November 27 at Connecticut (7 p.m.)
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December 1 vs. NJIT (2 p.m.)
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LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell men's basketball team (4-4) will play its last of nine games in the month of November on Tuesday, Nov. 27 at Connecticut before hosting NJIT in its first Tsongas game of the new season on Saturday, December 1 at 2 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT
Despite outscoring the home team in the second half, UMass Lowell was handed an 83-71 loss at Duquesne on Nov. 25. The River Hawks, who trailed by as many as 18 in the outing, closed the gap back to just eight inside of the last three minutes, but were unable to come any closer. Freshman
Alex Rivera posted a team-high 19 points, including a personal-best five three-point field goals. Sophomore
Obadiah Noel followed closely with 18 points, while redshirt-senior
Josh Gantz rounded out the double-digit scorers with 14 points. Redshirt-junior
Christian Lutete paced his squad with nine rebounds and five assists, as well.
LEADING THE FLOCK
Through eight games in 2018-19,
Obadiah Noel is leading the team with 15.6 points per game and an 75.9 percent clip on free throws.
Alex Rivera follows closely with 14.6 points per game and a team-high 18 three-pointers.
Christian Lutete is first on the team with 9.0 rebounds per game.
Josh Gantz boasts a team-best 13 steals and eight blocks, while
Ryan Jones has dished out a team-high 35 assists.
SECOND HALF IS WHERE IT'S AT
The River Hawks have found their strength in the second half during the 2018-19 season. So far, the team is outscoring their opponents, 348-310, in the second. Additionally, the River Hawks are shooting 51.5 percent in the second, compared to their opponents, who are shooting just 43.1 percent.
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. The team is currently leading the America East with 82 points per game.
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 twice this season and is first in the league with a 47.7 overall field goal percentage. The squad is led by
Alex Rivera, who is ranked first in the America East with a 57.4 percent clip so far this year.
MAKING A NAME FOR HIMSELF
Alex Rivera is already turning in an impressive rookie campaign. He is just the second newcomer in the program's DI era to reach 100 points in just seven games.
ON THE GLASS
With more size in the lineup this year, the River Hawks have stepped up their rebounding, as evidenced by their season-high 56 boards against UMass Boston on Nov. 23. After a -4.1 rebounding margin last year, the team now owns a mark of +0.5 in 2018-19.
Christian Lutete is leading the league with 9.0 rebounds per game, as well.
HELPING HANDS
The River Hawks set a new season high with 22 assists against Army on Nov. 17. The squad is currently ranked third in the nation with 137 total assists and first in the America East with 17.1 assists per game. Individually,
Ryan Jones is ranked second in the league for assists per game (4.4).
BENCH PRESS-URE
In eight games this year, the River Hawks have averaged 25.4 points off the bench. This is up over 10 points from last season, when the squad averaged just 15.3 bench points per game.
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 has added three more since to rank tied for eighth in the nation with four double-doubles in 2018-19.
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 six of their eight games this season.
FIND HIM ON THE FLOOR
Josh Gantz is currently ranked third in the nation with 284:02 total minutes this year. He is also boasting a new career high with 35.6 minutes per game.
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