ALBANY, N.Y. - The UMass Lowell men's basketball team (12-4, 3-0 AE) looks to carry its momentum on the road this week with a pair of games against its New York conference mates. The River Hawks first stop at UAlbany (10-7, 2-0 AE) for a 7 p.m. tipoff on Thursday, January 18 before heading out to Binghamton (8-7, 0-2 AE) on Saturday, January 20 for a 2 p.m. clash.
A WIN WOULD
A win against UAlbany would improve UMass Lowell's overall record to 13-4, continuing the second-best start in the program's DI history. It would also move the team to 4-0 to start conference play for the first time ever and mark the second straight win against the Great Danes. A win would also extend the team's current win streak to six games.
LAST TIME OUT
Senior
Max Brooks registered his third double-double of the year with a season-high 24 points and 13 rebounds to propel the UMass Lowell men's basketball team to an 86-82 win against UMBC on Jan. 13 at Costello Athletic Center. Brooks shot 77% (10-13) from the field and was joined in double figures by senior
Quinton Mincey, who chipped in with 17 points, senior
Ayinde Hikim, who tallied 14, and senior
Abdoul Karim Coulibaly, who rounded things out with 12. Hikim also added a season-high nine assists. As a team, the River Hawks shot 49% (33-68) from the floor and controlled the glass with a 39-32 rebound advantage.
LEADING THE FLOCK
Four River Hawks are averaging double-digits, as
Ayinde Hikim leads the squad with 15.5 points per game. Behind him,
Max Brooks adds 11.8 points and a team-best 6.4 rebounds, while
Abdoul Karim Coulibaly chips in 11.6 points alongside 5.6 boards.
Cam Morris III rounds out the double-digit scorers with 11.2 points. Picking up from where he left off last year as the primary playmaker, Hikim paces his squad with 83 assists and 27 steals, while Brooks totals 30 blocks, so far.
GOING STREAKING
The River Hawks are in the midst of a five-game win streak, good for their longest since a six-game span leading into last year's America East Championship game.
SHOWING RESILIENCE
With the America East more competitive than ever, the River Hawks know no game will be an easy one. That fact has already been on display early in the conference season, as the team has had to show its resilience. Despite leading by double-digits in the second half in all three conference games so far, including by as many as 17 vs. UMBC, the River Hawks have had to fend off late attacks to earn victory by no more than eight points ineach of those outings.
PRIMARY PLAYMAKER
Ayinde Hikim logged a season-high nine assists against UMBC on Jan. 11. He is currently 40th in the nation with 5.2 assists per game.
ON MY BLOCK
Max Brooks logged a season-high five blocks in the win against NJIT on Jan. 11. He is currently 47th in the country with 30 total blocks. As a whole, the River Hawks are 45th in the nation in blocks per game.
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.
SOPHOMORE STANDOUT
Brayden O'Connor started conference play with back-to-back stellar performances against UNH and NJIT. The guard logged his first two career 20-point games, including a personal-best 23 points at UNH on Jan. 6. He combined for eight threes in the two game stretch, highlighted by a career-high five against NJIT on Jan. 11.
Q THE MUSIC
Quinton Mincey started quite the stretch for himself against Emerson and New Hampshire. He first set what was then a new career high for points (18) with a personal-best three, threes against the Lions before going a step further with a new high of 19 points with an 8-for-8 effort from the foul line at New Hampshire. He is averaging 16.3 points in the last four games, compared to just 7.8 points per game previously.
DID YOU KNOW?
The River Hawks entered conference play with a league-best 9-4 record and were the only program with both a home record (4-1) and road record (5-3) over .500. As a whole, the America East began its conference slate as 1 of 11 leagues to have at least 75% of its teams with a record over .500.
FROM DOWNTOWN
As a unit, the River Hawks went off from beyond the arc over a four-game stretch from Dec. 22 to Jan. 11. Despite averaging just 5.8 threes per game with a 31.4% clip from long range previously, the team combined for 31 made three-pointers in those four contests, shooting over 42% in three of four outings.
OWNING THE GLASS
Rebounding was not only the story of the game against LIU, but has been a major point of success all season. The River Hawks have reached 50 rebounds four times already this season, including three times over a six-game stretch. The team's 55 rebounds vs. Fisher was the most in a game since grabbing 57 vs. MCLA on Dec. 11, 2021. UMass Lowell is currently 12th in the nation for rebound margin (+10.0).
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 3-0 start at home in 2023-24, UMass Lowell owned the second longest active home win streak in the nation before it was snapped on Dec. 16th. The team does still, however, have an active 23-game win streak inside of Costello Athletic Center that dates back to Feb. 7, 2022. The team also boasts a 169-95 record in front of River Hawk Nation since 2003-04.
INSIDE JOB
The River Hawks' have relied on their scoring from down low early this season, with an average of 44.4 points per game coming from inside the paint.
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