Wednesday, February 22 at UMBC (6 p.m.)
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BALTIMORE, Md. - The UMass Lowell men's basketball team (22-7, 9-5 AE) hits the road for the final time in the 2022-23 regular season when it treks to UMBC (17-12, 7-6 AE) on Wednesday.
A WIN WOULD
A win against the Retrievers would improve UMass Lowell's record to 23-7, extending the program record for wins in a season at the DI level. It would also move the River Hawks to 10-5 in conference play, a new record for league wins at the DI level, as well.
LEADING THE FLOCK
Four River Hawks are averaging double-digits, as
Everette Hammond boasts 13.6 points per game on 45% shooting from the field. Right behind him,
Abdoul Karim Coulibaly adds 11.8 points, in addition to a team-best 7.8 rebounds per game. The primary playmaker this season,
Ayinde Hikim totals 106 assists with 10.8 points. Rounding out the double-digit scorers is
Allin Blunt, who chips in with 10.4 points with 1.6 3FGs per game.
Max Brooks adds 8.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, and paces the team with 53 blocks. Â
LAST TIME OUT
Allin Blunt posted a season-high 21 points, as UMass Lowell took down Binghamton, 84-70. Although Binghamton tallied seven of the first nine points, the River Hawks quickly evened the score with five straight points from Hikim. The two teams continued to battle, but the River Hawks were able to create some breathing room with a 10-0 run that was capped off by
Connor Withers finding an open Blunt who was cutting under the hoop, to make it 36-25 with 4:47 on the clock. The Bearcats continued to fight, responding with three straight treys to quickly close the gap to just a bucket again. However, the River Hawks were able to close out the half with a layup from Brooks and free throws from Blunt to head into the locker room up, 40-34. After a back-and-forth battle to open the second half, the River Hawks used an 8-2 spurt, highlighted by a one-handed jam from Brooks, to stretch the margin back to double-digits, 55-43, with 13:01 left to play. Binghamton was able to work their way back within six, but
Brayden O'Connor connected on a three and threw down a fast-break dunk to extend the lead to 66-55 at 7:16. Binghamton then scored five in row to pull back within eight with less than two minutes remaining, but UMass Lowell was able close it out with the help of another Brooks slam inside of the final two minutes.
SEEING CLEARLY
Ayinde Hikim has a knack for finding the open man. With 106 assists so far, he becomes the first River Hawk to surpass 100 helpers in a season since Jahad Thomas dished out 107 in 2017-18. He totaled 11 assists against Sacred Heart on Nov. 16 to set a new Division I program record after
Ryan Jones first logged 10 in 2018 vs. NJIT.
HEATING UP
Everette Hammond recorded a season-high 29 points at Vermont on Feb. 11 and 25 points at Bryant on Feb. 15, marking the first back-to-back, 20-point games for a River Hawk this year.
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 19-3 when leading at the break.
THE THREE IS KEY
Three-point shooting has proven to be key to the River Hawks' success so far, as the squad is 13-1 in games where they sink at least seven threes.
HISTORY IN THE MAKING
The win against Binghamton on Feb. 18 was the 22nd 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 20 votes in the most recent rankings.
HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
The River Hawks are 14-0 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 fourth-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 14-0 record at home so far, UMass Lowell is now 162-94 in front of River Hawk Nation since 2003-04.
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 28 of their 29 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 13 of the 29 games.
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