DURHAM, N.H. - The UMass Lowell men's basketball team (9-4) kicks off America East Conference play on the road at New Hampshire on Saturday, January 6.
A WIN WOULD
A win against New Hampshire would improve UMass Lowell's record to 10-4, good for the second-best start in the program's DI history. It would also start their America East Conference schedule off with a win for the second straight year and mark the third straight win against the Wildcats.
LAST TIME OUT
Senior
Max Brooks led six double-digit scorers with a season-high 23 points, as UMass Lowell closed out its non-conference slate with a 116-48 win against Emerson at Costello Athletic Center on New Year's Eve.  Brooks, who shot an incredible 10-for-11 (90.9%) from the field, added a season-high 14 rebounds for his second double-double of the year. Senior
Quinton Mincey chipped in with a career-high 18 points, including 3-for-4 shooting from beyond the arc. Junior
Cam Morris III added 16 points for his sixth straight double-digit scoring game, while senior
Ayinde Hikim followed with 14, and senior
Yuri Covington and junior
Andres Fulgencio rounded out the 10-point scorers with 13 apiece.
LEADING THE FLOCK
Five River Hawks are averaging double-digits, as
Ayinde Hikim leads the squad with 16.8 points per game. Behind him,
Abdoul Karim Coulibaly adds 12.8 points and a team-best 6.8 rebounds per game, while
Cam Morris III chips in 11.8 points alongside 5.7 rebounds.
Yuri Covington adds 10.7 points, while
Max Brooks adds 10.5 points as well. Picking up from where he left off last year as the primary playmaker, Hikim paces his squad with 65 assists and 20 steals, while Brooks totals 22 blocks, so far.
SCORING STREAK
Ayinde Hikim tallied 14 points against Emerson on Dec. 31, marking his 13th straight game with double-digits. His streak is the first such double-digit scoring stretch for the River Hawks since
Obadiah Noel strung together a 43-game streak between 2019 and 2021.
DID YOU KNOW?
The River Hawks enter conference play with a league-best 9-4 record and are the only program with both a home record (4-1) and road record (5-3) over .500. As a whole, the America East is 1 of 11 conferences to have at least 75% of its teams with a record over .500.
FROM DOWNTOWN
As a unit, the River Hawks have found their groove from beyond the arc in their last two games. Despite averaging just 5.9 threes per game with a 31.8% clip from long range so far, the team combined for 21 made three-pointers in the last two contests, shooting over 42% in each outing.
HOT HAND
Yuri Covington had a breakout game at Boston University, sinking seven threes to mark the first time a River Hawk had done so since
Connor Withers hit nine in a playoff game at UMBC in 2021. Always the defender, though, Covington also added a personal-best five steals in the same outing.
BELIEVING IN SECOND CHANCES
Against LIU, the River Hawks grabbed a season-high 17 offensive rebounds that led to 21 second-chance points, which was good for the second most on the season, only behind 22 second-chance points against Emerson.
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 in the last six games. 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 17th in the nation for rebound margin (+10.2).
LIGHTING UP THE SCOREBOARD
In the victory against Fisher, the River Hawks exploded offensively, finishing with 117 points, marking the most points in a single game for UMass Lowell since 1995 when they scored 133 vs. Assumption. Five games later, the River Hawks totaled 48 made field goals, which was the most for the team since 1977 (50, vs. Nichols).
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 first in the nation in three-point percentage defense.
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 21-game win streak inside of Costello Athletic Center that dates back to Feb. 7, 2022. The team also boasts a 167-95 record in front of River Hawk Nation since 2003-04.
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