January 15 at Maine (7 p.m.)
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LOWELL, Mass. - The UMass Lowell men's basketball team, who is 8-10 overall and 2-1 in league games, will open a three-game road swing at Maine on Wednesday, January 15 at 7 p.m.
A WIN WOULD
A win on Wednesday would give the River Hawks their fifth win in the last six meetings against Maine. It would also match the team's best start in America East play (3-1) since joining the league.
LAST TIME OUT
Graduate student
Christian Lutete and junior
Obadiah Noel registered 28 and 25 points, respectively, to lead UMass Lowell to a decisive, 85-66 victory against America East opponent Binghamton on Jan. 11. Lutete shot an impressive, 73 percent (11-15) from field, with five buckets from long range. Noel and junior
Jordyn Owens each added career highs with eight assists. Freshman
Ron Mitchell chipped in with 16 points off the bench, as well. As a team, UMass Lowell shot 56 percent (31-55) from the floor, including 48 percent (10-21) on threes. Although Binghamton led in the first half, the River Hawks put together a 20-4 run late in the period to take the lead for good.
LEADING THE FLOCK
Through 18 games,
Christian Lutete is leading the team with 20.4 points and 7.6 rebounds per game.
Obadiah Noel follows with 17.1 points and a team-best 29 steals.
Ron Mitchell adds 8.7 points off the bench and
Jordyn Owens paces the River Hawks with 57 assists.
Connor Withers boasts a team-best 21 blocks, as well.
SCOUTING MAINE
The Black Bears are looking for their first win in America East hoops play this year with a 4-13 overall record and a 0-3 mark in league games. Last week, the team fell, 57-51, at New Hampshire on Jan. 8 and 76-70 at UAlbany on Jan. 11. Andrew Fleming leads the team with 15.4 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. Sergio El Darwich chips in with 11.4 points per game, in addition to boasting team-best marks for assists (46) and steals (21). As a unit, Maine is shooting 40.0 percent from the field.
EARLY BIRD SPECIAL
The River Hawks have been most successful this year when jumping out to an early advantage. The team is 6-1 so far when taking a lead into halftime.
FREE IS FOR ME
UMass Lowell set a new season high with 25 made free throws at UMBC. In the next game, the team shot 89 percent from the charity stripe against Hartford. After shooting 70 percent from the line during the non-conference schedule, the team is currently boasting an 81 percent clip during conference play.
NEW AND IMPROVED NOEL
Obadiah Noel has taken yet another step in his game after a successful first two seasons. The junior captain, who set a new career high with 27 points at UMBC on Jan. 4, is averaging 17.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game this season, compared to 14.6 points and 3.5 rebounds last season. Additionally, he is currently shooting 46 percent from long range, as opposed to a 32 percent clip from last year.
OVERTIME OFFENSE
The River Hawks went off in overtime to defeat UMBC on Jan. 4, shooting 86 percent from the field, including 67 percent from beyond the arc, in the final five minutes to outscore the Retrievers, 20-7. That goes down as the second most overtime points in program history behind only a 21-point showing at Maine (2/11/16).
SHARP SHOOTERS
The River Hawks, who are second in the league shooting 44.8 percent from the floor, have shot better than 45 percent on field goals eight times this season, including a 59.3 percent clip against St. Francis Brooklyn. Both
Christian Lutete and
Obadiah Noel are shooting over 50 percent from the floor individually, as well.
UNDER CONTROL
Prior to the start of the season, Coach Duquette said that a better assist/turnover ratio was a big goal for the team. So far, the River Hawks have followed through with taking care of the ball and are second in the league in that category (1.13).
HELPING HANDS
Jordyn Owens and
Obadiah Noel each dished out a career-high eight assists against Binghamton (1.11) to set a new single-game high for the team this season. Owens paces the squad with 57 assists in 2019-20. As a team, the River Hawks are currently ranked first in the America East with 15.1 assists per game.
STEALING THE SHOW
After going more than a year without logging double-digit steals, the River Hawks have already done so in four games this season, most recently against Hartford on Jan. 8. The team is currently second in its conference with 7.2 steals per game.
A THREAT ON THREES
The River Hawks shot a season-best 50 percent (9-18) from beyond the arc in the win against Brown. The team is currently third in the America East from three-point range (34.1%).
BACK AND FORTH WE GO
The team is used to back-and-forth battles this season with seven games featuring nine or more lead changes, including a season-high 19 lead changes in the win against CCSU on Dec. 1.
CLOSING IN ON A MILESTONE
Two more River Hawks are closing in on the prestigious 1,000 Point Club, including
Obadiah Noel, who needs 74 more points.
NATIONAL NEWS
The River Hawks are ranked 24th in the nation for total assists (271). Individually,
Christian Lutete is ranked ninth for total points (368).
ROAD WARRIORS
The River Hawks recorded their most wins away from home during the Division I era last season (7). At 3-4 so far this year, the program has now accumulated a 103-145 road record since 2003-04. Â
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