March 6 at No. 1 UMBC (ESPN+ - 2 p.m.)
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BALTIMORE, Md. - The No. 6 UMass Lowell men's basketball team will be appearing in its first ever America East Playoffs semifinal matchup at No. 1 UMBC on Saturday. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m.
MAKING HISTORY
With wins against No. 7 Stony Brook and No. 3 New Hampshire, the River Hawks earned their first ever postseason wins at the Division I level last weekend.
POSTSEASON HISTORY
This marks the River Hawks' fourth season eligible for the postseason at the Division I level. The program is now 47-38 all time in post-season games. UMass Lowell has met UMBC once previously in the America East Playoffs, traveling to Baltimore for a quarterfinal matchup in 2018 during the team's first year of DI post-season eligibility. Although the River Hawks led by 11 at halftime of that contest, the Retrievers came back to earn the 89-77 outcome.
A WIN WOULD
A win on Saturday would earn the River Hawks their first America East Championship appearance. It would also mark the team's second straight win at UMBC, after taking an 86-73 OT decision there last season.
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
Led by a game-high 28 points from
Obadiah Noel, No. 6 UMass Lowell was able to stave off late pressure and upset No. 3 New Hampshire, 72-64, to earn its first ever Hercules Tires America East Playoffs quarterfinal victory on Feb. 28. Although the River Hawks led by as many as 21 halfway through the second, the Wildcats would not go quietly, as the home team put together a 19-4 run that made it a one-possession game, 65-62, with just over a minute to go. Noel hit a clutch layup, but UNH was quickly back within a bucket before
Kalil Thomas knocked down a crucial three from the corner to seal the decision.
CALL IT A COMEBACK
The River Hawks put together an impressive comeback to defeat Stony Brook in the first round of the AE Playoffs on Feb. 27. The team erased a 16-point, second-half deficit en route to the decision. That performance marks the program's largest second-half comeback at the Division I level.
DEFENSE WINS GAMES
The River Hawk defense set new season records by registering nine steals on Feb. 27 and holding the Seawolves to just 19 points in the second half in that contest.
LEADING THE FLOCK
Obadiah Noel is pacing the America East and is ranked fifth in the country with 21.8 points per game.
Connor Withers is controlling the boards with 5.9 rebounds per game, in addition to chipping in with 10.6 points per game and a team-best 22 blocks.
Bryce Daley is first on the team with 3.7 assists per game, as well.
OVER OR UNDER
Attaining 70 points has seemed to be the bar for the River Hawks this year, as the team is 9-1 so far when scoring at least 70 points and 1-10 when scoring less than 70.
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 12.6 points in his last 10 outings, compared to 2.4 points in his first 10 this year.
CHARITABLE EFFORTS
So far this year, no player in the America East has been sent to the foul line (144) or made more free throws (106) than
Obadiah Noel. He currently ranks 23rd 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 45.8 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 63.2%.
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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