December 11 vs. Sacred Heart (7 p.m.)
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LOWELL, Mass. - For the first time in a month, the UMass Lowell men's basketball team will head out on the road to take on NJIT on Wednesday, December 11 before a 10-day break for finals.   Â
A WIN WOULD
A win on Wednesday would be the second consecutive victory for the River Hawks against the Highlanders. It would also improve the team's record to .500 overall (6-6) and make the squad 2-2 on the road so far this year.
LAST TIME OUT
Led by graduate student
Christian Lutete with 25 points, UMass Lowell used a strong second half to pull away for a decisive, 94-63 victory against St. Francis Brooklyn on Dec. 7. As a team, the River Hawks shot 59 percent (32-54) from the floor in the contest, including an impressive 60.7 percent in the second half. Lutete added a game-high nine rebounds in the team's last of eight-straight home games. Freshman
Ron Mitchell and junior
Jordyn Owens each set new personal bests for points with 19 and 18, respectively, while junior
Obadiah Noel chipped in with 14 points. A 17-2 River Hawk run in the second half proved to be the difference in the decision.
LEADING THE FLOCK
Through 11 games,
Christian Lutete is leading the team with 20.3 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.
Obadiah Noel follows with 15.5 points and
Josh Gantz adds 8.9.
Jordyn Owens paces the squad with 32 assists, while Withers boasts a team-best 13 blocks. Noel and Gantz are first on the squad with 14 steals apiece, as well.
SCOUTING NJIT
The Highlanders, who are 2-7 so far this year, are currently in the midst of a five-game skid. Most recently, the team fell at Army West Point, 75-65, on Dec. 4 and at UCF, 78-65, on Dec. 7. Zach Cooks paces the team with 23.6 points per game and 14 total steals. Souleymane Diakite, who leads NJIT on the boards with 7.8 rebounds per game, adds a team-best 12 blocks. Shyquan Gibbs is first with 22 assists. As a unit, NJIT is shooting 40 percent from the field and 31 percent from long range.
BEST ON THE BLOCK
Connor Withers matched a Division I program record with four blocks against St. Francis Brooklyn on Dec. 7. He leads the team with 13 blocks already this year.
ROOM TO BREATHE
With the majority of the team's decisions coming down to the wire this year, Coach Duquette appreciated the break from the stress with the 94-63 win against St. Francis Brooklyn on Dec. 7, joking in the post-game press conference that "it was nice to not have to coach in a last possession game." The 31-point decision goes down as the team's second largest margin of victory against a Division I opponent, following 32-point wins against Maine (2017) and UAlbany (2019).
JOIN THE CLUB
With a bucket at 17:07 in the second half against Sacred Heart on Dec. 4,
Christian Lutete became the 43rd member of UMass Lowell's prestigious 1,000 Career Point Club. He also became the program's sixth team member to surpass 1,000 career points at the Division I level. A transfer from Radford, Lutete needs 204 more points to tally 1,000 points as a River Hawk.
CLOSING IN ON A MILESTONE
Two more River Hawks are also closing in on the prestigious 1,000 Point Club, including
Josh Gantz, who need 136 more points.
BACK AND FORTH WE GO
The River Hawks fought through a season-high 19 lead changes to defeat CCSU on Dec. 1. The team is used to back-and-forth battles this season with five games so far featuring nine or more lead changes.
COMEBACK KIDS
The young UMass Lowell squad has shown its resiliency this season, battling back to erase double-digit deficits four times. The largest margin the team overcame was 19 points against Dartmouth on Nov. 17. The River Hawks have also won two of those four contests, most recently defeating Brown after trailing by 12 on Nov. 26.
TOUGH TO BEAT
Even when the games haven't fallen their way this season, the River Hawks have proven they are a tough opponent to face, as four of the team's losses so far have been by five points or less. Three of those four games were decided on the final possession.
SHARP SHOOTERS
The River Hawks, who are shooting a league-best 45.7 percent from the floor, have shot better than 45 percent on field goals five times this season, including a 59.3 percent clip against St. Francis Brooklyn.
CRASHING THE BOARDS
The River Hawks have started 2019-20 stronger than ever on the boards and are currently third in the America East with 38.5 rebounds per game, in addition to a +2.7 rebounding margin, as well.
HELPING HANDS
Jordyn Owens dished out a personal-best seven assists against both CCSU (12.1) and Sacred Heart (12.4), setting a new single-game high for the team this season. Owens paces the team with 32 assists in 2019-20. As a team, the River Hawks are currently ranked first in the America East with a 1.15 assist/turnover margin.
ROAD WARRIORS
The River Hawks recorded their most wins away from home during the Division I era last season (7). At 1-2 so far this year, the program has now accumulated a 101-143 road record since 2003-04. Â
NATIONAL NEWS
The River Hawks are ranked 17th in the nation for total rebounds (424) and 11th for total assists (170). Individually,
Christian Lutete is ranked 11th for total field goals (77) and seventh for total points (223).
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