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BOSTON - Sophomore Cedric Hankerson finished with at least 22 points for the third straight game, but it wasn't enough as the Boston University men's basketball dropped the home opener to UMass Lowell, 69-59, in Case Gym Sunday afternoon.

Held below 38 percent shooting for the third consecutive contest, the Terriers drop to 1-4, while the River Hawks improve to 5-2 on their fourth straight victory.

BU trailed by seven (29-22) at the half and came out of the locker room on a 16-5 run to pull ahead, 38-34, at 13:25 behind 10 points from Hankerson. The River Hawks though scored the game's next 13 points over the following four minutes to take the lead for good.

The Terriers cut the deficit to three on four separate occasions in the final five minutes but could never get closer. Leading 60-57 at the 57-second mark, UML went 9-of-10 at the line down the stretch to seal the victory, as BU missed its final four 3-point attempts.

Hankerson went 7-of-17, including 4-of-10 from behind the arc, to post a game-high 22 points while also adding a game-high five assists and three steals. Junior Nathan Dieudonne was two boards shy of a double-double with a season-high 14 points. The bench contributed a combined 28 minutes of action but was shut out for the first time since Feb. 19, 2012. 

The Terriers went 20-of-56 (.357) and 9-of-29 (.310) in 3-point territory while also going 10-of-18 (.556) at the line. UML shot over 52 percent in each half to finish 22-of-42 (.524). The River Hawks did not attempt a single free throw in the first 20 minutes but ended the game 18-of-24 (.750) at the charity stripe. 

6-foot-2, 220-pound guard Jahad Thomas cut through the BU defense for 21 points, while Mark Cornelius and Chad Holley contributed 11 and 10 points, respectively. They all tallied a team-high five rebounds apiece. Six River Hawks combined for seven 3-pointers, as the Terriers relied on three men for their nine treys, including three from freshman Cheddi Mosely (9 pts.) and junior John Papale (6 pts.).

UML entered the contest averaging 8.0 steals and forcing teams into 15.2 turnovers but were only able to create seven BU miscues. The River Hawks were shut out in steals and were outscored in both points off turnovers (13-2) and second chance points (12-6). They finished though with a 35-29 advantage in rebounding to claim the victory.

BU will return to action on Wednesday, as part of a Terrier basketball doubleheader. The women will first face New Hampshire in Case Gym with tip-off slated for 5:30 p.m. The men will follow with Binghamton at 7:30 p.m. in the middle of their three-game homestand.