January 27 vs. Hartford (5 p.m.)
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LOWELL, Mass. - The UMass Lowell men's basketball team will begin the back side of its conference slate when Hartford comes to Tsongas for a 5 p.m. matchup on Saturday. The game will be promoting the America East Conference's Spread Respect initiative, as the league is proud to stand with its coaches, student-athletes and fans to spread respect by ensuring equality and safety for all without regard to race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity.
A WIN WOULD
A win on Saturday would mark the team's third consecutive America East win. It would make the regular-season series against Hartford tied at 1-1, as the River Hawks have won at least one game a season against the Hawks since 2014-15. Â
LAST TIME OUT
In a game that featured an impressive, 22 lead changes, UMass Lowell came from behind in the final minutes of regulation to force overtime and eventually defeat Stony Brook (8-13, 3-4 AE), 82-79, in a Wednesday night thriller. Senior
Matt Harris drained a clutch three with less than 30 seconds left in the second half to force the 12th stalemate of the night, 71-71, and send the game into overtime. The Seawolves led early in the extra period, but seven consecutive River Hawk points, including another important triple from Harris, helped the home team take the lead for good. In the final minute, a three-point play from redshirt-senior
Jahad Thomas and a pivotal rebound by junior
Ryan Jones sealed the decision. Thomas matched a career best with a game-high 30 points. Harris added 15 points with four three-pointers, while Jones and freshman
Obadiah Noel rounded out the double-digit scorers with 14 and 13 points, respectively.
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LEADING THE FLOCK
Through 20 games,
Jahad Thomas is pacing the River Hawks with 19.5 points and 7.4 rebounds. He also boasts team-best marks for assists (66) and steals (30).
Matt Harris (12.5) and
Ryan Jones (10.4) round out the team's scorers in double-digits.
Josh Gantz, who is shooting 47.8 (64-134) from the field, is first with 24 blocks. As a team, the River Hawks are shooting 45.6 percent (518-1135) from the field, 34.3 percent (142-414) from long range and 69.2 percent (326-471) from the foul line.
SCOUTING HARTFORD
The Hawks, who are currently 11-10 overall and 4-3 in America East action, head into Saturday's contest having split their two most recent outings. Hartford defeated Maine, 86-68, on the road on Jan. 18 before falling, 76-53, against Vermont on Jan. 21. John Carroll boasts a team-best 16.0 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. Additionally, Jason Dunne (14.1) and J.R. Lynch (12.5) are both averaging in double figures, while Lynch paces the squad with 92 assists and 25 steals, as well. Hassan Attia has already swatted away 41 shots to lead the Hawks in blocks. As a team, Hartford is shooting 46.2 percent (552-1195) from the field and 68.0 percent (227-334) from the foul line.
DID YOU KNOW...
The River Hawks are 7-4 this season when
Matt Harris scores 11 points or more, but only 1-8 when he scores 10 points or less.
HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
In 2017-18, the team has more home games than ever before at the Division I level (16). This season, the River Hawks are boasting a +2.2 scoring margin at home, compared to a -11.2 margin in road games. They are shooting 72.2 percent on free throws on their home court with a 63.3 percent clip away from home. The team has taken care of the ball at home too, with a +3.5 turnover margin compared to a -1.6 margin on the road. Including a 7-5 record this season, the River Hawks have accumulated a 120-69 mark in front of River Hawk Nation since 2003-04. Â
PLAYING AT TSONGAS
UMass Lowell posted its most points scored in a game played at the Tsongas Center in a 98-78 win against Cornell on Nov. 19. The squad now owns a 5-15 all-time record in Tsongas (1-3 in 2017-18) after it's most recent 74-62 setback against New Hampshire on Jan. 15. Last season, the River Hawks finished 1-4 in games played at the arena with a 77-75 win against BU on Dec. 21. In 2015-16, the team earned their first ever Division I victory in the building on Nov. 18 with a 87-84 victory against Sacred Heart.
DOWN THE STRETCH
Despite trailing by six with less than three minutes remaining in regulation, the River Hawks fought back to defeat Stony Brook in overtime on Jan. 24 for their first win ever against the Seawolves at the Division I level. The team is now 5-3 when playing in overtime at the Division I level.
GAINS FOR GANTZ
Josh Gantz has come on strong as of late. After averaging 5.5 points per game through the first eight games of the year, he has averaged 10.0 in the last 12, including a career-high 19 points at Hartford on Jan. 10 and at Binghamton on Jan. 21. Additionally, 40 of his 50 assists, and 15 of his 19 threes this year have come in the most recent 12 outings. His field goal percentage has also improved from 42 percent (17-41) to 51 percent (47-93).
SWEET (AND SOUR) SPOT
The River Hawks are ranked third in the conference for free throws made (326) and fifth for free throw percentage (69.2)Â through 20 games. Individually,
Matt Harris is also third in the league with an 83.1 percent clip (54-65) from the line, while Harris (vs. BU, 12.13) and
Obadiah Noel (at Wagner, 12.5) have each drained a season-high 11 free throws in a single game. While the team started the year shooting 73.9 percent from the line through 11 games, they have hit a rough patch as of late, shooting just 62.0 percent in the last nine games.
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 75.2 points per game and fifth with a 45.6 field goal percentage.
UNDER CONTROL
With just 13.5 turnovers per game, the River Hawks have been taking care of the ball this season. The team is second in the league with a +1.45 turnover margin.
BLOCK PARTY
The River Hawks are currently averaging their most blocks per game (3.3) since 2012-13. They are also third in the America East right now, led by
Josh Gantz with 1.2 per game.
RAISING THE BAR
Just when you think there is nothing left for
Jahad Thomas to accomplish, he raises his own bar even higher. On Jan. 4 against Vermont and on Jan. 24 against Stony Brook, the redshirt-senior recorded a career-high 30 points, while also tallying a season-best 11 field goals.
A DIFFERENCE ON DEFENSE
UMass Lowell has made defense its top priority in 2017-18 and the difference is clear. 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 second in the America East and 73rd in the nation with 14.95 turnovers forced per game.
TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT
Since beginning 2014-15, 23 of the squad's 40 wins have been decided by seven points or less. The team has also trailed in the second half in 24 games during that same time frame before battling back to earn the victories. Â
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