Saturday, February 11 at Vermont (7 p.m.)
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BURLINGTON, Vt. - The UMass Lowell men's basketball team (20-6, 7-4 AE) continues its three-game road swing at Vermont (14-10, 8-2 AE) on Saturday evening for a big America East showdown.
A WIN WOULD
A win against the Catamounts would improve UMass Lowell's record to 21-6, extending the program record for wins in a season at the DI level. It would move the River Hawks to 8-4 in conference play, matching the record for conference wins at the DI level, as well. Lastly, it would mark the first season sweep against the Catamounts since 2015-16.
LEADING THE FLOCK
Three River Hawks are averaging double-digits, as
Everette Hammond boasts 12.5 points per game on 43% shooting from the field. Tied with him,
Abdoul Karim Coulibaly adds 12.5 points, while averages a team-best 8.0 rebounds. Rounding out the double-digit scorers is
Allin Blunt, who chips in with 10.0 points with 1.7 3FGs per game. The primary playmaker this season,
Ayinde Hikim totals 92 assists with 9.7 points.
Max Brooks adds 8.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, and paces the team with 51 blocks. Â
LAST TIME OUT
Allin Blunt tallied 16 points, as UMass Lowell took down former conference opponent Hartford. The River Hawks quickly built a lead, as Blunt connected on a three and
Max Brooks threw down a dunk. Although the Hawks matched with two baskets of their own,
Yuri Covington drained a three that sparked a 15-2 stretch for UMass Lowell and gave the River Hawks a 24-8 lead with 9:15 remaining in the first. After a triple by Hartford's Michael Dunne cut into the UMass Lowell lead, both teams locked down on defense, not allowing a basket for over three minutes. With 5:47 to play,
Abdoul Karim Coulibaly broke the scoring silence with a jumper that
Cam Morris III followed with a dunk to ignite a 7-3 run for the River Hawks. In the final seconds of the half, Blunt landed a buzzer-beater three to put his team up 34-17 heading into the break. Hartford started the second half aggressively, tallying seven of the first eight points to pull back within 11. However, UMass Lowell fought right back, as
Everette Hammond hit a triple that kick started a 16-4 scoring stretch and gave the visitors a 51-28 lead with 11:15 to play. Hartford continued to battle, but a 5-0 burst gave the River Hawks their largest lead of the night, 56-32, with 8:18 left in the game. The Hawks drained a three on their next possession, but the lead proved to be too large to overcome for the hosts.
STARTING STRONG
The River Hawks held UAlbany to just 16 first-half points on Feb. 1, good for a season low. A strong first half has been important to the team's success this season, as UMass Lowell in 17-3 when leading at the break.
ROAD WOES
The road is shaping up to be an unfriendly place in the America East this conference season, as all nine league schools have combined for an 16-32 record on the road so far.
THE THREE IS KEY
Three-point shooting has proven to be key to the River Hawks' success so far, as the squad is 13-0 in games where they sink at least seven threes.
HISTORY IN THE MAKING
The win against Hartford on Feb. 6 was the 20th victory for the team this season, extending the 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 received 19 votes in the most recent rankings.
HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
The River Hawks are 13-0 at home so far, which is a new program record, besting the 10-0 home start from the 2002-03 season. That record also marks the second-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 13-0 record at home so far, UMass Lowell is now 161-94 in front of River Hawk Nation since 2003-04.
BOUNCE BACK
The team has quickly rebounded after its few losses this season, sitting at 4-1 after a setback. The team has only lost two in a row once this season, and bounced back with the win against UAlbany on Feb. 1.
ROCKING CLUB COSTELLO
For the first time at the Division I level, the River Hawks played in front of a sellout crowd at Costello Athletic Center on Jan. 22 vs. Bryant.
SHARING IS CARING
Coach Duquette has said this is his deepest and most talented team yet. Nine different River Hawks have already led the team in scoring this year, and seven of those have led the team in scoring in at least two games. The River Hawks have also boasted at least eight scorers in 25 of their first 26 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 12 of the 26 games.
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