LOWELL, Mass. - The UMass Lowell men's basketball team (19-7, 10-3 AE) will wrap up its regular-season home schedule on Senior Night against Bryant this Thursday, February 29 before heading to top-ranked Vermont on Saturday, March 2.
SENIOR NIGHT
The River Hawks will celebrate Senior Night on Thursday. Fifth-years
Ayinde Hikim and
Abdoul Karim Coulibaly will be honored in a special pre-game ceremony.
A WIN WOULD
A win against Bryant would sweep the regular-season series and mark the River Hawks' fourth straight victory against the Bulldogs. A win would give UMass Lowell it's 11th league victory of the season, as well, tying the program record for America East wins set during the 2022-23 season.
LAST TIME OUT
Senior
Max Brooks tallied 29 points to lead the way for the UMass Lowell men's basketball team in a fast-paced, offensive showdown against UAlbany on Feb. 24 at Costello Athletic Center. Brooks shot an impressive 91% (10-11) from the floor in the contest. For the second game in a row, three River Hawks scored 20 points, as senior
Quinton Mincey chipped in with 24 points with a 13-for-16 effort at the foul line, along with 12 rebounds, and senior
Ayinde Hikim totaled 23 points with five assists. Senior
Yuri Covington rounded out the double-digit scorers with 17 points, as well. As a team, the River Hawks shot 58% (32-55) and outrebounded the Great Danes, 43-27.
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LEADING THE FLOCK
Four River Hawks are averaging double-digits, as
Ayinde Hikim leads the squad with 15.3 points per game. Behind him,
Quinton Mincey adds 13.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, while
Max Brooks chips in 13.5 points alongside a team-high 7.5 boards.
Cam Morris III rounds out the double-digit scorers with 10.9 points and 5.7 rebounds. As the primary playmaker, Hikim paces his squad with 139 assists and 48 steals, while Brooks totals 57 blocks, so far.
SCORING POWER
UMass Lowell is currently 29th in the nation, averaging 81.3 points per game, the highest scoring average for any America East team since 1995-96 when Drexel averaged 82.6 ppg. UAlbany is currently second in the league at 78.7 ppg. The last time two teams averaged 80+ ppg in the America East was the 1986-87 season (Northeastern & Siena).
SEEING 20/20/20
Against Binghamton on Feb. 22,
Yuri Covington,
Max Brooks and
Quinton Mincey became the first 20-point scoring trio for the River Hawks in a single game since Jan. 22, 2017 vs. UMBC. In the next game against UAlbany on Feb. 24, the River Hawks did it again, this time with
Max Brooks,
Quinton Mincey and
Ayinde Hikim leading the team.
FREE IS FOR ME
The River Hawks are not wasting free opportunities this year, as the team is currently leading the America East with a DI program-best 73.9 field goal percentage so far. The team made a season-high 36 free throws against UAlbany on Feb. 24, one game after going a conference season-best 90.3% from the line against Binghamton on Feb. 22.
CLOSING IT OUT
With the America East more competitive than ever, the River Hawks know no game will be an easy one. Seven of the team's ten conference wins so far have been separated by just two possessions within the final 10 minutes, and four of those games were decided by eight points or less.
PERIMETER PROTECTION
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 ninth in the nation in three-point percentage defense.
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 ten road wins this year. The 10 wins away from home also set a new DI program record, improving upon the nine from last season. Additionally, in league play, the River Hawks have already gone an impressive, 5-1 away from home so far, compared to earning just three league road wins last season.
HOT HAND
Yuri Covington has averaged a team-best 22 points in the last three games after scoring 8.1 points per game previously. He logged two consecutive games with 20-points and four three-point field goals recently. He first led the team with 27 points on a career-high nine field goals at Bryant on Feb. 17 before adding 22 points against Binghamton on Feb. 22. Previously this year, he sunk seven threes at Boston University to mark the first time a River Hawk had done so since
Connor Withers hit nine in a playoff game at UMBC in 2021.
BROOKS TO THE MAX
Max Brooks had a career night at UMBC on Feb. 8, setting new personal bests for points (31), field goals (14) and rebounds (19). Brooks and Zach Edey of Purdue are the only players in the country who have 30+ points, 19+ rebounds and 3+ blocks in a single game this season. The senior also surpassed the 1,000 career points milestone with 29 points against UAlbany on Feb. 24.
SHARP SHOOTERS
As a team, the River Hawks are shooting 49.1% from the field (17th nationally) after surpassing 48% shooting in 14 of 26 games so far. Individually,
Max Brooks ranks ninth in the nation in field goal percentage at 63.9%. In 13 #AEHoops games, he boasts a 65.9% field goal percentage, while averaging 16.4 points.
OWNING THE GLASS
Rebounding has been a major point of success all season, as the River Hawks are the top-ranked rebounding team in the America East. The River Hawks have reached 50 rebounds four times 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 20th in the nation for rebound margin (+7.4).
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 nine of its 13 league games so far, including a season-best six, 10+ point scorers at UAlbany.
Q THE MUSIC
Quinton Mincey started quite the stretch for himself since the non-conference finale vs. Emerson, establishing himself as a premier sixth man during conference play. He first set what was then a new career high for points (18) with a personal-best three, threes against the Lions and has since averaged a team-best 18.5 points during America East play, compared to just 8.6 points per game previously. His latest career high for points came against UNH on Feb. 3 (25).
NOT WASTING TIME
The River Hawks have been quick to attack this season, leading at the half in 19 of their 26 games. The team is 17-2 when holding the advantage going into the locker room so far.
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