January 31 at Maine (7 p.m.)
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Radio
River Hawk Radio Network: (980AM WCAP)
Talent: Nick Anastos (Play-by-Play), Matt Langone (Analyst)
TV
ESPN3
Talent: Brian Stackpole (Play-by-Play), Nick Pelotte (Analyst)
Twitter: @RiverHawkMBB | @RiverHawkNation
LOWELL, Mass. - The UMass Lowell men's basketball team will wrap up the month of January with a road game at America East opponent Maine on Wednesday evening at 7 p.m.
A WIN WOULD
A win on Wednesday would mark the team's second consecutive win against the Black Bears. It would also improve the squad's overall record to 9-13 and its league record to 3-6 this season. Â
LAST TIME OUT
Redshirt-senior
Jahad Thomas posted a game-high 20 points and 13 rebounds for UMass Lowell in a 77-70 heartbreaker against America East foe Hartford on Jan. 27. The River Hawks led by as many as 26 in the first half before Hartford took its first lead of the contest halfway through the second. Six lead changes and three tied scores followed, including at 70-70 with less than three minutes to go, but the Hawks tallied the final seven points to secure the outcome. In addition to logging his fifth double-double of the season, Thomas matched a season high with eight assists. Senior
Matt Harris totaled 15 points, while junior
Ryan Jones finished with 13 points and six assists.
LEADING THE FLOCK
Through 21 games,
Jahad Thomas is pacing the River Hawks with 19.5 points and 7.7 rebounds. He also boasts team-best marks for assists (74) and steals (30).
Matt Harris (12.6) and
Ryan Jones (10.5) round out the team's scorers in double-digits.
Josh Gantz, who is shooting 48.6 (67-138) from the field, is first with 25 blocks. As a team, the River Hawks are shooting 45.6 percent (545-1196) from the field, 33.7 percent (150-445) from long range and 69.0 percent (334-484) from the foul line.
SCOUTING MAINE
The Black Bears own a 5-18 overall record with a 2-6 mark in America East play in 2017-18. The team went 1-1 last week, first taking a 69-68 decision against New Hampshire on Jan. 24 before facing an 86-74 setback at UMBC on Jan. 27. Aaron Calixte boasts a team-best 16.5 points per game with 67 assists. Andrew Fleming, who adds 8.8 points per game, in leading the squad with 5.2 rebounds per game and 14 blocks. Additionally, Celio Araujo boasts 20 steals. As a team, Maine is shooting 40.4 percent (544-1348) from the field and 69.4 percent (281-405) from the foul line.
DID YOU KNOW...
The River Hawks are 7-5 this season when
Matt Harris scores 11 points or more, but only 1-8 when he scores 10 points or less.
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 75.0 points per game and fifth with a 45.6 field goal percentage.
DOUBLING UP
With 20 points and 13 rebounds against Hartford on Jan. 27,
Jahad Thomas logged his 20th career double-double and his fifth this season.
SOMETHING ABOUT SUNDAYS
Now 21 games into the season, patterns of success have emerged for the team. It turns out, the River Hawks are most successful when playing on Sundays, as the squad is 4-1 so far when closing the weekend with a game. Their toughest day to play has been Saturday (0-5).
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 9.7 in the last 13, 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 13 outings. His field goal percentage has also improved from 42 percent (17-41) to 52 percent (50-97).
SWEET (AND SOUR) SPOT
The River Hawks are ranked third in the conference for free throws made (334) and fifth for free throw percentage (69.0) through 21 games. Individually,
Matt Harris is also third in the league with an 83.3 percent clip (55-66) 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 61.9 percent in the last 10 games.
UNDER CONTROL
With just 13.7 turnovers per game, the River Hawks have been taking care of the ball this season. The team is second in the league with a +1.05 turnover margin.
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 20 helpers dished out against CCSU on Dec. 23 and against Hartford on Jan. 27. The squad is second in the America East rankings with 14.6 assists per game.
STEALING THE SHOW
On Dec. 13,
Rinardo Perry became the first River Hawk to log five steals in a game since
Mark Cornelius did so on Nov. 18, 2015.
Jahad Thomas is third in the league right now with 1.7 steals per game. As a team, the River Hawks, who totaled 11 takeaways in the Nov. 19 win against Cornell, rank third in the league in steals per game (7.0).
BLOCK PARTY
The River Hawks are currently averaging their most blocks per game (3.2) since 2012-13. They are also third in the America East right now, led by
Josh Gantz with 1.2 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
LEADING THE WAY
Jahad Thomas, who was named America East Player of the Week on Nov. 20 and Nov. 27, as well as Jan. 29, ranks among the America East's active career leaders for several categories. He is currently second in the league for career points (1645), assists (351) and steals (146), and third for rebounds (775). Classmate
Matt Harris has also jumped onto the active leaders list, as he now ranks seventh for career points (1101).
