Saturday, December 10 vs. St. Francis Brooklyn (5 p.m.)
Live Stats | Watch Live
LOWELL, Mass. - The UMass Lowell men's basketball team (10-1) returns home following a three-game road trip to take on the St. Francis Brooklyn Terriers in their 2022-23 Tsongas Center debut on Saturday
A WIN WOULD
A win against the Terriers would improve UMass Lowell's record to 11-1, continuing the program's best start since 2002-03. A win would also extend the team's current win streak to nine games, marking the program's longest win streak since the 2008-09 season when the team won 13 in a row. It would also make the River Hawks 6-0 at home for the first time at the DI level.
LEADING THE FLOCK
Two River Hawks are averaging double-digit scoring, as
Everette Hammond leads the way 13.5 points per game, while shooting 45% from three-point territory. Right behind him,
Abdoul Karim Coulibaly is averaging 13.3 points and adds a team-best 9.0 rebounds.
Max Brooks adds 9.3 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, and paces the team with 21 blocks.Â
Ayinde Hikim has been the primary playmaker so far with 49 assists on the year.
LAST TIME OUT
Ayinde Hikim posted a career-high 23 points alongside a game-high seven assists, as the River Hawks took down Massachusetts, 85-80. Right behind Hikim in scoring was
Everette Hammond, who tallied 20. After Massachusetts tallied the first basket of the game, UMass Lowell quickly built a double-digit lead off a 17-2 run that was capped off by back-to-back threes from Covington and
Connor Withers. Both teams continued to trade baskets until the end of the half when the Minutemen hit back-to-back threes, cutting the River Hawk lead down to eight at the half. UMass Lowell found their rhythm quickly to start the final half, going on a 7-0 run to lead by 15. However, Massachusetts slowly cut away at the lead, and with under five minutes remaining went on a 11-2 run to make it a one-point game. With 1:33 remaining, Covington hit his second three-pointer of the game and
Cam Morris III made a layup with under a minute to seal the victory.
GOING STREAKING
By securing the victory against Massachusetts, the River Hawks have now won eight straight, setting a new DI program record. The streak is the third-longest active win streak in the nation right now. The last time the River Hawks held a win streak of this length was during the 2008-09 season when the squad won 13 straight. The River Hawks are also 5-0 at home so far, which is a program best at Division I since posting the same home start in 2018-19.
TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS TRIP
The River Hawks are coming off of a perfect, three-game road trip. The last time the River Hawks won three straight on the road was 2020-21.
PLAYING AT TSONGAS
The River Hawks went 2-2 at the Tsongas Center last year. The team is now 15-27 all time in Tsongas.
TWO-WAY PLAY
The River Hawks are proving to be more balanced than ever before, leading the America East on both ends of the floor in field goal percentage and field goal percentage defense.
RIM PROTECTION
The River Hawks are ranked sixth in the nation for rebounds per game right now.
Abdoul Karim Coulibaly ranks 32nd in the country individually in offensive rebounds per game (3.44).
STEALING THE SHOW
The River Hawks have done a good job disrupting the opposition so far this year, averaging a DI program-best 8.7 steals per game.
Connor Withers and
Ayinde Hikim lead the team with 15 steals each.
SHARING IS CARING
Coach Duquette has said this is his deepest and most talented team yet. The River Hawks have boasted at least eight scorers in each of their first 11 games, including 11 against Emerson. In the contests against Fisher and Emerson, the team totaled six, double-digit scorers for the first time since 2017-18 (at Maine, 1/31/18). At least four River Hawks have scored in double figures in six of the 11 games.
DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS
Defense has been a huge point of emphasis for the program again this year. The team leads the America East in blocks per game and rebounding margin.
SHARP SHOOTERS
The River Hawks, who shot a season-high 63.5% from the field in the win against Emerson, have outshot their opponents in every game this year. The team surpassed 50% shooting in eight out of 11 games so far, as well. The team is averaging 51.4% from the field to rank seventh in the nation.
Â
