LOWELL, Mass. - The UMass Lowell men's basketball team (8-10, 3-0 AE) returns home for the first time in over a week to host the NJIT Highlanders (7-11, 2-1 AE) on Thursday, January 15 at 6 p.m. at Kennedy Family Athletics Complex.
A WIN WOULD
A win against the Highlanders would move the the River Hawks to 9-10 on the season, while giving them a 4-0 start to conference play for the second time in the last three seasons.
LAST TIME OUT
Junior
Xavier Spencer scored a team-high 18 points, as UMass Lowell took down the Binghamton Bearcats, 73-68, on Jan. 10. Spencer, who connected from beyond the arc four times in the first half, was one of three River Hawks to finish with double-digit points. Right behind him, junior
Angel Montas Jr. added 17 points, while senior
Austin Green finished with 12 points and a team-best eight rebounds.
LEADING THE FLOCK
Through 18 games,
Austin Green leads the way with 14.4 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. Right behind him,
Angel Montas Jr. sits second with 11.1 points per game.
Xavier Spencer, who ranks third with 11.0 points per game, adds a team-high 54 assists and 22 steals, while
Shawn Simmons II boasts 17 blocks to sit first on the team. Rounding out double-digit scorers,
Darrel Yepdo adds 10.0 points.
COMING IN HOT
After logging just two double-digit scoring games in his first 10 outings this season,
Angel Montas Jr. has been on fire as of late, averaging 21.0 points in the last four games, including registering his first two 20-point games as a River Hawk in back-to-back outings at Boston University and No. 25 Iowa. His 27 points at Bryant on Jan. 8 marked a new career high for the junior. He has now won the last two America East Player of the Week awards.
SPREADING THE LOVE
The River Hawks have boasted at least four double-digit scorers on nine occasions this year. Most recently, the team had four players score 10+ points at Bryant on Jan. 8.
RAINING THREES
Xavier Spencer and
Darrel Yepdo each finished with a career-high four, three-pointers, as the team totaled a season-best 12 makes from long range in the win against Sacred Heart on Dec. 16.
HELPING HANDS
The squad matched its season best with 21 assists against Sacred Heart. So far, the River Hawks rank third in the America East with 13.3 assists per game.
OFFENSIVE OUTBURST
The 122-point scoring outburst against Fisher marked the most points in a game for the program since January 1995 against Assumption College.
DOUBLE TROUBLE
In two games this year, a pair of River Hawks have logged double-doubles. Most recently,
Austin Green finished with 20 points and a career-high 16 rebounds, while
Jerrell Roberson II registered career bests of 21 points and 15 rebounds against Fisher.
GAINING MOMENTUM
The River Hawks logged back-to-back wins for the first time during the 2025-26 season with a victory at Stonehill and against Emerson at home to kick off a span of four wins in six games.
GOOD FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Rookie
JJ Massaquoi has stood out for the River Hawks in his first collegiate appearances, posting double-digit points in six of 18 games so far, including leading the team with a personal-best 26 points at Wake Forest. He was also named America East Rookie of the Week on Nov. 24.
SHARP SHOOTERS
The River Hawks have found their groove, shooting at least 43% from the field in each of the last 15 games after averaging just 29% in the two previous games against UConn and New Haven. The team is now ranked first in the America East for field goal percentage.
HOME SWEET HOME
Kennedy Family Athletic Complex, formerly Costello Athletic Center, has been very kind to the home team during the last three seasons, as the River Hawks are currently 46-6 in the building since the start of the 2022-23 campaign, including 5-1 in 2025-26.
