.1 percent 3-pointers). He led the conference in free throw shooting (89.9 percent).

Caiola was joined on the First Team by Bentley's Jason Westrol, Le Moyne's Laurence Ekperigin, Merrimack's Darren Duncan, Stonehill's A.J. Rudowitz and Bloomfield's Gage Daye.

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

UMass Lowell freshman guard Bianca Simmons earned co-Freshman of the Year honors for the Northeast-10 Conference, and she also earned a spot on the All-Rookie Team.

Simmons, a native of Middletown, Conn., finished the regular season as UMass Lowell's scoring leader with 12.7 points per game. She also tallied 4.9 rebounds per game and shot .826 from the free throw line.

Named the NE-10 Rookie of the Week four times this season, Simmons ranks among NE-10 leaders in free throw accuracy (second) and scoring (15th). She enjoyed season-highs of 28 points and 12 rebounds in a 73-64 win over Le Moyne; and six assists in a 77-65 win over Merrimack.

Simmons shared the NE-10 honor with Gabrielle Gibson of Assumption.

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

UMass Lowell point guard Kyle Caiola, a sophomore from Parma, OH, was named to the NE-10 Second Team for the second straight year.

The 2009 NE-10 Freshman of the Year, Caiola fed the River Hawks in scoring (20.5 points per game) this winter. He ranked third in the conference and 26th in the country. He also shot .476 from the floor (.393 from long range) and .917 from the free throw line, pitting him second in the nation.

He finished the regular season ranked among conference leaders in six major categories: free throw accuracy (first), scoring (third), minutes played (eighth), steals (1.8, tied for 10th), 3-point field goal percentage (10th), and field goal percentage (14th).

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

- Apparently, attitude had a large part of the UML women defeating Bentley for the first time since 1994. Senior guard Rahshala Valentine admitted that intimidation may have hampered the River Hawks in the earlier meeting between the teams (a 20-point loss on Dec. 2).

That wasn't an option for the final home game of the season and in the career of five seniors, Valentine included.

"No, not in our house," Valentine said of Bentley not intimidating UML the second time around.

- How about this year's freshman class? Two freshman played key roles in yesterday's big win. This is even after losing a pair of freshman who have started games this year and who've won the last four NE-10 Freshman of the Week honors in Bianca Simmons and Sarah Bennett to suspension for violation of team rules (indefinite length).

Briana Szidat and Bri Calver each played 12 minute or more on Wednesday, with Szidat playing 24 minutes at center and Calver substituting at the point guard position.

The 6-foot-3 Szidat forced Bentley to adjust offensively to her presence in the paint. She blocked five shots, several times covering up for teammates who were beaten on dribble penetration. Bentley responded by making Szidat match-up with a forward playing 14 to 16 feet away from the basket.

Both Szidat and Calver kept the ball moving offensively as they notched three assists apiece (tied for the team high).

- There are reasons basketball teams carry all those bench players. The River Hawks showed that last night with their bench. Along with the freshman Szidat and Calver, sophomore Meghan Kirwan had a big impact on defense and energy. Kirwan not only had 10 points, but also five rebounds and three steals.

While seniors Liz Desir and Amanda McGrew started on Senior Night, they've been primarily bench players. They too had valuable contributions. McGrew (5-foot-10), Kirwan (5-foot-9) and Szidat also provided a very long group for the River Hawks, which never hurts on defense.

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

UMass Lowell freshman guard Bianca Simmons earned Northeast-10 Conference Freshman of the Week honors on Monday. This is the fourth time this season she has earned that distinction.

Simmons scored 12 points and had six assists and five rebounds in a victory against Merrimack College on Saturday, and she had 23 points (9-for-18 shooting) and six rebounds in a loss on the road on Tuesday against Southern New Hampshire.

The native of Middletown, Conn., is averaging 12.7 points 4.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.

River Hawks have earned named NE-10 Freshman of the Week honors for four straight weeks with Simmons bringing in three honors and Sarah Bennett also earning one.

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

The Northeast-10 Conference named UMass Lowell point guard Bianca Simmons Freshman of the Week for the third time this season.

The River Hawks retain their grip on the award, winning the honor for the third straight week. Two weeks ago Simmons was the Freshman of the Week, and last week the distinction went to UML center Sarah Bennett.

Simmons had 10 points, eight rebounds and three assists in a win at home against Saint Michael's on Wednesday. She made the game-winning jumpshot with two seconds remaining.

