February 18 at Binghamton (2 p.m.)
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River Hawk Radio Network: (980AM WCAP)
Talent: Nick Anastos (Play-by-Play), Matt Langone (Analyst)
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Talent: Chris Villani (Play-by-Play), Jim Borodawka (Analyst)
Twitter: @RiverHawkMBB | @RiverHawkNation
LOWELL, Mass. - The UMass Lowell men's basketball team welcomes Binghamton to Costello Athletic Center for a Sunday afternoon matchup beginning at 2 p.m.
A WIN WOULD
A win on Sunday would make the River Hawks 2-0 in this season's home-and-home series against Binghamton. It would also improve the squad's overall record to 10-16, marking its fifth consecutive season with double-digit wins.    Â
LAST TIME OUT
Despite pulling within one with less than four minutes to go, UMass Lowell fell, 91-81, against America East foe UAlbany on Feb. 15. Redshirt-senior
Jahad Thomas logged a team-high 22 points to pace five River Hawks in double figures. Junior
Ryan Jones followed with 18 points, while senior
Matt Harris added 16. Redshirt-junior
Josh Gantz and sophomore
Rinardo Perry rounded out the leading scorers with 11 and 10 points, respectively. The River Hawks shot 72 percent from the field in the second half en route to erasing a 15-point deficit and tying the game twice, although the Great Danes would outscore the home team, 14-5, in the final three minutes to secure the decision.
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LEADING THE FLOCK
Through 25 games,
Jahad Thomas is pacing the River Hawks with 20.1 points and 7.9 rebounds. He also boasts team-best marks for assists (93) and steals (37). Senior
Matt Harris (12.5) and junior
Ryan Jones (10.5) round out the team's scorers in double-digits.
Josh Gantz, who is shooting 49.1 (82-167) from the field, is first with 27 blocks. As a team, the River Hawks are shooting 46.1 percent (655-1420) from the field, 33.8 percent (177-524) from long range and 69.6 percent (398-565) from the foul line.
SCOUTING BINGHAMTON
The Bearcats are 10-16 overall in 2017-18 with a 2-10 mark in America East play. Binghamton split its last two outings, first falling against UMBC, 78-68, on Feb. 8 before defeating Stony Brook, 69-57, on Feb. 15. J.C. Show is leading two double-digit scorers for the squad with 14.4 points per game. Thomas Bruce has added 11.4 points per game with a team-best 8.5 rebounds per game. Bruce also leads the team with 58 blocks, while Show is first with 33 steals. Timmy Rose has been the primary playmaker for the squad with 80 assists. As a whole, Binghamton is shooting 45.0 percent (692-1538) from the floor, 35.6 percent (211-592) from three-point range and 64.5 percent (318-493) from the line.
DID YOU KNOW...
The River Hawks are 8-6 this season when
Matt Harris scores 11 points or more, but only 1-10 when he scores 10 points or less.
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
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 third with a 46.1 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 logged double-digit points and rebounds in three consecutive outings from Jan. 27-Feb. 8, marking the second time in his career with three double-doubles in a row.
RAISING THE BAR
Just when you think there is nothing left for
Jahad Thomas to accomplish, he raises his own bar even higher. He surpassed 800 career rebounds at Vermont on Feb. 11, becoming just the sixth UMass Lowell player to ever due so. He is ranked 26th in the nation among active career rebound leaders. Additionally, on Jan. 4 against Vermont and on Jan. 24 against Stony Brook, the redshirt-senior recorded a career-high 30 points.
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 17, including a career-high 19 points at Hartford on Jan. 10 and at Binghamton on Jan. 21. Additionally, 48 of his 58 assists, and 24 of his 28 threes this year have come in the most recent 17 outings. His field goal percentage has also improved from 42 percent (17-41) to 52 percent (65-126).
SWEET (AND SOUR) SPOT
The River Hawks are ranked third in the conference for free throws made (393) and fourth for free throw percentage (69.6) through 25 games. Individually,
Matt Harris is third in the league with an 85.7 percent clip (66-77) 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. Although the team hit a mid-season rough patch, shooting just 61.9 percent at the line in the 10 games between Dec. 23 and Jan. 27, they have made the most of opportunities lately, with a 72.8 percent clip in the last three outings.
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 14.2 assists per game.
HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
In 2017-18, the team has more home games than ever before at the Division I level (16). This season, the River Hawks are boasting a +0.6 scoring margin at home, compared to a -8.3 margin in road games. They are shooting 71.0 percent on free throws on their home court with a 67.4 percent clip away from home. The team has taken care of the ball at home too, with a +2.8 turnover margin compared to a -1.4 margin on the road. Including a 7-7 record this season, the River Hawks have accumulated a 120-71 mark in front of River Hawk Nation since 2003-04.
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 America East in steals per game (7.2).
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 27 so far. He is currently third in the league with an average of 1.1 per game.
UNDER CONTROL
With 13.9 turnovers per game, the River Hawks have been doing their best to take care of the ball this season. The team is third in the league with a +0.96 turnover margin.
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