December 4 at Boston University (7 p.m.)
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December 7 vs. Maine Fort Kent (7 p.m.)
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LOWELL, Mass. - The UMass Lowell men's basketball team, who is 5-5 so far this season, will make the short trip to Boston University for a weeknight matchup on Tuesday, December 4 before returning to the Tsongas Center for a 7 p.m. tilt against Maine Fort Kent on Friday, December 7.Â
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LAST TIME OUT
Redshirt-junior
Christian Lutete logged a career-high 28 points to help lift UMass Lowell to a 94-71 victory against NJIT at the Tsongas Center on Dec. 1. Lutete, who scored 25 of his points in the second half, tied a personal best with four three-pointers in the outing. Freshman
Alex Rivera and sophomore
Obadiah Noel chipped in with 16 and 15 points, respectively, while senior
Ryan Jones turned in just the second double-double of his career with 12 points and a career-high 10 assists. Redshirt-senior
Josh Gantz rounded out the scorers in double figures with 12 points, as well. The River Hawks led for all but 10 seconds in the decisive victory.
LEADING THE FLOCK
Through 10 games in 2018-19,
Obadiah Noel is leading the team with 16.0 points per game, a 74.6 percent clip on free throws and 15 steals.
Christian Lutete and
Alex Rivera follow closely with 14.5 and 14.3 points per game, respectively. Lutete also leads the team on the boards with 8.6 rebounds per game, while Rivera is first with 24 three-pointers.
Josh Gantz boasts a team-best nine blocks, while
Ryan Jones has dished out a team-high 48 assists.
SECOND HALF IS WHERE IT'S AT
The River Hawks have found their strength in the second, as evidenced by
Christian Lutete's DI program-best, 25-point second half on Dec. 1. So far, the team is outscoring their opponents, 446-408, in the second. Additionally, the River Hawks are shooting 53 percent in the second, compared to their opponents, who are shooting just 46 percent.
HELPING HANDS
The River Hawks set a new season high with 23 assists against NJIT on Dec. 1. The squad is currently leading the nation with 176 total assists and is first in the America East with 17.6 assists per game.
Ryan Jones became just second player in the program's Division I history to register 10 assists in a game in that NJIT contest. He is ranked second in the league for assists per game (4.8), as well.
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. With the addition of the NJIT decision, the River Hawks have already matched its total of 90-point outcomes from 2017-18 (3). The team is currently leading the America East with 82.5 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 three times this season and is first in the league with a 48.8 overall field goal percentage. The squad is led by
Alex Rivera, who is ranked first in the America East with a 56.6 percent clip so far this year.
SOPHOMORE STANDOUT
After an impressive 2017-18 season that landed him on the America East All-Rookie Team,
Obadiah Noel has come back even stronger this year, improving from 6.5 points per game last season to a team-high 16.0 points per game in 2018-19.
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 +0.7 in 2018-19.
Christian Lutete is leading the league with 8.6 rebounds per game, as well.
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 and has logged double-digit points in all but one game so far. He also sits second in the league for three-point field goal percentage (47.1).
BENCH PRESS-URE
In 10 games this year, the River Hawks have averaged 25.2 points off the bench. This is up almost 10 points from last season, when the squad averaged just 15.3 bench points per game.
SPREADING THE LOVE
Despite heading into 2018-19 having lost 60.6% of their scoring from a season ago, the River Hawks have boasted at least four different double-digit scorers in eight of their 10 games this season, including a season-high five, 10+ point scorers at UConn and against NJIT.
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 first in the league with four double-doubles in 2018-19.
FIND HIM ON THE FLOOR
Josh Gantz is currently ranked first in the nation with 356:35 total minutes this year. He is also boasting a new career high with 35.7 minutes per game.
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