She followed that performance up with 24 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals in Saturday's win against Stonehill.

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

UMass Lowell basketball coaches Kathy O'Neil and Greg Herenda will participate in the Hoops for Haiti fundraiser on Saturday as the men and the women host Stonehill College at Costello Gymnasium. The women's and men's basketball teams will tip off at 1:00 and 4:30 p.m., respectively.

As part of the fundraiser, both coaches will donate $20 toward the recovery efforts for every 3-point field goal that a River Hawk basketball player makes throughout the day. In addition, fans are asked to donate at least $1 to the cause at various locations throughout Costello Gymnasium. Student-athletes and game staff will be collecting donations at the ticket table and concession stands.

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

UMass Lowell center Sarah Bennett earned Northeast-10 Conference Freshman of the Week honors on Monday.

The Newark, Ohio, native averaged 11 points and seven rebounds in a pair of games last week. She also shot 57 percent from the field, and made 6-of-8 free throws (75 percent).

This marks the second straight week the UMass Lowell women's team has had the NE-10 Freshman of the Week. Guard Bianca Simmons brought home the honor last week after a 28-point 12-rebound performance at home against Le Moyne.

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

The UMass Lowell men's basketball team earned the No. 5 spot in the first NCAA Division II East Regional Rankings of the season. The Rankings are compiled by the NCAA Division II Basketball Committee.

Joining the River Hawks (12-6, 11-5 in region) in the top five are Bentley (No. 1, 16-2), Stonehill (No. 2, 15-3) Merrimack (No. 3, 12-4) and Adelphi (No. 4, 14-6). All five teams compete in the Northeast-10 Conference.

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

A quick update on the women's basketball recruits committed to UMass Lowell:

Pinkerton Academy senior scoring machine AJ Guidi surpassed the 1,000-point plateau with 16 points last Friday night. She became just the fourth player in Astros history to reach that mark, the first since Jenny McDade (currently a senior at Southern New Hampshire).

Durfee High School forward Lauren Fiola continues to be a force for the Hilltoppers (11-2). The senior is averaging 12.9 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks through the first 13 games. She scored 24 of her team's 65 points in a victory against Attleboro on Tuesday night. She also had six rebounds and three steals in the game.

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

Former Lowell High two-sport standout Matt Welch is officially a member of the UMass Lowell men's basketball team.

The 6-foot-6 forward was slated to participate in his first practice today.

Welch, who had been a member of the University of New Hampshire football team for the past two seasons, asked for and received his release from his football scholarship in December.

He met with UML head coach Greg Herenda in December about transferring to UMass Lowell to play basketball.

Welch was offered a basketball scholarship by former UML head coach Ken Barer coming out of high school.

As a junior, Welch earned Merrimack Valley Conference co-Player of the Year as well as Sun Player of the Year honors. He averaged 17.5 points and five rebounds per game as senior, shooting 56 percent from the floor (44 percent in 3-pointers) as he helped guide the Red Raiders to the Division 1 North championship game.

He redshirted his freshman year of football, and he returns to basketball with three seasons of eligibility left following this season.

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

The UMass Lowell men's basketball team welcomed back junior captain Max Kerman in Tuesday night's win against Le Moyne.

Kerman missed Saturday's loss to American International with a thigh strain. He suffered the injury last week at Adelphi. He attempted to play against Wilmington (Delaware), but he lasted just 14 minutes.

On Tuesday he scored six points and registered two assists while going 3-for-5 from the field. Despite playing with some discomfort, he grabbed six rebounds and he managed to track down loose balls.

Late in the game he quarterbacked the offense against Le Moyne's zone defense.

"He was putting pressure on them," Caiola said of Kerman. "He hit two jumpers in the first half, so they had to respect his shot. Once they started collapsing, he was finding other people which left open shots for myself and others. That's why we had a good second half."

UML head coach Greg Herenda said, "In the middle of the zone he opened things up and found people. I think he made a crucial jump shot at some point in time. Just him being on the floor makes me feel better as a coach, and it makes our team feel better. We're a lot more comfortable when our captain is out there."

While he is the reigning Northeast-10 Defensive Player of the Year, Kerman has the ability to create and score. He can be the third scorer UML needs to go with Kyle Caiola and Kevin Carr, but his focus is clearly defense first.

"We would like him to score more," Caiola said. "But you can't replace him on defense and on the glass. He's the hardest worker on our team. He plays the hardest, and without him we struggle. We're glad to have him back."