February 11 at Vermont (2 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: Alastair Ingram (Play-by-Play), Bernie Cieplicki (Analyst)
Twitter: @RiverHawkMBB | @RiverHawkNation
LOWELL, Mass. - The UMass Lowell men's basketball team wraps up a three-game road swing at Vermont on Sunday afternoon.
A WIN WOULD
A win on Sunday would improve the squad's overall record to 10-14, marking its fifth consecutive season with double-digit wins.    Â
LAST TIME OUT
Redshirt-senior
Jahad Thomas logged his third consecutive double-double with a game-high 28 points and 11 rebounds in an 81-68 loss for UMass Lowell at Stony Brook on Feb. 8. Thomas' performance marks the second time in his career that he has posted three double-doubles in a row. Nine of his 11 rebounds were offensive boards, and he handed out four helpers, as well. Redshirt-junior
Josh Gantz added to the offensive effort with 12 points and three steals.
LEADING THE FLOCK
Through 23 games,
Jahad Thomas is pacing the River Hawks with 19.9 points and 8.2 rebounds. He also boasts team-best marks for assists (84) and steals (32). Senior
Matt Harris (12.5) and junior
Ryan Jones (10.4) round out the team's scorers in double-digits.
Josh Gantz, who is shooting 48.7 (75-154) from the field, is first with 25 blocks. As a team, the River Hawks are shooting 45.8 percent (600-1309) from the field, 33.7 percent (162-481) from long range and 69.7 percent (368-528) from the foul line.
SCOUTING VERMONT
 The Catamounts, who are currently 20-5 on the season, head into Sunday's contest on a 13-game win streak. Earlier this week on Feb. 8, Vermont picked up a 72-67 road win at UAlbany after defeating UMBC, 81-53, on Feb. 3. Trae Bell-Haynes and Payton Henson have led the offense this season with 14.7 and 12.2 points per game, respectively. Henson is averaging 5.6 rebounds per game, as well, while Bell-Haynes has been the primary playmaker with 98 assists and 29 steals. As a team, Vermont is shooting 49.2 percent (647-1314) from the field, 40.7 percent (198-486) from long range and 73.8 percent (386-523) from the foul line.
DID YOU KNOW...
The River Hawks are 8-5 this season when
Matt Harris scores 11 points or more, but only 1-9 when he scores 10 points or less.
OFFENSIVE STATE OF MIND
The River Hawks continue to boast a powerful offense, as they are first in the conference right now with an average of 75.2 points per game and fourth with a 46.0 field goal percentage.
DOUBLING UP
With 20 points and 13 rebounds against Hartford on Jan. 27,
Jahad Thomas logged his 20th career double-double. He has logged double-digit points and rebounds in the last three consecutive outings, marking the second time in his career with three double-doubles in a row.
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).
A SUCCESSFUL TRANSITION
Now in their first year of full DI eligibility, the River Hawks look back on a successful four-year transition period. Of the most recent 15 men's basketball programs to make the move to Division I, the squad finished second in APR (967). Additionally, UMass Lowell ranked fifth out of the most recent 25 transitioning schools in wins (40) during its four-year reclassification. Â
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 9.9 in the last 15, including a career-high 19 points at Hartford on Jan. 10 and at Binghamton on Jan. 21. Additionally, 44 of his 54 assists, and 19 of his 23 threes this year have come in the most recent 14 outings. His field goal percentage has also improved from 42 percent (17-41) to 51 percent (58-113).
SWEET (AND SOUR) SPOT
The River Hawks are ranked third in the conference for free throws made (368) and fourth for free throw percentage (69.7) through 23 games. Individually,
Matt Harris is third in the league with an 84.9 percent clip (62-73) 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 64.7 percent in the last 12 games.
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 14.3 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 fourth in the league right now with 1.6 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).
SOPHOMORE STRIDES
Rinardo Perry has made great strides in his game during his second campaign with the River Hawks. The guard, who shot 35 percent from the floor for 4.3 points per game as a rookie, is now averaging 9.1 points with a 44 percent clip from the floor. With a total of 13 three-pointers all of last season, the sophomore already has 21 in 2017-18.
BLOCK PARTY
Josh Gantz has registered his most career blocks this season with 25 so far. He is currently third in the league with an average of 1.1 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.
A BUMPY ROAD
The River Hawks, who play 13 games away from friendly confines in 2017-18, have struggled on the road as of late with a 2-8 mark on the road this season. As a program, UMass Lowell has accumulated a 92-126 road record since 2003-04.
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 (1692), assists (361) and steals (148), and third for rebounds (799). Classmate
Matt Harris has also jumped onto the active leaders list, as he now ranks seventh for career points (1123).
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