NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. - The UMass Lowell men's basketball team (5-1) will wrap up a six-game road trip when they visit the Merrimack Warriors on Saturday, December 2.
A WIN WOULD
A win at Merrimack would improve UMass Lowell's record to 6-1, matching the team's best start in DI program history from the record-breaking, 2022-23 season. It would also give the team it's third straight win against the Warriors.
LAST TIME OUT
Senior
Ayinde Hikim tied his a career-high with 25 points, as the UMass Lowell men's basketball team took down the Stonehill Skyhawks, 80-74, on Wednesday night. Hikim, who joined the 1,000 Career Point Club with his 20th point of the game, also added a game-high seven assists. Senior
Max Brooks chipped in with a season-best 14 points alongside nine rebounds. Senior
Quinton Mincey had a big night off the bench, contributing 12 points and eight rebounds, while senior
Yuri Covington drilled the late go-ahead three on his way to 10 points and eight rebounds. As a team, UMass Lowell shot a perfect, 18-for-18, from the free throw line.
LEADING THE FLOCK
Three River Hawks are averaging double-digits, as
Ayinde Hikim leads the squad with 21.0 points per game. Behind him,
Abdoul Karim Coulibaly adds 12.8 points and a team-best 6.8 rebounds per game, while
Cam Morris III adds 10.3 and 5.5 boards, primarily off the bench. Picking up from where he left off last year as the primary playmaker, Hikim paces his squad with 30 assists, as well, while
Max Brooks totals 14 blocks, so far.
ROAD WARRIORS
The River Hawks know they need to be an excellent road team to finish atop their conference standings. They are headed in the right direction, as they are 4-1 so far during a DI program-long, six-game road trip. They will have not played a game in their own gym for 28 days when the trip ends.
STARTING STRONG
With the 96-51 win against Rivier, the River Hawks opened the season with a victory for the fourth straight year. That decision also marked the team's 10th consecutive win in its home opener. So far, the team has started this season with a 5-1 record, matching the the same start as the 26-win season during the 2022-23 campaign.
TAKING IT TO THE CUP
After averaging 10.7 points last season,
Ayinde Hikim is boasting 21.0 points per game so far in 2023-24, good for first in the America East. He also leads the league with four, 20+ point games this year. He is the first River Hawk to average over 20 points per game since
Obadiah Noel in 2020-21.
INSIDE JOB
The River Hawks' have relied on their scoring from down low early this season, with an average of 43.3 points per game coming from inside the paint.
PERIMETER POWER
Heading into this season, Coach Duquette said one of the most important keys to success for his team this year would be becoming an elite perimeter defense team. So far, so good, as the River Hawks are ranked third in the nation in three-point percentage defense.
SHARP SHOOTERS
As a team, the River Hawks are shooting 48.3% from the field after surpassing 48% shooting in four of six games so far. Individually, Coulibaly has been hard to make miss, as the senior is boasting a 71.1 field goal percentage, good for eighth in the country.
NOT WASTING TIME
The River Hawks have been quick to attack this season, leading at the half in five of their six games. the team is 4-1 when holding the advantage going into the locker room so far.
ON MY BLOCK
Max Brooks logged a season-high four blocks in the win at Georgia Tech on Nov. 14. He is currently 42nd in the country with 14 total blocks. As a whole, the River Hawks are 67th in the nation in blocks per game.
REMEMBER MY NAME
The River Hawks made noise around the college basketball landscape early this season, after coming seconds away from sweeping a pair of Power 5 opponents in a span of three days. The River Hawks first defeated ACC foe Georgia Tech, 74-71, on Nov. 14. Despite trailing by seven with 12 minutes to play, UMass Lowell fought back to lead by as many as 11 down the stretch before a last-second block from Brooks helped seal the program's second ever win against a Power 5 squad. Two days later, the River Hawks led Arizona State for over 38 minutes of action and went up by as many as 12, but a fast-break in the last seconds gave the Pac-12 opponent the 71-69 decision.
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