Sunday, January 22 vs. Bryant (1 p.m.)
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LOWELL, Mass. - The UMass Lowell men's basketball team (16-4, 4-2 AE) will host Bryant (13-6, 4-2 AE) on Sunday in their first meeting since 2008 and inaugural matchup as conference opponents.
A WIN WOULD
A win against the Bulldogs would improve UMass Lowell's record to 17-4, continuing the program's best start since 2002-03. It would keep the team undefeated at home this year, moving to 11-0, and extend the program record for wins in a season at the DI level to 17, as well. A win would also move the River Hawks to 5-2 in conference play, setting another Division I program record.
LEADING THE FLOCK
Three River Hawks are averaging double-digits, as
Everette Hammond leads the way with 12.6 points per game on 43% shooting from the field. Right behind him,
Abdoul Karim Coulibaly averages 12.5 points, while adding a team-best 8.2 rebounds. The primary playmaker this season,
Ayinde Hikim totals 80 assists with 10.1 points.
Max Brooks adds 8.9 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, and paces the team with 39 blocks. Â
LAST TIME OUT
Abdoul Karim Coulibaly recorded a career-high 24 points alongside 11 rebounds, as UMass Lowell took down UMBC, 81-75. The first four minutes of the game featured four lead changes, but a layup from Coulibaly and a three from
Allin Blunt sparked an 11-3 run that gave the hosts a 19-14 edge midway through the first. Both teams continued to go back-and-forth, but a dunk by Yaw Obeng-Mensah gave the Retrievers a 42-40 advantage heading into the break.
Max Brooks took over for the River Hawk offense in the second half, throwing down back-to-back dunks early on to ignite a 14-2 run for that was capped off by consecutive threes from Blunt, giving their squad a 62-50 lead with under 13 minutes remaining. Althought a 10-0 run by UMBC pulled the visitors within four in the final minutes,
Connor Withers and
Everette Hammond combined to go 4-for-4 at the free throw line, fending off the late game surge from the Retrievers.
HISTORY IN THE MAKING
The win against UMBC on Jan. 18 was the 16th victory for the team this season, setting a new Division I program record for total wins in a season.
CRACKING THE RANKINGS
The River Hawks were ranked in the Mid-Major Top 25 for the first time ever during the week of Dec. 12 when they moved into the No. 25 spot. Up as high as No. 17 during the week of Jan. 2, the team checked in at No. 25 in the most recent release.
HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
The River Hawks are 10-0 at home so far, which is good for another program best at Division I and is the program's best home start since going 10-0 during the 2002-03 season. That record also marks the third best perfect home record in the nation, as well. Additionally, the team earned its ninth consecutive win in a home opener in 2022-23. With the 10-0 record at home so far, UMass Lowell is now 158-94 in front of River Hawk Nation since 2003-04.
ALL ABOUT THE BIGS
Abdoul Karim Coulibaly and
Max Brooks combined to go 22-for-28 from the field with 44 points against UMBC on Jan. 18. Coulibaly set a new career high with 24 points, while Brooks boasted a season-best 20 points.
HELPING HANDS
The River Hawks logged a season-high 23 assists in the win against UMBC on Jan. 18. The team is currently second in the league with 15.0 assists per game. Individually, with his 11 assists against Sacred Heart on Nov. 16,
Ayinde Hikim set a new Division I program record after
Ryan Jones first logged 10 in 2018 vs. NJIT.
FROM DOWNTOWN
The River Hawks turned in their best performance from long range this season to earn just their second win in the last 13 meetings against the Catmounts on Jan. 11. The team, which sunk 13 threes on 59.1% shooting against Vermont, now leads the league with a 38.4% clip from beyond the arc in 2022-23, including at least eight threes in eight of their 19 contests. While
Ayinde Hikim went a perfect, 4-for-4 from three-point territory against Vermont,
Yuri Covington has drained a team-best 31 threes this year.
SHARING IS CARING
Coach Duquette has said this is his deepest and most talented team yet. Eight different River Hawks have already led the team in scoring this year, and six of those have led the team in scoring in at least two games. The River Hawks have also boasted at least eight scorers in 19 of their first 20 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 10 of the 20 games.
CALM UNDER PRESSURE
The River Hawks have trailed in the second half in just five of their wins so far this year, each time putting their resiliency and maturity on display. Most notably, the team trailed by 10 at NJIT on Dec. 31 with less than four minutes to play before mounting a last-minute comeback.
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 17 of their 20 games this season. The team surpassed 50% shooting in 10 out of 20 games so far, as well. The team is averaging 49.0% from the field to rank 15th in the nation.
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