January 25 at New Hampshire (7 p.m.)
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LOWELL, Mass. - The UMass Lowell men's basketball team, who is currently 8-13 overall and 3-4 in America East action in 2016-17, will look to snap a three-game skid when it visits America East foe New Hampshire on Wednesday evening.  

LAST TIME OUT
The UMass Lowell men's basketball team was led by three, 20-point scorers in a 102-86 setback against America East opponent UMBC (13-5, 4-2 AE) on Sunday afternoon. The River Hawks led by as many as 14 in the outing, but the game proved to be a tale of two halves, as the Retrievers took control in the second for the come-from-behind decision. Redshirt-junior Jahad Thomas paced the River Hawks with 22 points and 11 rebounds for his eighth double-double of the year. Sophomore Ryan Jones added a career-high 21 points, while junior Matt Harris contributed a season-best 20 points. Senior Tyler Livingston rounded out the scorers in double figures with 10 points on the day.

LEADING THE FLOCK
Through 21 games in 2016-17, Jahad Thomas leads the squad with 17.1 points and 9.6 rebounds per game, 96 assists and 30 steals. Thomas is one of four River Hawks scoring in double figures this season, as Tyler Livingston follows closely with 13.9 points per game, and sophomore Ryan Jones and Matt Harris chip in with 11.8 and 11.6, respectively. Livingston is first on the team with 56 three-pointers and eight blocks in 2016-17, while Harris boasts a 93.8 percent clip (60-64) from the line. Sophomore Logan Primerano, who adds 6.9 points per game, totals seven blocks on the year, as well. As a whole, UMass Lowell is shooting 47.5 percent (578-1216) from the floor, 37.4 percent (164-438) from beyond the arc and 77.3 percent (313-405) from the foul line.

SCOUTING NEW HAMPSHIRE
The Wildcats own a 13-7 overall record this season, including a 4-2 mark in America East games. The squad has gone 4-1 in their last five games, including a 74-63 victory at Maine on Jan. 19 and an 81-56 win at Hartford on Jan. 22. Tanner Leissner and Jaleen Smith are pacing the team in scoring, averaging 15.6 and 15.5 points per game, respectively. Smith has also dished out a team-high 86 assists so far. Iba Camara boasts a team-best mark with 8.2 rebounds per game and adds 12 blocks, as well. The Wildcats are shooting 44.3 percent (485-1094) from the floor and 36.7 percent (171-466) from three-point range.

SERIES HISTORY
Wednesday's contest marks the eighth meeting between UMass Lowell and New Hampshire in the sport of men's basketball. The Wildcats own a 6-1 edge in the all-time series, including an 80-69 win last year on Feb. 17.

A WIN WOULD
A win against New Hampshire would mark the River Hawks first victory against the Wildcats since 2014, as UNH has earned the last four decisions. It would also snap a three-game skid for the River Hawks.   

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 (313-405) 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 93.8 percent clip (60-64) 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 12th nationally for free throw percentage (77.3%). Additionally, Matt Harris would sit tied for third in the country for his 93.8 free throw percentage.

UNDER CONTROL
The River Hawks have improved from averaging 17.8 turnovers per game during non-conference play to 13.6 turnovers in league action.

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 1,087 career points, he ranks fourth among the America East's active career scoring leaders.

DOUBLING UP & TRIPLING DOWN
Jahad Thomas totals a personal-best eight double-doubles this year. And not only did he 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 77.8 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 seven times this season. The team is fourth in the conference right now, shooting 47.5 percent overall. Jahad Thomas, who is first overall in the league and 23rd in the nation, owns a team-best 59.8 percent clip (140-234) from the field. UMass Lowell has outshot its opponent in 13 of its 21 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 96 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 558.

EVERYONE CONTRIBUTES
Having such a young team means everyone has to play a role. In 13 of the team's games so far, at least four players have scored 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 90-114 road record 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 37.4 percent (164-438) 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 56 makes, logged a career-high seven threes on Nov. 26 against LIU Brooklyn.