Tournament Central
LOWELL, Mass. - The UMass Lowell men's basketball team is hosting its first ever regular-season tournament at the Division I level this weekend from November 15-17. The River Hawks will play their first game on Friday, Nov. 15 against Jacksonville at 7 p.m.
TOURNAMENT DETAILS
The River Hawk Invitational will feature four teams and a total of six games. UMass Lowell, Dartmouth, Jacksonville and Merrimack will each play one game a day, squaring off against all of the other teams over the course of the weekend in round-robin style. Following the completion of the event, an All-Tournament Team will be selected, featuring five players, including a Most Valuable Player. The complete schedule and other tournament details are available at the Tournament Central page
HERE.
A WIN WOULD
A win on Friday would mark the team's seventh consecutive non-conference win at home, a streak that dates back to 12/13/2017. A win against Jacksonville would give the River Hawks the first win in the all-time series against the Dolphins and improve the team's record against ASUN opponents to 4-6. With wins against Merrimack and Dartmouth, the squad can also secure its first Division I wins in those series.
LAST TIME OUT
Graduate student
Christian Lutete tallied a game-high 19 points, as UMass Lowell won its sixth consecutive home opener with an 88-45 victory against UMass Boston. As a team, the River Hawks shot a season-high 51 percent for the game with 11 different scorers. Junior
Obadiah Noel added 14 points, while sophomore
Joey Glynn rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10 points. Sophomore
Darius Henderson, registered career highs with nine points and nine rebounds, as well.
LEADING THE FLOCK
Through four games,
Christian Lutete is leading the team with 24.0 points and 8.5 rebounds per game.
Obadiah Noel follows with 17.0 points and
Connor Withers adds 7.8 rebounds. Withers also boasts a team-best six blocks, while
Josh Gantz is first on the squad with eight steals.
A HISTORIC PERFORMANCE Â
With his 51-point performance at LIU on Nov. 8, Lutete surpassed the legendary Hank Brown's previous school record of 48 that had stood for 53 years (LTI vs. Lowell State, 2/3/66). He also became just the second America East Conference player ever to tally 50 or more points in a single contest and the first to do so in 25 years. Additionally, Lutete set a new career high and DI program record with 16 field goals, while matching a personal-best seven threes. He shot an impressive 64 percent (16-25) from the field in the performance that landed as No. 2 on SportsCenter's "Friday's Finest."
STEALING THE SHOW
For the first time since Feb. 11, 2018, the River Hawks recorded double-digit steals with 11 against UMass Boston on Nov. 12. The team is currently leading its conference with 7.8 steals per game.
HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
This season, UMass Lowell has a record 17 home games. The squad also boasts a six-game unbeaten streak in non-conference games at home that dates back to 2016-17. Additionally, with its sixth consecutive win in a home opener this season, the team is now 131-76 in front of River Hawk Nation since 2003-04.
ON THE BOARDS
After turning in their best rebounding average (34.8) and rebounding margin (-0.3) at the Division I level last season, the River Hawks have started 2019-20 stronger than ever, averaging 42.8 rebounds and a +4.3 rebounding margin. Leading the team on the glass,
Christian Lutete and
Obadiah Noel have each logged one 13-rebound game, which was a new career high for Noel at LIU. Â
NATIONAL NEWS
The River Hawks are ranked fourth in the nation for total rebounds right now with 171 and fifth for total assists with 62. Individually,
Christian Lutete is ranked second for total points (96).
HELPING HANDS
The River Hawks dished out a season-high 26 assists against UMass Boston on Nov. 12.
Connor Withers and
Josh Gantz have stood out early as playmakers with nine assists apiece. The squad has historically shared the ball well, ranking in the top 30 nationally with a new DI program-best 15.6 assists per game last year.
SHARING IS CARING
A total of 11 different River Hawks scored in the win against UMass Boston, tying the program's Division I record for point scorers in a single game.
CLOSING IN ON A MILESTONE
Three different River Hawks are all closing in on the prestigous 1,000 Point Club.
Christian Lutete is the closest, needing just 92 points to reach the milestone.
DOUBLING UP
For the first time at the Division I level, the River Hawks recorded three striaght games where three different players contributed a double-double. With 17 points and 13 rebounds at UMass (11.5),
Christian Lutete recorded a double-double in the season opener for the second straight year, after becoming the first River Hawk to tally one in their debut. He now has 11 career double-doubles during his time at UMass Lowell.
Obadiah Noel added his first career double-double (21 pts, 13 rebs) at LIU (11.8) before
Connor Withers recorded his first with 10 points and 11 rebounds at Ohio State (11.10).
