ITHACA, N.Y. -- In a game that featured 27 lead changes and 19 ties, UMass Lowell overcame its leading scorer and rebounder fouling out to outlast Cornell 98-96 in overtime on Thursday evening at Newman Arena. The Big Red fell to 3-10 overall, while the Riverhawks improved to 5-9.

Three Cornell players at least 20 points, the first time that had happened since prior to the 1977-78 season. Senior Robert Hatter scored a game-high 28 points, including the game-tying layup at the buzzer in regulation to send the game in overtime, and added three rebounds, two assists and two steals. Sophomore Matt Morgan scored 21 points and grabbed six boards with two steals and Wil Bathurst chipped in 20 points, seven rebounds and three assists off the bench. Freshman Josh warren also had 10 points, six rebounds, five assists and three blocks after entering the game as a reserve and senior JoJo Fallas just missed being the fifth double figure scorer with nine points and five assists without a turnover. As a team, the Big Red had 20 assists and just 10 turnovers and shot 48 percent from the floor. 

UMass Lowell got 27 points, seven rebounds and four assists from Jahad Thomas and 22 more from Logan Primerano off the bench. Primerano added nine rebounds, six assists and two steals in the win for the Riverhawks, who shot 52 percent overall and connected on 10-of-20 3-pointers. Ryan Jones chipped in 17 points, Tyler Livingston had 13 and Matt Harris scored 12.

Neither team led by more than six points the entire game, though the visitors quickly grabbed a six-point edge in the extra period after Hatter got the crowd going with his last-second basket, helping erase a four-point deficit with 65 seconds remaining and a Matt Harris bucket with 4.8 seconds to put the visitors ahead. Bathurst, who sparked Cornell with 11 first half points, used a quick fake out of the high post for a thunderous dunk, then used the same play to draw a foul and tie the game on two free throws in the final 44 seconds. 

Tyler Livingston quieted the crowd with a trey to open the overtime and then got loose for a layup to give UML a five-point lead. After a pair of Hatter free throws, Primerano completed a three-point play to put Lowell up 96-90 with 2:46 to play.

Cornell battled back, getting consecutive buckets by Morgan and Hatter to make it 96-94 and had three possessions to tie, including a good look by Bathurst with six seconds left that fell short. UMass Lowell rebounded and Primerano put the game on ice with a pair of free throws.

An entertaining first half that saw Thomas score 13 points and Bathurst answer with 11 was full of drama, but the second half was another level. No team led by more than four points in the final 20 minutes despite Lowell scoring on five straight possessions at one point and four consecutive after Cornell took a 78-77 lead.

The Big Red kept pace, shooting 55 percent from the floor over the second 20 minutes as regulation ended tied at 88-88.

NOTES TO KNOW: 
• Senior Robert Hatter jumped into the top 20 all-time at Cornell in career scoring and now sits 19th at 1,068 after surpassing Jeff Gaca '93 (1,059), Zeke Marshall '94 (1,062) and Shonn Miller '15 (1,065).
• Junior Wil Bathurst tied a career high with 20 points, more than tripling his previous season best scoring total (six).
• Senior JoJo Fallas had five assists and zero turnovers, giving him 26 assists and just nine miscues on the season.
• Over its last seven games, Cornell has a +30 assist:turnover ratio (124:94).
• Sophomore Troy Whiteside was 3-of-3 from the floor, making him 25-of-35 (.714) over his last six games.
• Sophomore Matt Morgan posted his 18th career 20-point game, while  Hatter recorded his 16th.
• Morgan has hit multiple 3-point field goals in eight straight games and has reached double figures in 29 of his last 30 contests.
• Freshman Josh Warren posted career highs of five assists and three blocked shots to go along with 10 points and six boards.

NEXT UP: 
• Cornell will begin the 2017 portion of the schedule on Monday, Jan. 2 at 7 p.m. when it visits Albany.
• The Great Danes lead the all-time series 4-2, including last year's 75-70 victory over the Big Red in Ithaca.
• The Big Red returns home to face Fisher College on Sunday, Jan. 8 at 2 p.m. at Newman Arena.