Saturday, February 4 vs. NJIT (1 p.m.)
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LOWELL, Mass. - The UMass Lowell men's basketball team (18-6, 6-4 AE) will finish off the week at home against NJIT (6-15, 3-5 AE) on Saturday, February 4.
A WIN WOULD
A win against the Highlanders would improve UMass Lowell's record to 19-6, continuing the program's best start since 2002-03. It would extend the program record for wins in a season at the DI level to 19, as well. A win would also move the River Hawks to 13-0 at home, extending the program record.
LEADING THE FLOCK
Two River Hawks are averaging double-digits, as
Abdoul Karim Coulibaly boasts 12.5 points, while adding a team-best 8.3 rebounds. Tied with him,
Everette Hammond adds 12.5 points per game on 43% shooting from the field. The primary playmaker this season,
Ayinde Hikim totals 92 assists with 9.7 points.
Max Brooks adds 8.6 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, and paces the team with 45 blocks. Â
LAST TIME OUT
Allin Blunt tallied 13 points as the River Hawks took down UAlbany, 66-50. After a three by
Yuri Covington got the offense started for UMass Lowell, the two teams went back and forth before the River Hawks went on a 16-2 run, ignited by back-to-back triples from Blunt. Although the Great Danes drained two straight threes with just under nine minutes remaining in the first to pull within 10, the River Hawks responded with an and-1 by
Max Brooks and a trey by
Brayden O'Connor. UMass Lowell continued to apply pressure, only allowing three points for the remainder of the half to hold a 39-16 buffer. The Great Danes came out of the break firing, putting together a 12-4 stretch to cut the lead down to 15. However,
Everette Hammond drained his first three of the night, and Brooks followed with a put-back dunk, energizing the River Hawk offense for 12 straight points. Although the Great Danes hit two threes to break up the run, UMass Lowell didn't back down, going on a 6-0 burst that was capped off by an alley-oop from
Ayinde Hikim to O'Connor for a massive slam, making it 60-34 at 5:20. UAlbany ended the game on a 16-6 run, including scoring the final 10 points of the game, but the lead proved to be too significant to overcome.
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 15-3 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 12-28 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 11-0 in games where they sink at least seven threes.
HISTORY IN THE MAKING
The win against UAlbany on Feb. 1 was the 18th 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 eight votes in the most recent rankings.
HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
The River Hawks are 12-0 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 12-0 record at home so far, UMass Lowell is now 160-94 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 23 of their first 24 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 11 of the 23 games.
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