ORONO, Maine - The No. 6 seeded UMass Lowell men's basketball team (17-14) will head to Maine for the second time in five days to square off against the No. 3 Black Bears (18-13) in the quarterfinals of the 2025 Jersey Mike's America East Playoffs on Saturday, March 8 at 6 p.m.
A WIN WOULD
A win would advance the River Hawks to the America East Semifinals for the third straight season. They would also move to 16-8 all-time against the Black Bears, including 2-0 in the postseason.
POSTSEASON HISTORY
This marks the River Hawks' eighth season eligible for the postseason at the Division I level. The team has qualified for the America East Playoffs in each of its eligible seasons. This will be the second time the River Hawks have faced Maine in the playoffs after earning an 85-54 win in the quarterfinal round of the 2022-23 season. UMass Lowell has now appeared in the championship game three times in the last four years.
LAST TIME OUT
Fifth year
Quinton Mincey tallied a game-high 26 points, as the UMass Lowell men's basketball team fell to the Maine Black Bears, 71-70, in the regular-season finale on March 4. Mincey, who went 4-6 from deep, was one of five River Hawks to record double-digits. Tied with just under three minutes to play, Maine's Jaden Clayton sank a layup to put his team in front before fifth year
Max Brooks threw down a monstrous dunk to even the score, followed by Mincey's tenth basket of the night, putting the River Hawks in front with 1:25 to play. However, the Black Bears sank a basket with 59 seconds on the clock, knotting the score up at 70-70, before a free throw in the final seconds sealed the 71-70 decision.
LEADING THE FLOCK
Four River Hawks are averaging double-digits, as
Quinton Mincey leads the charge with 16.6 points per game. Behind him,
Max Brooks adds 15.6 points per game alongside a team-best 7.8 rebounds and 83 blocks, while
Martin Somerville boasts 13.9 points in his first season, including a team-high 74 three-pointers and 46 steals.
Yuri Covington rounds things out with 11.1 points per game.
ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS
Max Brooks garnered his second consecutive All-Conference First Team nod, in addition to his third straight All-Defensive Team recognition.
Quinton Mincey received his second All-Conference Second Team selection, as well. For the second year in a row, the River Hawks earned a major award based on the vote among the league's coaches, as
Martin Somerville was named America East Rookie of the Year in addition to taking a place on the All-Rookie Team.
Anthony Blunt was tabbed to the All-Academic Team to round out the UMass Lowell honorees.
ETCHING THEIR NAMES
Max Brooks has taken over the all-time program records for games played (148), career field goal percentage (64%) and total blocks (301), in addition to the Division I program record for career rebounds with 884. He also currently sits fourth all-time in the America East and is eight blocks away from tying that record.
Martin Somerville continues his impressive rookie season, setting a new DI single-game program record with 13 assists against UMBC on Feb. 20. His performance marked the most helpers in a game since 1981 when Ray Carroll registered 16. He also won the league's Rookie of the Week award 11 times this season, besting the previous America East record that was first set in 1993-94 by Boston University's Tunji Awojobi, who earned the award ten times.
OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION
The River Hawks ignited for 98 points against UMBC on Feb. 22, marking the most points scored against a DI opponent this season.
Max Brooks led the way with 30 points, good for just the third 30-point game by an America East student-athlete this season.
DOWN TO THE WIRE
The team has found itself in several back-and-forth games this season that have come down to the wire. The team is now 6-6 on the year in games with at least eight lead changes, including a season-high 19 lead changes vs. Bryant. However, the team is 1-9 in games decided by five points or less.
NATIONAL NEWS
UMass Lowell is currently ranked in the top 25 in the nation in three team categories, including free throw percentage (25th).
SHARP SHOOTERS
UMass Lowell is first in the league and fourth in the country for field goal percentage, shooting 49.6% from the floor. For the second year in a row,
Max Brooks is leading the way in efficiency for the squad and is ranked first in the country with a 70.1% clip on field goals. He is also 12th nationally among active NCAA career leaders (64.3%). The big man went a perfect, 12-for-12 on field goals against Dartmouth, matching the NCAA record this season and marking the best performance by any player nationwide since the 2021-22 season.
GOING UP AND STAYING UP
The team plays well when they get out in front, owning a 11-5 record when leading at halftime so far this year.
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