January 11 at Maine (7 p.m.)
Game Notes | Watch Live | Listen Live | Live Stats | Buy Tickets

Radio:
River Hawk Radio Network: (980AM WCAP)
Talent: Nick Anastos (Play-by-Play), Matt Langone (Analyst)

TV:
ESPN3

Twitter: @RiverHawkFH | @RiverHawkNation Tweet #UnitedInBlue

BANGOR, Mass. - The UMass Lowell men's basketball team, who is currently 7-9 overall in 2016-17, looks to extend its win streak to four in the squad's second straight road game on Wednesday, January 11 at Maine. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT
Redshirt-junior Jahad Thomas surpassed 1,000 career points with a personal-best 28, as UMass Lowell defeated America East foe Binghamton (9-8, 0-2 AE) on Sunday, Jan. 8. Thomas, who became the program's 40th player ever to join the prestigious 1,000 Point Club and the first to do so at the Division I level, knocked down a career-high 12 field goals. He logged his fourth double-double this season with 15 rebounds on the night, as well. Three other River Hawks joined Thomas in double figures, as senior Tyler Livingston posted 17 points, and sophomore Ryan Jones and freshman Cameron Wolter added 13 points each. Jones also handed out a personal-best six assists. As a team, the River Hawks notched a new season high with 49 rebounds in the contest.   Binghamton knotted the score coming out of halftime, but UMass Lowell would take control of the momentum with a 14-3 run to create a lead it would not relinquish.

LEADING THE FLOCK
Through 16 games in 2016-17, Jahad Thomas leads the squad with 17.3 points and 8.9 rebounds per game, 66 assists and 26 steals. Thomas is one of four River Hawks scoring in double figures this season, as Tyler Livingston and junior Matt Harris follow closely with 13.3 and 12.4 points per game, respectively, while Ryan Jones adds 10.9. Livingston is first on the team with 42 three-pointers in 2016-17, while Harris boasts a 94.6 percent clip (53-56) from the line. Sophomore Logan Primerano has logged six blocks to pace the team, as well. As a whole, UMass Lowell is shooting 47.9 percent (440-919) from the floor, 37.1 percent (127-342) from beyond the arc and 78.5 percent (256-326) from the foul line.

SCOUTING MAINE
The Black Bears own a 4-13 record this season and are looking for their first America East win after falling against Vermont, 90-77, on Jan. 5 and at UMBC, 75-64, on Jan. 8. Wes Myers is first on the team with 15.6 points per game, while Andrew Fleming and Ilker Er chip in with 10.6 and 10.1 points, respectively. Fleming also boasts team-best marks with 7.0 rebounds per game and 12 blocks. Ryan Berstein has been the Black Bears' primary playmaker with 52 assists on the year. The Black Bears are shooting 41.1 percent (430-1047) from the floor and 33.3 percent (137-411) from three-point range.

SERIES HISTORY
Wednesday's contest marks the ninth meeting between UMass Lowell and Maine in the sport of men's basketball. The River Hawks own a 6-2 lead in the all-time series, including a 108-95 win in overtime last year on February 11.

A WIN WOULD
A win against Maine would give the River Hawks their second straight win against the Black Bears. It would also mark the first time UMass Lowell has ever started 3-0 in America East play. The win would mark the River Hawks' fourth win in a row, as well.

SWEET SPOT
UMass Lowell has made the most of its opportunities at the line so far this season. The squad tallied 32 made free throws in the win against Wagner on Nov. 14, marking the most in a single game for the program since Jan. 4, 1995 when the River Hawks totaled 43 against Assumption. The team is currently shooting 78.5 percent (256-326) from the charity stripe, good for first in the America East Conference. Individually, Matt Harris, who was perfect through the first five games of the season, is leading the way for the league with 94.6 percent clip (53-56) on free throws.

WHAT IF
If the River Hawks were through their Division I transition and could be officially ranked in statistical categories by the NCAA, they would sit sixth in the nation for free throw percentage (78.5%) behind only Notre Dame, Marquette, Valparaiso, South Dakota St. and Michigan.

JOINING THE CLUB
On Jan. 8, Jahad Thomas became the 40th player in program history to join the prestigious 1,000 Point Club and the first to do so at the Division I level. In that contest, a road win at Binghamton, he scored a career-high 28 points, including the layup that eclipsed the 1,000 point milestone with just 1:47 left on the game clock. Currently boasting 1,003 career points, he ranks fourth among the America East's active career scoring leaders.

HITTING THEIR STRIDE
With the win at Binghamton in the books, the youthful River Hawks have now won three consecutive games and five of their last six, good for their most successful stretch since putting together a six-game win streak in 2014-15 from Nov. 20-Dec. 3.

STEPPING UP
Several River Hawks have stepped up to fill the void left by two-year starter Isaac White, who will miss the remainder of the season. Logan Primerano has helped lead that charge by almost tripling his scoring, improving from just 4.4 points per game through the first 10 games to an average of 10.8 points in the most recent six outings.

ON TARGET
The River Hawks have consistently taken the right shots, having gone at least 50.0 percent from the floor already six times this season. The team is tied for second in the conference right now, shooting 47.9 percent overall. Jahad Thomas, who is second overall in the league and 19th in the nation, owns a team-best 60.8 percent clip (104-171) from the field. UMass Lowell has outshot its opponent in 12 of its 16 games thus far.

HIGH SCORING AFFAIRS
The River Hawks, who posted a season-high 98 points at Cornell, have become accustomed to high-scoring games. After averaging a league-best 76.6 points per game in 2015-16,  the team is averaging 78.9 points per game to sit second in the conference.

HELPING HANDS
One key to the River Hawks' balanced scoring is their ability to share the basketball. This year, the squad is averaging 15.8 assists per game to lead the America East. UMass Lowell is led by Jahad Thomas with a total of 64 helpers so far.

HOARDING THE BOARDS
With more size in the lineup this year, the River Hawks are focusing on pulling down more rebounds. With a season-high 49 boards in the team's win at Binghamton, the squad has already pulled down at least 40 rebounds in four games, exceeding the number of times that it did so all of last season. Jahad Thomas, who leads the league with 8.9 total rebounds and 6.7 defensive rebounds per game, ranks fifth among active career leaders in the America East with a total of 498.

TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT
The River Hawks' thrilling, last-second victories against BU (77-75) and Cornell (98-96) marked the team's smallest margin of victory this year. The team is familiar with close games, though, as 10 of the 16 total decisions so far this season have come down to 10 points or less. Since beginning 2014-15, 19 of the squad's 30 wins have been decided by seven points or less. The team has even trailed in the second half in 19 games during that time frame before battling back to earn the victories.  

EVERYONE CONTRIBUTES
Having such a young team means everyone has to play a role. Ten of the team's games so far have included at least four players in double figures, with five River Hawks boasting over 10 points in five games, including back-to-back outings against Loyola and Cornell.

ROAD WARRIORS
The River Hawks play 17 of their 31 games in 2016-17 away from friendly confines, including five of their first six. The team is still looking for its first true road win of the year, having picked up its lone victory away from home this season in a neutral-site contest vs. Mississippi Valley State. UMass Lowell has accumulated an 90-112 road record since 2003-04.