LOWELL, Mass. - The UMass Lowell men's basketball team will continue a tough stretch of six games in 13 days with two more contests in three days at home. The squad will first welcome Quinnipiac to Costello Athletic Center on Saturday, November 23 at 1 p.m. for the first game of the 314 Classic, a multi-team event which includes UMass Lowell, Quinnipiac and Saint Louis. The River Hawks then host local foe Merrimack on Monday, Nov. 25 at 6 p.m.
A WIN WOULD
A win on Saturday would give the River Hawks the first win in the all-time series against the Bobcats. It would also move the team to 4-2 on the season, 4-0 at home, and 1-0 in the 314 Classic. A win against Merrimack would give the River Hawks its third win in the last four meetings in that series.
LAST TIME OUT
For the first time in Division I program history, eight River Hawks scored in double-digits, as the UMass Lowell men's basketball team defeated Fisher on Nov. 20 at Costello Athletic Center. Freshman
Martin Somerville led the way with 15 points, all of which came in the second half. Fifth year
Max Brooks followed closely with 14 points and a season-high 15 rebounds for his second double-double of the year. Fifth year
Anthony Blunt chipped in with 12 points and 11 rebounds for his first career double-double. Blunt and senior
Cam Morris III, who added 10 points, finished tied with a game-high five assists apiece. Fifth year
Yuri Covington and senior
Xzavier Lino each totaled 11 points in the outing, good for a personal best for Lino, while senior
Quincy Clark and freshman
Armani Perkins rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10 points apiece.
LEADING THE FLOCK
Five River Hawks are averaging double-digits, as
Quinton Mincey leads the charge with 15.8 points per game. Behind him,
Yuri Covington averages 13.8 points, while
Max Brooks adds 10.8 points alongside a team-high 9.4 rebounds.
Cam Morris III chips in with 10.4 points on a team-best 66.7% shooting, and freshman
Martin Somerville rounds things out with 10.4 points through his first five games. Serving as the primary playmaker,
Quincy Clark leads the team with 19 assists so far.
HOME SWEET HOME
Costello Athletic Center has been very kind to the home team during the last three seasons, as the River Hawks are currently 30-1 in the building since the start of the 2022-23 campaign, including 3-0 in 2024-25.
NATIONAL NEWS
UMass Lowell is currently ranked in the top 20 in the nation in three team categories including free throws made (6th) and defensive rebounds per game (11th).
COMPETING WITH THE BEST
The River Hawks know that they can compete with the best. In addition to picking up an ACC victory last year, two of the teams three setbacks against Power Four opponents in the last two seasons have been decided by five points or less.
FREE IS FOR ME
As a team, the River Hawks drained a season-high 27 free throws in the win against St. Peter's. Individually,
Quinton Mincey made a career-best 14 buckets from the line, outdoing his previous record of 13 from last season and marking the most free throws for a River Hawk since
Obadiah Noel sunk 15 against Stony Brook (12/28/20).
Yuri Covington is currently tied for fifth in the conference, shooting 83.3% from the line.
WELCOME TO THE CLUB
After sinking a tough bucket for an and-1 at Washington,
Yuri Covington reached the 1,000 career point milestone. Joining
Max Brooks as the current River Hawks to be a part of the club, he is the fourth River Hawk in as many years to reach the mark.
AMERICA EAST HONORS
The River Hawks swept the week one America East Awards, as
Quinton Mincey was named Player of the Week and
Martin Somerville took Rookie of the Week honors on Nov. 11.
Max Brooks, who became the third River Hawk ever named to the All-Conference First Team last season, as well as earned his third consecutive nod for the league's All-Defensive Team, was tabbed a Preseason All-Conference Team selection for the 2024-25 season.
SHARING IS CARING
For the first time at the DI level, the River Hawks had 12 point scorers in a single game. Every player on the roster that was dressed for the opener against Rivier got on the floor and scored at least a point. Against Fisher, the team had another first at the DI level, this time having eight different players reach the double-digit scoring mark.
GOING DEEP
Coach Duquette believes he has more depth than ever on his bench in 2024-25 and that one major key to success to achieving the team's goals this season will be utilizing that depth. So far the team is averaging 30.0 bench points per game.
AGE-OLD TALE
The 2024-25 roster marks the most veteran team in DI program history at UMass Lowell. The squad boasts a total of 10 seniors and fifth years, which is tied for the fourth most in the nation. The average age on the 15-man roster is 21.3 years old, ranking sixth oldest among teams reporting. Â
SCORING POWER
With an average of 88.0 points per game through three games, the River Hawks currently sit second in the America East in scoring offense and 35th in the nation. Last season, UMass Lowell finished ranked 36th in the nation, averaging 80.0 points per game, the highest scoring average for any America East team since 2016-17 when UMBC averaged 81.1 ppg.
GOING UP AND STAYING UP
The team went 19-2 when holding the advantage going into halftime last season and is 3-0 so far this year.
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