January 16 vs. UAlbany (7 p.m.)
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LOWELL, Mass. - The UMass Lowell men's basketball team, who is 9-9 overall and 1-2 in America East play so far this year, will host UAlbany in a mid-week matchup at Costello on Wednesday, January 16. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. Â
A WIN WOULD
A win would snap a three game skid in the all-time series with the Great Danes. It would also give the team its second consecutive America East win mark the first time since 2016-17 that the team has started 2-0 in home league games. With a victory, the River Hawks would also improve to 7-1 overall at home for the first time since 2009-10.
LAST TIME OUT
Redshirt-junior
Christian Lutete logged a game-high 26 points with 10 rebounds to help UMass Lowell defeat UMBC, 74-63, for its first America East Conference win of the season. The performance marked Lutete's league-leading sixth double-double of the year, including 21 points in the second half. Freshman
Alex Rivera chipped in with 12 points, while senior
Shawn Jones added season highs of nine points and five assists of his own. The River Hawks held the lead for almost 37 minutes in the contest, including the entire second half.
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LEADING THE FLOCK
Through 18 games in 2018-19,
Christian Lutete is leading the team with 17.4 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. Sophomore
Obadiah Noel, who follows closely with 15.7 points per game, leads the team with a 74.0 clip from the line and 25 steals.
Alex Rivera is first with 38 three-pointers.
Josh Gantz boasts a team-best 14 blocks, while
Ryan Jones has dished out a team-high 66 assists.
SCOUTING UALBANY
The Great Danes own a 5-12 overall record and a 0-2 mark in conference action. The team opened its America East schedule with an 80-51 loss against Vermont on Jan. 5 and a 66-62 setback against Maine on Jan. 12. Ahmad Clark is currently first on the team with 18.6 points per game, 75 assists and 38 steals. Adam Lulka, who adds 9.2 points per game, leads the squad with 7.1 rebounds and six blocks. As a team, UAlbany is shooting 40.6 percent from the field, including 34.5 percent on threes, and 75.0 percent from the line.
FAST TRACKED
At 9-9 so far, this season marks the first time that the River Hawks have been .500 or better through 18 games since 2014-15. It's also the fastest the team has gotten nine wins since that same year.
MOMENT OF REFLECTION
The River Hawks are averaging 81.2 points per game, good for 39th in the nation through 18 games this season. In comparison, at the time last year, the team was averaging 74.6 points per game.
NO SOPHOMORE SLUMP HERE
After an impressive 2017-18 season that landed
Obadiah Noel on the America East All-Rookie Team, he has improved from 6.5 points per game last season to 15.7 points per game in 2018-19. That +9.2 improvement ranks among the most improved players in the nation:
HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
With a 5-0 start at home this year, the River Hawks extended their unbeaten streak in friendly territory to eight games dating back to Feb. 15, 2018. At 6-1 so far this season, the River Hawks have accumulated a 128-72 mark in front of River Hawk Nation since 2003-04.
EARLY BIRD
The River Hawks are 7-2 in 2018-19 when getting to work early and taking a lead into halftime.
SECOND HALF IS WHERE IT'S AT
The River Hawks have found 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, 764-716, in the second. Additionally, the River Hawks are shooting 49 percent in the second, compared to their opponents, who are shooting just 44 percent.
FREE IS FOR ME
The River Hawks put together their best effort from the foul line this season with an 87.5 percent clip (21-24) against UMBC on Jan. 12.
Obadiah Noel, who is pacing the team at the line this season, logged a season-high 10 made at UNH on Jan. 9, marking the second time in his career with double-digits from the line.
HELPING HANDS
The River Hawks set a new Division I program record with 29 assists against Maine Fort Kent on Dec. 7. The squad is currently 16th in the nation with 295 total assists and is first in the America East with 16.4 assists per game.
Ryan Jones became just second player in the program's Division I history to register 10 assists in a game in the NJIT contest on Dec. 1. He is ranked third in the league for assists per game (3.9), as well.
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. The accuracy continued, as the the team then shot 60.3 percent against Loyola on Dec. 21. As a team, UMass Lowell has shot better than 50 percent on field goals six times this season and is first in the league with a 47.8 overall field goal percentage. The squad is led by
Christian Lutete, who is ranked first in the America East with a 54.3 percent clip so far this year.
BENCH PRESS-URE
In 18 games this year, the River Hawks have averaged 22.2 points off the bench. This is up from last season, when the squad averaged just 15.3 bench points per game.
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