ALBANY, N.Y. (Interstat) — In a game defined by offensive efficiency and a pivotal second-half surge, the Massachusetts-Lowell River Hawks secured a season-series sweep with an 89-79 victory over the Albany Great Danes in America East Conference men’s basketball on Saturday night at SEFCU Arena.

Despite a game-high 23 points from Albany guard Amir Lindsey, the River Hawks used a balanced scoring attack and superior shot-making to pull away after halftime before a crowd of 2,009. The win improved Massachusetts-Lowell to 10-15 overall, while Albany fell to 8-17.

The most important stretch of the game arrived early in the second half, as Massachusetts-Lowell weathered Albany’s initial push and seized control for good. The Great Danes, trailing by just a point at the intermission, scored the first four points after halftime to take a 42-39 lead, their largest of the game. The sequence was capped by an alley-oop dunk from Okechukwu Okeke, assisted by Lindsey, that energized the home crowd.

The River Hawks responded immediately and decisively. They embarked on a 14-3 run over the next four minutes, transforming a three-point deficit into a 53-45 advantage. The spurt was fueled by their interior dominance, with Victor Okojie and Angel Montas consistently finishing at the rim, and punctuated by a Darrel Yepdo 3-pointer. This run established a cushion that Albany would challenge but never overcome, as Massachusetts-Lowell’s offense continued to operate with precision.

The River Hawks won the game through exceptional offensive execution. They scored 89 points on just 71 possessions, translating to an offensive rating of 125.8, and shot 55.6% from the field. They were particularly effective inside, matching Albany’s 42 points in the paint but doing so on a higher percentage of attempts. Massachusetts-Lowell also connected on 7 of 13 from 3-point range, a 53.8% clip that starkly outpaced Albany’s 5-for-16 performance.

Okojie, a 6-foot-8 forward from Castlebar, Ireland, led the River Hawks with 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting. Montas, from Romana, Dominican Republic, added 21 points and a key late block, while guard Xavier Spencer of Calgary contributed 18 points and four assists. Yepdo facilitated the offense with a game-high six assists.

Albany, which played a cleaner game with only seven turnovers and recorded 10 steals and six blocks, could not match the River Hawks’ shooting efficiency. The Great Danes finished at 50% from the field but were hampered by 16-of-26 shooting from the free-throw line. Lindsey, from Framingham, Massachusetts, filled the stat sheet with 23 points and seven assists in 40 minutes. Okeke added 20 points and two blocks, and Jaden Kempson scored 18.

The first half was a tightly contested affair featuring 10 lead changes. Massachusetts-Lowell built an early 11-4 lead, but Albany, led by Lindsey’s playmaking and Kempson’s scoring, clawed back. The Great Danes took a brief 34-33 lead late in the period after a Kempson 3-pointer, but the River Hawks scored the final six points before halftime to take a 39-38 lead into the locker room, setting the stage for their decisive second-half run.

After extending their lead to double digits, Massachusetts-Lowell maintained it by answering every Albany rally. When the Great Danes cut the deficit to 76-71 with just over a minute remaining following an Okeke layup and free throw, the River Hawks closed the game at the foul line, making 11 free throws in the final 1:45 to seal the victory.

The result flipped the pregame projections from Interstat’s ELO system, which had given Albany a 61.2% probability to win. It also completed a regular-season sweep for Massachusetts-Lowell, which defeated Albany 83-71 on Jan. 3.

Massachusetts-Lowell will host Bryant on Thursday. Albany travels to face Binghamton next Saturday.