River Hawks Cross the Border for Weekend Series at New Hampshire

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DURHAM, N.H. – After 18 days without a game, the UMass Lowell River Hawks men’s basketball team heads to New Hampshire for a two-game weekend series, looking to build on the momentum they created in the squad’s previous outings.

A WIN WOULD
A win against New Hampshire would give the River Hawks their third straight America East victory and their longest win streak so far this year. With a win on Friday, UMass Lowell would also extend its unbeaten streak in the series against the Wildcats to four games.

LAST TIME OUT
The River Hawks swept their most recent series at Binghamton on Jan. 16-17. The team boasted four double-digit scorers in each contest against the Bearcats and shot a season-best 62.7% (32-51) from the floor in game one. UMass Lowell first defeated Binghamton, 92-78, in an offensive showdown. In that contest, senior Obadiah Noel led all scorers with 26 points on 85.7% shooting from the field, while sophomore Connor Withers added his second career double-double with 19 points and a personal-best 12 rebounds. Noel then notched 17 points on 71% shooting to lead a balanced attack for UMass Lowell in a 77-67 victory in game two. The River Hawks, who led by as many as 18 in the contest, staved off a late Bearcat comeback that put the differential at just seven with less than two minutes to go.

HEAT CHECK
The River Hawks picked up their first America East series sweep of the season at Binghamton and have now won four of their last five games.

LEADING THE FLOCK
Obadiah Noel, the squad’s lone senior, is pacing the America East and is ranked 16th in the nation with 21.2 points per game. He adds a team-best 3.5 assists per game. Connor Withers is controlling the boards with 6.6 rebounds per game, in addition to chipping in with 8.8 points per game and a team-best 15 blocks.

ETCHING HIS NAME IN THE RECORDS
Obadiah Noel continues to add to his record-setting career, as he became just the second River Hawk to surpass 1,500 career points at the Division I level with his 26-point performance on Jan. 16 at Binghamton. He now sits behind only Jahad Thomas (1,864).

TURNING UP
Sophomore Kalil Thomas has come on strong as of late. After scoring a then personal-best 13 points against Hartford on Jan. 10, he bested that mark with 16 points at Binghamton on Jan. 16. He also hit a career-high four 3FGs in each of the games against the Bearcats. Thomas is now averaging 14.3 points in his last three outings, compared to 2.4 points in his first 10 this year.

CHARITABLE EFFORTS
So far this year, no player in the America East has been sent to the foul line (122) or made more free throws (93) than Obadiah Noel. He currently ranks seventh in the nation for free throws made. The guard set a new personal best, going 15-for-16 from the charity stripe at Stony Brook on Dec. 28. With that performance, he logged the most free throws in a single game for the program since Logan Primerano made 16 in 2015-2016.

SHARP SHOOTERS
The River Hawks, who led the America East in shooting percentage for the last two years, are shooting 43.9 percent from the field this year. The team shot a season-high 62.7% in the win Binghamton on Jan. 16. Salif Boudie is currently pacing the squad with a field goal percentage of 63.2%.

HELPING HANDS
Both Obadiah Noel and Bryce Daley are currently ranked in the top five in the America East for assists per game. Daley logged a personal-best seven helpers at Binghamton on Jan. 17.