Wednesday, January 27 at UAlbany (7 p.m.)
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LOWELL, Mass. - The UMass Lowell men's basketball team, who is currently 7-13 overall and 3-4 in America East action, heads back out on the road to visit Albany for the squad's lone tilt this week on Wednesday, January 27 at 7 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT
UMass Lowell fell, 64-57, against America East opponent Binghamton on Sunday afternoon, Jan. 24, at the Tsongas Center. Four different River Hawks finished the day with nine points, including redshirt sophomore Jahad Thomas, who registered a career- and game-high 14 rebounds. Senior Mark Cornelius, who added three assists, classmate DJ Mlachnik and freshman Isaac White all chipped in with nine points, as well. The teams went into their locker rooms at haltime knotted at 24-24, but Binghamton put together a 12-1 run coming out of the break to pull away.

LEADING THE FLOCK
Through 20 games in 2015-16, Jahad Thomas leads the squad with 12.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. Isaac White follows with 10.3 points per game, in addition to pacing the team at the foul line (80.0%) and in steals (21). Sophomore Matt Harris, who boasts a team- and league-best 44.2 shooting percentage (38-86) from beyond the arc, rounds outs the squad's double-digit scorers with 10.3 points, while junior Tyler Livingston chips in with 9.6 points. As a whole, UMass Lowell is shooting 46.0 percent (537-1167) from the floor, 37.4 percent (173-463) from beyond the arc and 68.6 percent (242-353) on free throws.

SCOUTING UALBANY
UAlbany enters Wednesday's contest with a 15-6 overall record, including a 4-2 mark in America East play, as the squad looks to continue its undefeated season at home. The Great Danes split a pair of decisions last week when they took down Binghamton, 80-59, on Jan. 18 before falling at conference leader Stony Brook, 69-63, on Jan. 22. Seniors Evan Singletary and Peter Hooley are leading the way with 12.9 and 12.5 points per game, respectively. Junior Mike Rowley totals seven blocks, and is pulling in a team-best 6.6 boards per game. Albany is averaging 73.5 points, and shooting 45.2 percent (515-1139) from the field. The squad holds an +8.1 scoring margin over its opponents, as well.

SERIES HISTORY
Wednesday's contest marks the 14th meeting between UMass Lowell and Albany in the sport of men's basketball. The River Hawks own a slight, 7-6 edge in the all-time series that began back in 1995, but the Great Danes swept the home-and-home series in 2014-15, including a 69-59 win in their most recent matchup on Feb. 7, 2015.

ACHIEVEMENTS UNLOCKED
Mark Cornelius recorded his 100th career assist and 50th career steal against  Binghamton on Jan. 24. In the team's win at UMBC on Jan. 16, Matt Harris reached 400 career points and Tyler Livingston achieved 200 rebounds. Previously this year, Jahad Thomas surpassed 500 points against Maine on Jan. 13 and logged his 250th career rebound at Stony Brook on Jan. 9. Mark Cornelius attained 300 career points at SBU, as well.

A THREAT ON THREES
UMass Lowell is strong from beyond the arc for the second straight season. The team, who posted a season-high 12 threes at NJIT on Dec. 5 and at UConn on Dec. 20, is currently second in the America East for 3FGs made (8.7) and third for 3FG percentage (37.4). Through 20 games, Isaac White paces the team with 43 three-pointers.

ON-TARGET
The River Hawks are shooting well from the floor this year, boasting a league-best eight games shooting at least 50.0 percent from the floor. The team currently owns a 46.0 field goal percentage that puts them third in the league.

ROAD WARRIORS
The River Hawks play 17 of their 29 games in 2015-16 away from friendly confines. The non-conference road schedule shaped up to be the team's hardest yet in the Division I,  especially with seven of eight games on the road from Dec. 3-30. The team, who sits at 3-9 in away games so far, has accumulated an 84-102 road record since 2003-04.

CHANGING IDENTITY
Following the high-scoring thriller against Sacred Heart on Nov. 18, Coach Duquette commented that this year's team has a different identity from his teams in the past because they have the ability to score a lot of points, whereas his squads are typically defensively oriented. So far this season, the River Hawks are averaging 74.4 points per game (third in the AE), compared to 61.4 points in 2014-15.

HELPING HANDS
On Nov. 24 against Wheelock, UMass Lowell recorded 25 assists as a team for the first time since 2009, when the team posted 32 against Division II Mercy (11/15/09). Jahad Thomas  logged a single-game high for the team this year with seven helpers at Boston College on Dec. 6. and at UConn on Dec. 20. As a whole, the River Hawks are third in the America East with 14.8 assists per game.

EVERYONE CONTRIBUTES
Having such a young team means everyone has to play a role. That was especially evident when the River Hawks' bench provided 59 points in the win at UMBC on Jan. 16. So far this season, the bench has been pivotal, outscoring their opponents, 588-435. In addition, the team has already logged 12 games with at least four double-digit scorers this year, including one game with six double-digit scorers (at Vermont, Jan. 18), marking the first time that had happened since Dec. 1, 2012 vs. Merrimack.

HOARDING THE BOARDS
With some more size in the lineup this year, the River Hawks are focusing on pulling down more rebounds. In the team's win against Cornell on Nov. 29, the squad grabbed a season-high 46 boards, a number they beat just once in 2014-15. UMass Lowell is averaging 33.0 rebounds per game compared to 28.9 rebounds last year. Additionally, the team has already outrebounded its opponent six times in 2015-16, surpassing the total number of times its did so during all of 2014-15.

TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT
UMass Lowell has earned several last-minute wins already this year for a 6-2 record in games decided by six points or less. Since 2014-15, 14 of the squad's most recent 19 wins have been decided by 10 points or less, including 12 by seven points or less. The team has even trailed in the second half in 12 games before battling back to earn the victories.