Thursday, February 11 at Maine (4 p.m.)
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LOWELL, Mass. - The UMass Lowell men's basketball team, who currently sits at 9-15 overall and 5-6 in America East play, visits Maine for a Thursday afternoon tilt. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor, Miane.    

LAST TIME OUT
Redshirt sophomore Jahad Thomas and freshman Isaac White each set a new career high with 27 and 24 points, respectively, to lead UMass Lowell to a 100-93 victory against Vermont on Feb. 8. Thomas totaled a personal-best 11 field goals, in addition to a team-high nine rebounds. Senior Mark Cornelius chipped in with 15 points, while freshman Logan Primerano and sophomore Matt Harris finished with 11 and 10 points, respectively. The game a back-and-forth, evenly matched pace of play with 13 lead changes. Buckets from Cornelius and Primerano gave the River Hawks the upper hand for good at 74-70 with less than seven minutes to go.
 
LEADING THE FLOCK
Through 24 games in 2015-16, Jahad Thomas leads the squad with 13.4 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game, in addition to 28 steals on the year. Isaac White follows with 11.3 points per game and a team-best 43.9 shooting percentage (58-132) from beyond the arc, while sophomore Matt Harris averages 9.9 points. Junior Tyler Livingston chips in with 8.4 points, and freshman Keith Hayes II is first on the team from the foul line, shooting 84.4 percent (38-45). As a whole, UMass Lowell is shooting 46.7 percent (655-1404) from the floor, 36.8 percent (200-54) from beyond the arc and 67.6 percent (300-444) on free throws.

SCOUTING MAINE
Maine owns an 8-14 overall record, including a 4-7 mark in America East action, as the squad looks to snap a three game skid. The team dropped a pair of decisions last week, falling at home to UMBC, 83-79, on Feb. 6 and facing an 88-75 setback on the road at New Hampshire on Feb. 8. Sophomore Kevin Little and freshman Issac Vann are leading the squad with 14.7 and 14.0 points per game, respectively. Freshman Devine Eke is first on the team in boards (6.7) and blocks per game (1.7), while adding 10.5 points per game of his own. As a team, Maine is tallying 76.8 points per game and shooting 44.0 percent (279-634) from the field. The young team is also pulling in 35.0 rebounds per game.

SERIES HISTORY
Thursday's contest marks the eighth meeting between UMass Lowell and Maine in the sport of men's basketball. The River Hawks own a 5-2 advantage in the all-time series, although the Black Bears earned a 95-81 win when the teams met earlier this year on Jan. 13.

ACHIEVEMENTS UNLOCKED
Tyler Livingston reached the 500 point milestone and Jahad Thomas logged his 300th career rebound at Hartford on Feb. 3. 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 Livingston achieved 200 rebounds. Previously this year, Jahad Thomas surpassed 500 points against Maine on Jan. 13, while Mark Cornelius attained 300 career points at SBU, as well.

PUT IT ON THE BOARD
In the River Hawks most recent victory against Vermont, the squad recorded 100 points against a Division I opponent for the first time ever.

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 (8.3) and third for 3FG percentage (36.8). On Feb. 6, Isaac White became the first River Hawk to knock down six three-pointers in a game since 2012 (Matt Welch vs Philadelphia). Through 24 games, White paces the team with 58 three-pointers.

ON-TARGET
The River Hawks are shooting well from the floor this year, boasting a league-best 10 games shooting at least 50.0 percent. The team currently owns a 46.7 field goal percentage that puts them third in the league.

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 75.4 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 14.6 assists per game.

TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT
UMass Lowell has earned several last-minute wins already this year for a 7-2 record in games decided by six points or less. Since 2014-15, 16 of the squad's most recent 21 wins have been decided by 10 points or less, including 14 by seven points or less. The team has even trailed in the second half in 14 games before battling back to earn the victories.  

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, 702-536. In addition, the team has already logged 14 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 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 32.8 rebounds per game compared to 28.9 rebounds last year. Additionally, the team has already outrebounded its opponent eight times in 2015-16, surpassing the total number of times its did so during all of 2014-15.