December 5 at Wagner (7 p.m.)
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December 9 at Brown (2 p.m.)
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LOWELL, Mass. - The UMass Lowell men's basketball team looks to get back on track this week as they conclude a three-game road swing with games at Wagner and Brown. Â
A WIN WOULD
A win on Tuesday would snap a two-game skid for the River Hawks. It would also mark Head Coach
Pat Duquette's 50th career win. It give UMass Lowell a slight, 2-1 edge in the all-time series against Wagner. A victory would give the team its first road victory since Jan. 8, 2017, as well.
ROAD WARRIORS
The River Hawks play 13 games away from friendly confines in 2017-18. With just two wins on the road last year, UMass Lowell has accumulated a 90-120 road record since 2003-04.
LAST TIME OUT
Junior
Ryan Jones registered a team-high 17 points for UMass Lowell in a 78-65 loss at NJIT on Dec. 3 in Newark. R. Jones matched a season high with eight field goals in the contest. Sophomore
Rinardo Perry and freshman
Obadiah Noel added to the offense with 13 points apiece, while redshirt-sophomore
Connor Bennett led the team with nine rebounds. The River Hawks forced five tied scored in the first half and even led, 25-23, with three minutes to go in the period, but the Highlanders answered with a 19-7 run that stretched into the second half to pull away for good.
LEADING THE FLOCK
Through eight games,
Jahad Thomas is pacing the River Hawks with 20.2 points and 10.8 rebounds.
Matt Harris (14.8),
Ryan Jones (12.5) and
Rinardo Perry (10.9) round out the team's scorers in double-digits. Perry is shooting at a 48.5 percent clip (32-66) from the field. Junior
Shawn Jones has dished out 26 assists, while S. Jones, Harris and Thomas are all tied for the team lead with 10 steals apiece. Redshirt-junior
Josh Gantz is leading the squad with nine blocks, as well. As a team, the River Hawks are shooting 45.0 percent (220-489) from the field, 36.2 percent (59-163) from long range and 73.3 percent (148-202) from the foul line.
SCOUTING WAGNER
The Seahawks, who are currently 5-1 on the young season, are in the midst of a four-game win streak. Last week, the squad defeated Hartford, 72-50, on Nov. 26 and Fairfield, 78-76, on Dec. 1. Blake Francis and JoJo Cooper are the lone Seahawks averaging in double figures with 19.7 and 12.0 points per game, respectively. Cooper is also first on the team with 30 assists and 14 steals so far. Elijah Davis boasts a team-best average for rebounding with 6.7 boards per game, while A.J. Sumbry has 12 blocks. As a team, Wagner is shooting 40.9 percent (134-328) from the field and 35.8 percent (44-123) from long range, with a 74.0 percent clip (131-177) from the foul line.
A DIFFERENCE ON DEFENSE
UMass Lowell has made defense its top priority in 2017-18 and the difference is apparent. The team set a new program Division I record with 56 rebounds, in addition to tying the record for blocks with eight against UMass Boston on Nov. 12. Against Cornell on Nov. 19, the team forced a season-high 22 turnovers. The River Hawks are currently ranked first in the America East and 48th in the nation with 16.5 turnovers forced per game. They are also third in the league for defensive rebounds (26.8) and fifth in rebounding margin (+2.8).
OFFENSIVE STATE OF MIND
The River Hawks continue to boast a powerful offense, as they are third in the conference right now with an average of 80.9 points per game and a +6.6 scoring margin.
GOING STREAKING
The team's five-game win streak from Nov. 12-26 was the program's longest since 2014-15 (6 games). The streak also gave the team its best home court start since 2009-10 (6-0). Other active streaks for the team include having registered a three-point field goal in the last 106 consecutive games, dating back to Feb. 1, 2014. Individually,
Jahad Thomas has scored at least 10 points in every game he's appeared in since Jan. 22, 2017 for a double-digit active scoring streak of 16 games, which ranks 12th in the country.
HELPING HANDS
One key to the River Hawks' balanced scoring has always been their ability to share the basketball, as witnessed by the team's season-high 19 helpers dished out against Marist. The squad is third in the America East rankings with 14.38 assists per game.
LEADING THE WAY
Jahad Thomas, who was named America East Player of the Week on both Nov. 20 and Nov. 27, ranks among the America East's active career leaders for several categories. He is currently first in the league for career steals (126), second for points (1395) and assists (298), and third for rebounds (690).
HOT SHOT
Matt Harris has been hot from beyond the arc to start 2017-18. With a career-high tying seven three-pointers made against Marist on Nov. 15, he ranked as high as third in the nation this year for total long balls (13 - Nov. 16). He is 50th in the country right now with 24 threes and he second in the America East with 3.0 per game.
SWEET SPOT
The River Hawks are ranked 37th in the nation for free throws made (148). The team is shooting 73.3 percent on free throws through eight games, good for third in the America East. Individually,
Matt Harris paces the team with an 88.2 percent clip (30-34) from the line.
TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT
Five of the River Hawks' seven outings against DI opponents so far have been decided by no more than eight points. Since beginning 2014-15, 21 of the squad's 37 wins have been decided by seven points or less. The team has also trailed in the second half in 22 games during that same time frame before battling back to earn the victories. Â
ALL-INCLUSIVE
So far in 2017-18, the River Hawks' lineup features four players averaging in double figures with a season-high six, 10+ point scorers against Cornell. The team is tied for first in the league with UMBC and Vermont, who also have four players scoring in double-digits.
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