River Hawks travel to Maine on Wednesday

Wednesday, January 23 in Maine (7 p.m.)
Live statistics | Watch live

BANGOR, Maine –

The UMass Lowell men’s basketball team (17-4, 5-2 AE) hit the road for a two-game journey, starting with a rematch against Maine on January 25.

A PROFIT WOULD

A win against the Black Bears would improve UMass Lowell’s record to 18-4, continuing the program’s best start since 2002-03. It would also extend the program record for wins in a season at the DI level to 18. A win would also take the River Hawks to 6–2 in conference play, setting another Division I schedule record.

LEADING THE TROOP

Three River Hawks average in double digits Everette Hammond leads the way with 12.8 points per game on 44% shooting from the field. connected with him, Abdul Karim Coulibaly averaged 12.8 points while adding a team-best 8.6 rebounds. The primary playmaker this season, Ayinde Hikim total 86 assists with 10.1 points. Max Brooks adds 9.2 points and 5.4 rebounds per game, trailing the team by 40 blocks.

LAST TIME OFF
Abdul Karim Coulibaly tallied 18 points in addition to a career-high 15 rebounds, as the UMass Lowell men’s basketball team defeated America East newcomer Bryant. The River Hawks opened the game strong, taking an 11–3 lead before the Bulldogs struck back, narrowing the difference to one. However, River Hawk’s attack could not be stopped as they went on a 16-2 run to break open the game early. The Bulldogs looked to erase the lead, scoring eight of the next 12 points, but the hosts didn’t slow down and added another 22 points before half time to hold onto a dominant 57-31 lead. UMass Lowell kept their momentum out of the locker room with a layup from Brooks. Hammond followed with a step-back three, giving the River Hawks a 62–31 lead, their largest of the afternoon. Bryant continued to play away throughout the second half, but the lead proved too great and UMass Lowell walked away with a 98-79 win.

HISTORY IN THE MAKING

The win against Bryant on January 22 marked the team’s 17th win this season, extending the new Division I program record for total wins in a season.

CRACKING THE RANKING

The River Hawks were in the Mid-Major Top 25 for the first time ever the week of December 12 as they moved into the No. 25 spot. On the week of January 2, the team was ranked No. 17 and the team was ranked No. 24 in its most recent release.

HOMEMADE ADVANTAGE

The River Hawks are 11-0 at home to date, which is a new program record and surpasses the 10-0 home start of the 2002-03 season. That record also marks the country’s second-best perfect home record. In addition, the team achieved its ninth consecutive win in a home opener in 2022-23. With the 11-0 record at home to date, UMass Lowell is now 159-94 for River Hawk Nation since 2003-04.

SWING CLUB COSTELLO

For the first time at the Division I level, the River Hawks played to a sold-out crowd at Costello Athletic Center.

ALL ABOUT THE GRAND
Abdul Karim Coulibaly and Max Brooks combined to go 22-for-28 from the field with 44 points against UMBC on January 18. Coulibaly set a new career high with 24 points, while Brooks boasted a season-best 20 points.

HELPING HANDS

The River Hawks recorded a season-high 23 assists in the win against UMBC on January 18. The team is currently second in the league with 15.2 assists per game. Individually, with his 11 assists against Sacred Heart on November 16 Ayinde Hikim then set a new Division I program record Ryan Jones registered 10 for the first time in 2018 vs. NJIT.

FROM DOWNTOWN

The River Hawks put in their best long range performance this season, earning just their second win in their last 13 games against the Catmounts on Jan. 11. with a 37.6% clip from outside the arc in 2022-23, including at least eight threes in nine of their 20 games. While Ayinde Hikim went perfect, 4-for-4 from three-point territory against Vermont, Yuri Covington lost a team-best 32 threes this year.

SHARING IS GIVING

Coach Duquette has said this is his deepest and most talented team yet. Eight different River Hawks have already led the team in scoring this year, and six of those have led the team in scoring in at least two games. The River Hawks have also scored at least eight goals in 20 of their first 21 games, including 11 against Emerson. In its games against Fisher and Emerson, the team totaled six double-digit scorers for the first time since 2017-2018 (in Maine, 1/31/2018). At least four River Hawks have scored in double digits in 11 of 21 games.

SHARP SHOOTERS

The River Hawks, who shot a season-high 63.5% from the field in the win against Emerson, have outshot their opponents in 18 of their 21 games this season. The team also surpassed 50% shooting in 10 of 20 games to date. The team averages 49.0% from the field to rank 14th in the nation.