Monday, December 29 at Boston College (2 p.m.)
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CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell men's basketball team will make the short trip to Chestnut Hill to take on Boston College of Atlantic Coast Conference on Monday, December 29. The 2 p.m. matinee will be broadcast live on ESPN3 from the Conte Forum.

LOOKING AT UMASS LOWELL
The River Hawks are in the midst of a three-game skid and own a 6-5 overall record heading into their contest on Monday at Boston College. This will be the team's first game following the nine-day holiday break.

LAST TIME OUT
Redshirt-freshman Jahad Thomas (Williamsport, Pa.) scored 19 points and pulled down six rebounds, as UMass Lowell fell, 79-63, at Duquesne University on December 20. Senior Chad Holley (New York, N.Y.) and graduate student Marco Banegas-Flores (Boston, Mass.) rounded out the River Hawks' double-digit scorers with 13 and 11 points, respectively. The Dukes pulled away early in the contest, and although the River Hawks put together a late surge, the visitors were unable to overcome the deficit.

LEADING THE FLOCK
Through 11 games, Jahad Thomas leads the River Hawks with 14.6 points per game. Marco Banegas-Flores and freshman Lance Crawford (Davie, Fla.) have added to the offensive effort with 10.5 and 9.7 points, respectively, while Chad Holley averages 7.6 points of his own. Thomas and redshirt-senior Kerry Weldon (New York, N.Y.) lead the team on the glass with 5.5 rebounds per game each. As a team, UMass Lowell is shooting 42.6% (243-571) from the floor and 37.5% (84-224) from beyond the arc. The squad is also shooting 64.8% (138-213) from the line.

SCOUTING BOSTON COLLEGE
The Eagles own a 6-4 overall record in 2014-15. The team is coming off a 75-71 loss against USC on Dec. 21. Olivier Hanlan is leading the BC offense with 16.0 points per game, in addition to 43 assists and 24 steals this year. Aaron Brown is averaging 15.5 points per game, as well.  Dennis Clifford is pulling down 6.0 rebounds per game, while Patrick Heckmann follows with 5.0. Boston College is shooting 43.9% (232-528) from the field, 26.6% (53-199) from long range, and 69.3% (158-228) from the charity stripe.

SERIES HISTORY
Monday's contest will mark just the second meeting ever between UMass Lowell and Boston College in the sport of men's basketball. The teams first met on February 4, 1981 when the Eagles secured a 114-54 victory.

TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT
Four of the squad's six wins so far have been decided by seven points or less. The team even trailed in the second half in three of those games (at NJIT, Fordham and BU) before battling back to earn the victories. 

NUMBERS GAME
Now that the River Hawks are 11 games into the 2014-15 season, several patterns in the statistics have started to emerge. The team is an undefeated 5-0 when leading at the half and also when shooting better than its opponent. In addition, the squad is 6-1 when its opponent scores less than 70 points. The River Hawks are 3-0 in games decided by five points or less, as well.

UNDER CONTROL
The River Hawks posted a season low for turnovers at Sacred Heart with just six. The team is currently third in the America East with just 12.8 turnovers per game and  a +1.8 turnover margin.

A THREAT ON THREES
As a whole, UMass Lowell is first in the conference with a clip of 37.5% from long range and second with 7.6 three made per game. Marco Banegas-Flores, who knocked down a personal-best, five 3FGs against NJIT, and sophomore Tyler Livingson (Hudson, N.H.), who hit a career-high, five 3FGs against Mount Ida, lead the team with 19 and 15 made, respectively. In his first eight collegiate games, nine of freshman Matt Harris' 10 field goals came from beyond the arc, including three in the season opener at Ohio State.