January 22 at UAlbany (7 p.m.)
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January 25 at Vermont (7 p.m.)
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LOWELL, Mass. - The UMass Lowell men's basketball team, who is 8-11 overall and 2-2 in league games, will return to the road following the bye weekend for a mid-week matchup at UAlbany on Wednesday, January 22 at 7 p.m. before heading to Vermont for a 7 p.m. tipoff on Saturday, Jan. 25.
A WIN WOULD
A win on Wednesday would give the River Hawks their third straight win against the Great Danes after sweeping the season series last year. It would also improve the team's road record in conference play this year to 2-1.
LAST TIME OUT
In a game that saw 16 lead changes and 16 tied scores, UMass Lowell came up just short, dropping a 104-98 overtime battle at America East foe Maine on Jan. 15. Trailing by three with under a minute to play in regulation, junior
Obadiah Noel finished an and-1 to knot the game at 86-86 and force overtime. Graduate student
Christian Lutete and freshman
Ron Mitchell put the visitors on top by a basket in the extra period, but Sergio El Darwich gave the Black Bears the lead for good and would tally six more points at the line in the final minute and a half to help secure the outcome. Lutete registered 29 points in the outing for his sixth consecutive 20-point performance. Noel added 26 points, including a season-high, four three-point field goals. Freshman
Connor Withers and graduate student
Josh Gantz chipped in with 13 and 12 points, respectively, while Mitchell rounded out the double-digit scorers with 11.
LEADING THE FLOCK
Through 19 games,
Christian Lutete is leading the team with 20.9 points and 7.6 rebounds per game.
Obadiah Noel follows with 17.6 points and a team-best 29 steals.
Ron Mitchell adds 8.8 points off the bench and
Jordyn Owens paces the River Hawks with 66 assists.
Connor Withers boasts a team-best 23 blocks, as well.
SCOUTING UALBANY
The Great Danes, who have won four of their last five games, own a 10-9 overall record and a 3-1 mark in league games so far. Last week, the team fell, 70-62, at Stony Brook on Jan. 18 after defeating New Hampshire, 76-73, on Jan. 15. Ahmad Clark leads the team with 16.4 points per game, in addition to totaling 68 assists and 23 steals. Malachi de Sousa is first on the team with 5.6 rebounds per game, while Trey Hutcheson chips in with a team-best 14 blocks. As a unit, UAlbany is shooting 42.3 percent from the field, including 33.4 percent from long range.
CLOSING IN ON A MILESTONE
Two more River Hawks are closing in on the prestigious 1,000 Point Club, including
Obadiah Noel, who needs 48 more points.
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 78 percent clip during conference play.
SEEING 20/20
Christian Lutete has been locked in offensively and is in the midst of a six-game streak of 20+ points. He needs just one-more 20-point performance to match the program's longest streak at the Division I level.
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 17.6 points and 4.3 rebounds per game this season, compared to 14.6 points and 3.5 rebounds last season. Additionally, he is currently shooting 55 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). With a 1-2 record in overtime this season, the team is 8-6 in the extra period during the Division I era.
SHARP SHOOTERS
The River Hawks, who are first in the league shooting 45.8 percent from the floor, have shot better than 45 percent on field goals nine times this season, including a 59.3 percent clip against St. Francis Brooklyn. Five players are shooting over 50 percent individually, including
Christian Lutete and
Connor Withers, who are shooting over 60 percent from the floor.
HELPING HANDS
Jordyn Owens dished out a career-high nine assists at Maine (1.15) to set a new single-game best for the team this season. Owens paces the squad with 66 assists in 2019-20. As a team, the River Hawks are currently ranked first in the America East with 15.37 assists per game.
BACK AND FORTH WE GO
The team is used to back-and-forth battles this season with eight games featuring nine or more lead changes, including a season-high 19 lead changes in the win against CCSU on Dec. 1.
A THREAT ON THREES
The River Hawks drained a season-best 12 threes at Maine on Jan. 15. The team is currently second in the America East from three-point range (34.7%).
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 five of the team's losses so far have been by six points or less. Three of those games were decided on the final possession.
NATIONAL NEWS
The River Hawks are ranked 36th in the nation for total assists (292). Individually,
Christian Lutete is ranked 13th for total points (397).
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