November 23 vs. UMass Boston (2 p.m.)
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November 25 at Duquesne (1 p.m.)
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LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell men's basketball team, who is 3-3 on the young season, will host UMass Boston on Friday, November 23 at 2 p.m. before heading back out on the road to visit Duquesne for a 1 p.m. tilt on Sunday, Nov. 25.
LAST TIME OUT
Senior
Ryan Jones and freshman
Alex Rivera logged season highs of 23 and 20 points, respectively, to overcome 12 lead changes and propel UMass Lowell to an exciting, 94-90 victory against Sacred Heart on Nov. 18 during the final day of the Brown Bears Tip-Off Classic. With the decision, the River Hawks finished the weekend tournament with a 2-1 record. Jones went 5-for-7 from beyond the arc, while adding six assists. Redshirt-junior
Christian Lutete and sophomore
Obadiah Noel added to the offense with 19 and 11 points, respectively, as well. The game was tied for the 10th and final time at 82-82 with less than four minutes to go in regulation before Rivera and Noel scored big baskets on consecutive possessions to give the River Hawks the lead for good.
LEADING THE FLOCK
Through six games in 2018-19,
Christian Lutete is leading the team with 15.8 points and 8.7 rebounds per game.
Alex Rivera follows closely with 15.0 points per game thanks to a team-best 60 percent clip from the field.
Josh Gantz boasts a team-best 10 steals and five blocks, while
Ryan Jones has dished out a team-high 32 assists.
ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED
Ryan Jones hit a three just over 13 minutes into the contest against Sacred Heart to join the school's prestigious 1,000 Point Club on Nov. 18. Finishing that contest with a season-high 23 points points, he became the 42nd member of the club all-time and just the third at the Division I level.
SHARP SHOOTERS
In the win against Army on Nov. 17, the River Hawks shot over 60 percent (61.2%) from the floor for the first time since Jan. 5, 2017. As a team, UMass Lowell has shot better than 50 percent on field goals in it last two consecutive outings for the first time this year. The squad is led by
Alex Rivera, who is ranked first in the America East with a 60 percent clip so far this year.
HIGH SCORING AFFAIRS
The River Hawks' wins against Army and Sacred Heart marked the team's first back-to-back, 90+ point wins since 2015-16, when the squad put together three-straight victories with more than 90 points from Feb. 8-14, 2016.
BENCH PRESS-URE
In the six games of 2018-19, the River Hawks have averaged 23.7 points off the bench. This is up over eight points from last season, when the squad averaged just 15.3 bench points per game.
HELPING HANDS
The River Hawks set a new season high with 22 assists against Army on Nov. 17. The squad is currently ranked fifth in the nation with 105 total assists and first in the America East with 17.5 assists per game. Individually,
Ryan Jones is ranked 15th in the nation for total assists (32) and first in the league for assists per game (5.3).
HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
With the overtime win against Wagner on Nov. 10, the River Hawks have now won their last five straight home openers. Overall, including the 1-0 start this season, the River Hawks have accumulated a 123-71 mark in front of River Hawk Nation since 2003-04.
SPREADING THE LOVE
Despite heading into 2018-19 having lost 60.6% of their scoring from a season ago, the River Hawks have boasted four different double-digit scorers in all six of their games this season.
DOUBLING UP
With 17 points and 11 rebounds,
Christian Lutete became the first River Hawk to tally a double-double in their debut at the Division I level. He then added two more against Wagner and Sacred Heart to rank tied for seventh in the nation with three double-doubles in 2018-19.
FIND HIM ON THE FLOOR
Josh Gantz is currently ranked first in the America East with 35.8 minutes per game and 11th in the nation with 214:25 total minutes so far this year. This is a new career high for the veteran leader, who averaged 30.2 minutes last season.
ON THE GLASS
With more size in the lineup this year the River Hawks have stepped up their rebounding. After a -4.1 rebounding margin last year, the team owns a mark of +0.0 in 2018-19.
Christian Lutete is leading the league with 7.2 defensive rebounds per game, as well.
TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT
UMass Lowell overcame a 10-point, second-half deficit against Wagner to win overtime. Since beginning 2014-15, 27 of the squad's 46 wins have been decided by seven points or less. The team has also trailed in the second half in 28 games during that same time frame before battling back to earn the victories. Â
SATURDAYS ARE FOR THE BOYS
The Wagner win marked UMass Lowell's first Saturday victory in over a year, since February 4, 2017, snapping an eight-game skid. Including the win against Army, the team is now 2-0 on Saturdays this season.
