AMHERST, Mass. - The UMass Lowell men's basketball team (6-2) hits the road again to take on the Massachusetts Minutemen in the annual Kennedy Cup matchup on Saturday, December 9.
A WIN WOULD
A win against Massachusetts would improve UMass Lowell's record to 7-2, good for the second-best start in the program's DI history. It would also give the team it's second win ever against the Minutemen.
LAST TIME OUT
Senior
Ayinde Hikim totaled a game-high 20 points, as UMass Lowell claimed victory over the Fisher Falcons, 117-69. Hikim added eight assists in his fifth, 20-point game of the year. Senior
Max Brooks finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds for his first double-double of the season, while
Yuri Covington added the first of his career with 12 points and a personal-best 12 rebounds. Junior
Cam Morris III also added 12 points, followed by freshman
Anthony Maxwell, who posted a season-best 11 points of his own. Sophomore
Brayden O'Connor rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10 points, as well.
LEADING THE FLOCK
Two River Hawks are averaging double-digits, as
Ayinde Hikim leads the squad with 19.8 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 9.8 points alongside 5.0 rebounds. Picking up from where he left off last year as the primary playmaker, Hikim paces his squad with 41 assists, as well, while
Max Brooks totals 17 blocks, so far.
LIGHTING UP THE SCOREBOARD
In the victory against Fisher, the River Hawks exploded offensively, finishing with 117 points, marking the most points in a single game for UMass Lowell since 1995 when they scored 133 vs. Assumption. In the match, the River Hawks also totaled 47 made field goals, surpassing the 45 field goal mark for the first time since 1977 (50, vs. Nichols).
IN THE RANKINGS
In the first NET rankings release of the year, the River Hawks were ranked 44th in the country. With the ranking, the River Hawks represented their conference well, as they currently are the only America East team in the top-100.
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.
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 6-2 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 19.8 points per game so far in 2023-24, good for second in the America East. He also leads the league with five, 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 46.3 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 50.2% from the field after surpassing 48% shooting in five of eight 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 six of their eight games. The team is 5-1 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 17 total blocks. As a whole, the River Hawks are 26th in the nation in blocks per game.
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