LOWELL, Mass. - The UMass Lowell men's basketball team (14-4, 5-0 AE) is set for a championship rematch, as it hosts Vermont at Costello Athletic Center on Thursday, January 25. Very few tickets are left for the contest, so reserve your spot
here.
A WIN WOULD
A win against Vermont would improve UMass Lowell's overall record to 15-4, tying the 2022-23 season for the best start in the program's DI history. It would also move the team to 6-0 to start conference play for the first time ever. A win would also extend the team's current win streak to eight games, marking the second longest streak in the program's DI history, in addition to extending the team's unbeaten streak in Costello to 24 games. A UMass Lowell win against the Catamounts would also snap a nation-long, 19-game win streak for UVM against league opponents, as they have not lost in league play since their last visit to Costello on Jan. 11, 2023.
LAST TIME OUT
Senior
Quinton Mincey and junior
Cam Morris III logged 17 points apiece, as the UMass Lowell men's basketball team cruised to an 80-60 victory at America East foe Binghamton on Saturday afternoon to extend its win streak to seven games. One of five double-digit scorers for the River Hawks, Mincey also recorded six rebounds and a career-high five steals. Morris III added four boards, two blocks and a steal to his stat line. Senior
Ayinde Hikim chipped in with 16 points and four assists, while sophomore
Brayden O'Connor and senior
Max Brooks added 13 and 11 points, respectively. As a unit, UMass Lowell shot 52.7% (29-55) from the field, with 36 points coming off the bench. Additionally, the visitors capitalized on 14 Bearcat turnovers with 21 points coming off those turnovers.
LEADING THE FLOCK
Four River Hawks are averaging double-digits, as
Ayinde Hikim leads the squad with 15.9 points per game. Behind him,
Max Brooks adds 12.3 points and a team-best 6.6 rebounds, while
Cam Morris III chips in 11.4 points alongside 5.6 boards.
Quinton Mincey rounds out the double-digit scorers with 10.7 points. Picking up from where he left off last year as the primary playmaker, Hikim paces his squad with 95 assists and 30 steals, while Brooks totals 35 blocks, so far.
GOING STREAKING
The River Hawks are in the midst of a seven-game win streak, good for their longest since a nine-game span during the early part of the 2022-23 season.
HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
The River Hawks, who finished the 2022-23 season with a perfect, 17-0 record at home, good for a new program best, 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.
SHARING IS CARING
Scoring can come from many different threats on any night for the River Hawks. The team has boasted at least four double-digit scorers in their five league games so far, including a season-best six 10+ point scorers at UAlbany.
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 four of five games have been seperated by just two possessions within the final 10 minutes, and three of those games were decided by eight points or less.
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 have already collected a nation-leading eight road wins this year, good for the second most in DI program history behind last season's nine. However, last year it took the team until Feb. 15 to reach the eight-win mark away from home.
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.
MILESTONE WIN
Coach Duquette collected his 150th career win at Binghamton on Jan. 20. He is the winninest coach in the program's history, ahead of Ken Barer (136) and Gary Manchel (131).
PRIMARY PLAYMAKER
Ayinde Hikim logged a season-high nine assists against UMBC on Jan. 11. He is currently 35th in the nation with 5.3 assists per game and is closing in on 100 assists (95) for the second straight year.
SHARP SHOOTERS
As a team, the River Hawks are shooting 49.7% from the field (12th nationally) after surpassing 48% shooting in 10 of 18 games so far. Individually,
Max Brooks ranks ninth in the nation in field goal percentage at 63.6%. In five #AEHoops games, he has a league-best 67.9% field goal percentage, while averaging 17.0 points.
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 16.5 points in the last six games, compared to just 7.8 points per game previously.
SOPHOMORE STANDOUT
Brayden O'Conner 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. He has reached double figures in four of five conference games so far.
ON MY BLOCK
Max Brooks logged a season-high five blocks in the win against NJIT on Jan. 11. He is currently 38th in the country with 35 total blocks. As a whole, the River Hawks are 34th in the nation in blocks per game.
INSIDE JOB
The River Hawks' have relied on their scoring from down low early this season, with an average of 45.1 points per game coming from inside the paint. In the win at UAlbany, the team scored 58 points from the paint, which is a conference season high for the squad.
NOT WASTING TIME
The River Hawks have been quick to attack this season, leading at the half in 13 of their 18 games. The team is 12-1 when holding the advantage going into the locker room so far.
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