January 22 vs. UMBC (12 p.m.)
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Radio:
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Talent: Nick Anastos (Play-by-Play), Matt Langone (Analyst)

TV:
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Talent: DJ Sixsmith (Play-by-Play), Jim Borodawka (Analyst)

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LOWELL, Mass. - The UMass Lowell men's basketball team, who is currently 8-12 overall and 3-3 in America East action in 2016-17, will look to get back in the win column when the squad welcomes UMBC to Costello on Sunday.  

LAST TIME OUT
Sophomore Ryan Jones tied a career-high with eight field goals made to lead the UMass Lowell men's basketball team in an 81-67 loss at Vermont (16-5, 6-0 AE) on Thursday evening. Jones was the lone River Hawk in double-digits, as redshirt-junior Jahad Thomas, junior Matt Harris and freshman Rinardo Perry each added eight points. Perry also tied a season high with five rebounds, while senior Tyler Livingston paced the squad with seven boards. The River Hawks jumped out to an early lead, but the Catamounts erased the difference and knotted the score at 23-23 with 8:11 left in the first half. Vermont then outscored UMass Lowell, 14-4, in the waning minutes of the first to build a lead it would expand upon in the second.

LEADING THE FLOCK
Through 20 games in 2016-17, redshirt-junior Jahad Thomas leads the squad with 16.9 points and 9.6 rebounds per game, 88 assists and 29 steals. Thomas is one of four River Hawks scoring in double figures this season, as Tyler Livingston follows closely with 14.1 points per game, and Ryan Jones and Matt Harris chip in with 11.3 and 11.2, respectively. Livingston is first on the team with 54 three-pointers and eight blocks in 2016-17, while Harris boasts a 93.5 percent clip (58-62) from the line. Sophomore Logan Primerano, who adds 7.3 points per game, totals seven blocks on the year, as well. As a whole, UMass Lowell is shooting 47.3 percent (548-1159) from the floor, 37.2 percent (155-417) from beyond the arc and 77.3 percent (296-383) from the foul line.

SCOUTING UMBC
The Retrievers own a 12-6 overall record this season, including a 3-2 mark in America East games. The squad is in the midst of a two-game skid after falling, 81-72, at Vermont on Jan. 13 and facing a 77-50 setback against UAlbany on Jan. 16. Jairus Lyles is first on the team with 20.2 points per game, while Will Darley and Joe Sherburne add 13.9 points and 13.3, respectively. Lyles also boasts a team-best mark with 6.9 rebounds. K.J. Maura totals 71 assists, to pace the squad, and Nolan Gerrity chips in with 20 blocks so far this year. The Retrievers are shooting 47.4 percent (511-1079) from the floor and 40.4 percent (175-433) from three-point range.

SERIES HISTORY
Sunday's contest marks the seventh meeting between UMass Lowell and UMBC. The Ri ver Hawks lead the all-time series, 6-0, including a 96-92 victory when the teams last squared off on Feb. 14, 2016.

A WIN WOULD
A win against the Retrievers would keep the River Hawks unbeaten in the all-time series against UMBC, improving their record to 7-0. It would also snap the River Hawks' two game skid.  

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 (43 vs. Assumption). The team is currently shooting 77.3 percent (296-383) from the charity stripe, good for first in the conference. Individually, Matt Harris, who was perfect through the first five games of the season, is leading the way for the team with 93.5 percent clip (58-62) on free throws.

WHAT IF
If the River Hawks were through the Division I transition and could be officially ranked in statistical categories by the NCAA, they would be 10th nationally for free throw percentage (77.3%). Additionally, Matt Harris would sit third in the country for his 93.5 free throw percentage.

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. He then surpassed 500 career rebounds at Maine on Jan. 11 to become just the ninth player in program history to tally over 1,000 points and 500 rebounds. Currently boasting 1,065 career points, he ranks fourth among the America East's active career scoring leaders.

TRIPLING DOWN
Not only did Jahad Thomas log four straight games with double-digit points and rebounds from Jan. 8-16, but he also set a new career high with 10 assists on Jan. 14 en route to his first ever triple-double (19 points, 19 rebounds, 10 assists). The performance goes down as the first triple-double of the modern era for UMass Lowell, and the first on record in program history since Hank Brown did so for Lowell Tech in 1967.

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 77.3 points per game to sit second in the conference.

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 fourth in the conference right now, shooting 47.3 percent overall. Jahad Thomas, who is first overall in the league and 18th in the nation, owns a team-best 59.8 percent clip (131-219) from the field. UMass Lowell has outshot its opponent in 13 of its 20 games thus far.

HELPING HANDS
One key to the River Hawks' balanced scoring is their ability to share the basketball. This year, the squad is averaging 15.7 assists per game to lead the America East. UMass Lowell is led by Jahad Thomas with a total of 88 helpers so far.

HOARDING THE BOARDS
With a Division I-high 53 boards in the team's win against Hartford, the squad logged its most rebounds in a game since 2012 (52 vs. Bentley). The team has already pulled down at least 40 rebounds in five games, exceeding the number of times that it did so all of last season. Jahad Thomas, who leads the league with 9.6 total rebounds and 7.2 defensive rebounds per game, ranks second among active career leaders in the America East with a total of 547.

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 11 of the 17 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 20 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. Twelve 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.

HOME SWEET HOME
With 14 home games in 2016-17, the River Hawks will play their most games in front of a friendly crowd since moving to Division I. Including a 5-3 record so far this year, UMass Lowell has accumulated a 110-61 mark in front of River Hawk Nation since 2003-04.

A THREAT ON THREES
UMass Lowell has been strong from beyond the arc in recent years under Duquette's tutelage. The River Hawks are second in the America East right now, shooting 37.2 percent (155-417) from long range this year, including a season-high 12 makes at Fort Wayne and against UAlbany. Tyler Livingston, who is currently first on the team with 54 makes, logged a career-high seven threes on Nov. 26 against LIU Brooklyn.