Monday, February 9 vs. Vermont (7 p.m.)
Game Notes | Watch Live | Listen Live | Live Stats | Buy Tickets
Follow on Twitter: @RiverHawkMBB @RiverHawkNation Tweet #UnitedInBlue
 
Radio:
River Hawk Radio Network (900, 1250, 1590 AM)
Talent: Nick Anastos (Play-by-Play), Jim Borodawka (Analyst)

LOWELL, Mass. - The UMass Lowell men's basketball team, who is currently 8-15 overall and 4-6 in America East play, hosts Vermont on Monday evening at Costello Athletic Center. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m.    

LAST TIME OUT
Freshman Isaac White tied a personal best with 20 points to pace UMass Lowell in a 91-73 loss against Stony Brook on Saturday afternoon, Feb. 6. White set new career highs with seven field goals and six three-pointers on the day. Senior Mark Cornelius and sophomore Matt Harris joined White in double figures with 11 points apiece. Redshirt sophomore Jahad Thomas recorded a team-high seven rebounds, while redshirt freshman Josh Gantz matched a season best with four assists in the outing, as well. The Seawolves put the game out of reach with a 16-4 run early in the second half.
 
LEADING THE FLOCK
Through 23 games in 2015-16, Jahad Thomas leads the squad with 12.8 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game, in addition to 24 steals on the year. Isaac White follows with 10.8 points per game, while sophomore Matt Harris, who boasts a team-best 43.0 shooting percentage (40-93) from beyond the arc, averages 9.9 points. Junior Tyler Livingston chips in with 8.8 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 46.1 percent (618-1340) from the floor, 36.6 percent (193-527) from beyond the arc and 66.6 percent (281-422) on free throws.

SCOUTING VERMONT
Vermont owns a 14-11 overall record, including a 6-4 mark in America East games, after splitting a pair of decisions last week. The Catamounts defeated Maine at home, 85-68, on Feb. 3 before falling on the road, 75-71, to UAlbany on Feb. 6. Sophomore Trae Bell-Haynes and senior Ethan O'Day lead the squad with 12.0 and 11.8 points per game, respectively. Bell-Haynes has also dished out a team-best 82 helpers and forced a team-high 32 steals. O'Day is first with 50 total blocks and 6.2 boards per game, as well. As a unit, the Catamounts are averaging 72.1 points by shooting 46.6 percent (643-1380) from the field, as is pulling down 35.3 boards per game.

SERIES HISTORY
Monday's contest marks the sixth meeting ever between UMass Lowell and Vermont in the sport of men's basketball. The Catamounts lead the all-time series, 4-1, but the River Hawks earned a 93-82 victory when the squads met earlier this year on Jan. 18.

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.

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 (36.4). 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 23 games, White paces the team with 47 three-pointers.

ON-TARGET
The River Hawks are shooting well from the floor this year, boasting a league-best nine games shooting at least 50.0 percent. The team currently owns a 46.1 field goal percentage that puts them third in the league.

HOME SWEET HOME
Although the River Hawks have only 12 home games this year, the squad has a history of performing well in friendly confines. The team opened the year going 4-1 in Lowell, marking the program's best home record to start a season during the Division I era. With the 4-5 home record this year, UMass Lowell has accumulated a 103-58 mark in front of River Hawk Nation 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 74.3 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 14.5 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, 679-506. In addition, the team has already logged 13 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 33.3 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.