Saturday, January 17 at Hartford (7 p.m.)
Game Notes | Watch Live | Listen Live | Live Stats | Buy Tickets
Follow on Twitter: @RiverHawkNation @RiverHawkMBB 
 
Radio:
River Hawk Radio Network: (900AM, 1250AM, WSMN 1590AM)
Talent: Nick Anastos (Play by Play); Jim Borodawka (Analyst)

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. - The UMass Lowell men's basketball team continues a three-game road swing at Hartford on Saturday, January 17 beginning at 7 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT
Redshirt-freshman Jahad Thomas and senior Chad Holley logged 15 and 14 points, respectively, as UMass Lowell edged past the University of Maine for a 62-59 victory on Tuesday. The River Hawks trailed for over 21 minutes in the contest, but forced five lead changes and took the lead for good late in the second half. Thomas also paced the team on the glass with eight rebounds, and added personal bests with seven assists and five steals. Holley's 14 points were good for a season high, as well.

LEADING THE FLOCK
Through 17 games, Jahad Thomas leads the River Hawks with 13.6 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. Freshman Lance Crawford and graduate student Marco Banegas-Flores have added to the offensive effort with 8.9 and 8.7 points, respectively, while Chad Holley averages 8.5 points of his own. Kerry Weldon helps lead the team on the glass with 4.6 rebounds per game. As a team, UMass Lowell is shooting 41.4% (361-871) from the floor and 35.0% (123-351) from beyond the arc. The squad is also shooting 67.9% (195-287) from the line.

SCOUTING HARTFORD
The Hawks are looking for their third straight America East win, sitting at 9-7 overall and 2-1 in conference play. Mark Nwakamma and Yolonzo Moore II lead the offense with 13.6 and 10.8 points per game, respectively. Moore's 2.8 assists is second only to Corban Wroe's three helpers per game. Nwakamma controls the glass for Hartford, grabbing 5.8 rebound per game. As a group the Hawks are shooting 41.2% (341-828) from the field, including 34.8% (126-362) from three-point range.

SERIES HISTORY
Saturday's contest marks the eighth meeting between UMass Lowell and Hartford in the sport of men's basketball. Hartford leads the all-time series, 6-1, after taking a 75-68 victory when the teams last met on February 19, 2014

ROAD WARRIORS
The River Hawks, who began the new year with a five-game road swing, play 18 games away from home in 2014-15. The team has accumulated an 81-88 road record since 2003-04.

TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT
Seven of the squad's nine wins so far have been decided by 10 points or less, including five by seven points or less. The team even trailed in the second half in six games this year before battling back to earn the victories.   

SUPERIOR SUBS
At UMBC on Jan. 7, UMass Lowell's bench players outscored the Retrievers', 51-1, to help the team come back to earn the overtime victory. The River Hawks' reserves have been pivotal this year, outscoring their opponents, 401-281. That's an average of +7.1 points per game.

DEFENSE WINS GAMES
Head Coach Pat Duquette has made it very clear that strong half-court defense is a foundation of his program. That was especially apparent in the team's outing against Binghamton on Jan. 2, as the River Hawks held the Bearcats to just 40 points in the win. The team has earned six of its nine wins so far when scoring less than 70 points.

NUMBERS GAME
Now that the River Hawks are 17 games into the 2014-15 season, several patterns in the statistics have started to emerge. The team is an undefeated 6-0 when leading at the half, and also when shooting better than its opponent. In addition, the squad is 9-3 when its opponent scores less than 70 points. The River Hawks are now 4-0 in games decided by five points or less, as well.