February 27 vs. Stony Brook (ESPN+ - 1 p.m.)
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DURHAM, N.H. - The No. 6 UMass Lowell men's basketball team is set for a first round America East Playoffs matchup against No. 7 Stony Brook on Saturday, February 27 at 1 p.m. hosted by New Hampshire.
A TOURNAMENT FIRST
For the first time at the Division I level, the River Hawks will be the higher seed in their first round matchup. This will be the first time the team has squared off against Stony Brook in the playoffs.
POSTSEASON HISTORY
This marks the River Hawks' fourth season eligible for the postseason at the Division I level. The program is 45-38 all time in post-season games.
A WIN WOULD
A win on Saturday would mark the River Hawks' first post-season win at the Division I level. It would also snap a seven-game skid in the series against the Seawolves.
ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS
Obadiah Noel was named to the America East All-Conference First Team, while
Max Brooks and
Anthony Blunt each earned a spot on the All-Rookie Team.
LAST TIME OUT
In a game that saw seven lead changes and was decided inside of the last seconds, UMass Lowell was narrowly edged by New Hampshire, 69-67, on Senior Day. The Wildcats led by six with less than a minute left in regulation, but some late game heroics, including deep threes from
Allin Blunt and
Kalil Thomas put the River Hawks within one with five seconds on the clock. However, UNH's Nick Johnson hit a free throw and the visitors were able to fend off a final UMass Lowell possession to secure the result. The River Hawks had three players in double figures in the contest, led by
Connor Withers with 16 points.
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LEADING THE FLOCK
Obadiah Noel, the squad's lone senior, is pacing the America East with 21.2 points per game. He adds a team-best 3.5 assists per game.
Connor Withers is controlling the boards with 6.0 rebounds per game, in addition to chipping in with 10.6 points per game and a team-best 21 blocks.
OVER OR UNDER
Attaining 70 points has seemed to be the bar for the River Hawks this year, as the team is 8-1 so far when scoring at least 70 points and 0-10 when scoring less than 70.
ETCHING HIS NAME IN THE RECORDS
Obadiah Noel continues to add to his record-setting career, as he became just the second River Hawk to surpass 1,500 career points at the Division I level with his 26-point performance on Jan. 16 at Binghamton. He now sits behind only
Jahad Thomas (1,864).
TURNING UP
Kalil Thomas has come on strong as of late. After scoring a then personal-best 13 points against Hartford on Jan. 10, he bested that mark with 16 points at Binghamton on Jan. 16 and 19 points at UAlbany on Feb. 13. Thomas is now averaging 13.3 points in his last eight outings, compared to 2.4 points in his first 10 this year.
ROOKIE SZN
Max Brooks, who scored 12 points (5-for-6) off the bench against San Francisco in his collegiate debut, has continued to impress. The newcomer logged a personal-best 10 rebounds and four blocks at UAlbany on Feb. 13.
CHARITABLE EFFORTS
So far this year, no player in the America East has been sent to the foul line (122) or made more free throws (93) than
Obadiah Noel. He currently ranks 34th in the nation for free throws made. The guard set a new personal best, going 15-for-16 from the charity stripe at Stony Brook on Dec. 28. With that performance, he logged the most free throws in a single game for the program since
Logan Primerano made 16 in 2015-2016.
SHARP SHOOTERS
The River Hawks, who led the America East in shooting percentage for the last two years, are shooting 45.5 percent from the field this year. The team shot a season-high 63.6% in the win at UAlbany on Feb. 12.
Salif Boudie is currently pacing the squad with a field goal percentage of 64.3%.
HELPING HANDS
Both
Obadiah Noel and
Bryce Daley are currently ranked in the top five in the America East for assists per game. Daley, who is leading the league, logged a personal-best nine helpers at UAlbany on Feb. 12.
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