LOWELL, Mass. - The UMass Lowell men's basketball team (5-2) is back home for the first time in a month when they welcome the Fisher Falcons to Costello Athletic Center on Tuesday, December 5.
A WIN WOULD
A win against Fisher would improve UMass Lowell's record to 6-2, and extend the team's home win streak to 19 games. It would also move the team to 4-0 all-time against the Falcons.
LAST TIME OUT
Senior
Max Brooks tallied a season-high 18 points, as the UMass Lowell men's basketball team was tripped up by the Merrimack Warriors, 74-68, on Dec. 2. Brooks, who shot 9-for-13 from the field, was one of four double-digit scorers for the River Hawks. Senior
Ayinde Hikim finished with 12 points, three assists and three steals. Right behind him, senior
Quinton Mincey added 11 points, while collecting five rebounds. Sophomore
Brayden O'Connor was all over the box score, chipping in with 10 points, six rebounds and four assists. As a team, the River Hawks shot 46.4% (26-56) from the field, while posting 40 points in the paint.
LEADING THE FLOCK
Two River Hawks are averaging double-digits, as
Ayinde Hikim leads the squad with 19.7 points per game. Behind him,
Abdoul Karim Coulibaly adds 12.8 points and a team-best 6.8 rebounds per game. Primarily off the bench, Cam Morris chips in 9.4 points alongside 5.0 rebounds. Picking up from where he left off last year as the top playmaker, Hikim paces his squad with 33 assists, as well, while
Max Brooks totals 15 blocks, so far.
HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
The River Hawks finished the 2022-23 season with a perfect, 17-0 record at home, good for a new program best. With the 1-0 start at home in 2023-24, UMass Lowell is tied for the third longest active home win streak in the nation. The team also boasts a 166-94 record in front of River Hawk Nation since 2003-04.
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 5-2 record, the second-best start in DI program history.
TAKING IT TO THE CUP
After averaging 10.7 points last season,
Ayinde Hikim is boasting 19.7 points per game so far in 2023-24, good for second 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 19 points per game since
Obadiah Noel averaged 21.4 in 2020-21.
INSIDE JOB
The River Hawks' have relied on their scoring from down low early this season, with an average of 42.9 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 48.1% from the field after surpassing 48% shooting in four of seven games so far. Individually, Coulibaly has been hard to make miss, as the senior is boasting a 71.1 field goal percentage in five games.
NOT WASTING TIME
The River Hawks have been quick to attack this season, leading at the half in five of their seven games. The team is 4-1 when holding the advantage going into the locker room 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 finished 4-2 on a DI program-long, six-game road trip. They have not played a game in their own gym for 28 days ahead of Tuesday night.
ON MY BLOCK
Max Brooks logged a season-high four blocks in the win at Georgia Tech on Nov. 14. He is currently 46th in the country with 15 total blocks. As a whole, the River Hawks are 54th 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.
