AMHERST, Mass. - The UMass Lowell men's basketball team (5-4) take on in-state rival Massachusetts in their annual Kennedy Cup clash to wrap up a three-game road swing.
A WIN WOULD
A win would move the River Hawks to 6-4 on the season and give the team their second ever win over Massachusetts. It would also give the squad their first road victory of the season.
LAST TIME OUT
Fifth-year
Max Brooks (Waldorf, Md.) tallied a season-high 29 points, as the UMass Lowell men's basketball team fell to the CCSU Blue Devils, 69-67, on Dec. 1. Brooks, who finished with his fourth double-double of the season, was all over the box score, adding 10 rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals. Joining him with double-digits was freshman
Martin Somerville (Bowie, Md.), who finished the day with 13 points alongside two steals.
LEADING THE FLOCK
Four River Hawks are averaging double-digits, as
Quinton Mincey leads the charge with 15.7 points per game. Behind him,
Max Brooks averages 14.8 points alongside a team-high 8.6 rebounds, while freshman
Martin Somerville adds 12.8 points through his first nine games, including a team-high 21 three-pointers.
Yuri Covington rounds things out with 12.2 points per game. Serving as the primary playmaker,
Quincy Clark totals a team-best 27 assists so far this season.
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 32-1 in the building since the start of the 2022-23 campaign, including 5-0 in 2024-25.
NATIONAL NEWS
UMass Lowell is currently ranked in the top 25 in the nation in three team categories including free throws made (16th) and defensive rebounds per game (23rd).
BLOCK PARTY
With 240 career blocks,
Max Brooks is closing in on the UMass Lowell career blocks record of 246, last set by Leo Parent, who has held the title for 35 years. With a season-high seven blocks against Quinnipiac, Brooks is averaging 2.44 blocks per game, over half a block higher than his career average of 1.90.
COMEBACK KIDS
The River Hawks have shown their composure and toughness this season, trailing at halftime against both Quinninipiac and Merrimack, before using strong second-half performances to come from behind.
HELPING HANDS
The River Hawks' passing and connectedness has been on full display early this year, as the team has logged three games with over 20 assists so far, including two of the last four outings. The team is currently second in the America East with 14.9 assists per game.
SHARP SHOOTERS
UMass Lowell is first in the league and 36th in the country for field goal percentage, shooting 49.5% from the floor. For the second year in a row,
Max Brooks is leading the way in efficiency for the squad with a 70.1% clip on field goals.
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).
AMERICA EAST HONORS
For the third time this season,
Martin Somerville was named the America East Rookie of the Week in Week Four. The River Hawks have swept the weekly awards twice this year, when Somerville was tabbed Rookie of the Week and
Quinton Mincey was named Player of the Week in both Weeks One and Three.
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.
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 26.6 bench points per game.
SCORING POWER
With an average of 84.2 points per game through nine games, the River Hawks currently sit first in the America East in scoring offense and 43rd 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. The team set a new DI record and scored its most points in a single games since 1995 with 121 in the contest against Fisher.
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