NEWARK, N.J. - The UMass Lowell men's basketball team (9-14, 4-4 AE) hits the road for a two-game stretch, starting at NJIT on Thursday, February 5. The team then visits UAlbany on Saturday, Feb. 7 to wrap up the week.
A WIN WOULD
A win against the Highlanders would move the the River Hawks to 10-14 on the season, while giving them a 5-4 start to conference play. It would also give UMass Lowell the all-time series advantage, 11-10.
LAST TIME OUT
Junior
Angel Montas Jr. totaled a career-high 30 points to propel the UMass Lowell men's basketball team to a 91-77 victory against Maine on Jan. 31 in front of a sold-out crowd at Kennedy Family Athletic Complex. Montas Jr. was joined in double figures by three teammates. Freshman
JJ Massaquoi tallied 19 points, while junior
Darrel Yepdo added 17 points and junior
Xavier Spencer finished with 15 points. Junior
Shawn Simmons II and freshman
Victor Okojie paced the team on the glass with nine rebounds each. As a team, the River Hawks outrebounded the opposition, 46-11, and shot 58% from the field.
LEADING THE FLOCK
Through 23 games,
Austin Green leads the way with 13.9 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. Right behind him,
Angel Montas Jr. sits second with 13.2 points per game.
Xavier Spencer, who ranks third with 11.2 points per game, adds a team-high 25 steals, while
Shawn Simmons II boasts 29 blocks to sit first on the team.
Darrel Yepdo, the team's primary playmarker, totals a team-leading 69 assists on the season.
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 20.1 points in the last nine 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. He has scored at least 20 points five times in the last ten games and his 30 points against Maine the last time out marked a new career high. He has now won two America East Player of the Week awards.
CONTROLLING THE GLASS
The River Hawks outrebounded Maine, 46-11, on Jan. 31, not allowing the opposition to reach double-digit rebounds until well into the second half. UMass Lowell currently leads the America East with a +4.8 rebounding margin.
SHARP SHOOTERS
The River Hawks shot a conference-season best 58% from the field against Maine on Jan. 31. The team is now ranked first in the America East for field goal percentage.
SPREADING THE LOVE
The River Hawks have boasted at least four double-digit scorers on 11 occasions this year. Most recently, the team had four players score 10+ points against Maine on Jan. 31.
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 fourth in the America East with 12.5 assists per game.
