LOWELL, Mass. - The UMass Lowell men's basketball team (15-6, 6-2 AE) begins a three-game road trip when they visit the UMBC Retrievers at the Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena on Thursday, February 8. The squad then heads to NJIT to close out the week against the Highlanders on Saturday, Feb. 10.
A WIN WOULD
A win against UMBC would improve UMass Lowell's overall record to 16-6, good for the second-best start in program history, only behind the 17-5 start during the 2022-23 season. It would also mark the River Hawks' fourth straight victory against the Retrievers. With a victory, the River Hawks would also become the first team in the country to reach nine road wins this season.
LAST TIME OUT
Senior
Quinton Mincey logged a career-high 25 points in an 89-73 setback for the UMass Lowell men's basketball team against New Hampshire on Saturday evening in front of over 3,500 spectators at the Tsongas Center. Mincey drained a personal-best 11 field goals in the outing. He was joined in double figures by senior
Max Brooks, who registered 14 points and a team-high nine rebounds. Senior
Ayinde Hikim and sophomore
Brayden O'Connor rounded out the double-digit scorers with 12 and 10 points, respectively. Despite 13, first-half lead changes, the difference in the contest came from beyond the arc, as New Hampshire tallied 14 threes on 51.9% shooting.
LEADING THE FLOCK
Five River Hawks are averaging double-digits, as
Ayinde Hikim leads the squad with 15.2 points per game. Behind him,
Max Brooks adds 12.3 points and a team-best 6.9 rebounds per game, while
Quinton Mincey chips in 12.2 points alongside 6.0 boards.
Cam Morris III follows with 11.7 points, while
Brayden O'Connor rounds out the double-digit scorers with 10.0 points. Picking up from where he left off last year as the primary playmaker, Hikim paces his squad with 115 assists and 37 steals, while Brooks totals 43 blocks, so far.
SCORING POWER
UMass Lowell is currently averaging 80.0 points per game, the highest scoring average for any league team since 2016-17 when UMBC averaged 81.1 ppg. Bryant is currently second in the league at 79.8 ppg. The last time two teams averaged 80+ ppg in the America East was the 1986-87 season (Northeastern & Siena).
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, compared to Jan. 20 this year.
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 eighth in the nation in three-point percentage defense.
CLOSING IT OUT
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 the team's six conference wins have been separated by just two possessions within the final 10 minutes, and three of those games were decided by eight points or less.
PUTTING UP A FIGHT
The River Hawks have battled the whole way in their two conference losses, with at least a total of 13 tied scores and lead changes in both contests, including 19 ties/lead changes against New Hampshire on Feb. 3.
PRIMARY PLAYMAKER
Ayinde Hikim, who logged a season-high nine assists against UMBC on Jan. 11, is currently 34th in the nation with 5.5 assists per game after surpassing the 100-assists milestone for the second-straight year against Vermont on Jan. 25. He is the eighth player in program history to record consecutive seasons with 100+ assists.
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 seven of their eight 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 18.1 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).
SHARP SHOOTERS
As a team, the River Hawks are shooting 48.8% from the field (20th nationally) after surpassing 48% shooting in 11 of 21 games so far. Individually,
Max Brooks ranks 10th in the nation in field goal percentage at 63.5%. In seven #AEHoops games, he ranks first with a 66.3% field goal percentage, while averaging 15.1 points.
ON MY BLOCK
Max Brooks logged a season-high five blocks in the win against NJIT on Jan. 11. He is currently 31st in the country with 43 total blocks. As a whole, the River Hawks are 35th in the nation in blocks per game.
NOT WASTING TIME
The River Hawks have been quick to attack this season, leading at the half in 15 of their 21 games. The team is 13-2 when holding the advantage going into the locker room so far.
INSIDE JOB
The River Hawks' have relied on their scoring from down low this season, with an average of 44.8 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.
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