River Hawks Open Three-Game Week against Hartford Monday

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LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell River Hawks men’s basketball team and Hartford Hawks will square off in a rematch of the 2021 America East title game on Monday.

A WIN WOULD
A win against the Hawks will snap a two-game skid for the River Hawks in the series against Hartford. It would also mark the team’s second home victory in the last three meetings in Lowell.

LEADING THE FLOCK
Allin Blunt is averaging 11.0 points per game to pace the squad. Max Brooks, who adds 9.9 points, boasts a team-best 5.9 rebounds per game and 45 blocks. Justin Faison adds 52 assists, while Everette Hammond totals 28 steals.

LAST TIME OUT
Allin Blunt logged 19 points to lead a late comeback effort, but UMass Lowell faced a 78-67 setback against top-ranked Vermont in an America East matchup on Feb. 5. Although the visitors led by 21 with just over six minutes to go, the River Hawks continued to battle and got hot on the offensive end, threatening the lead late. Blunt and Kalil Thomas combined for five threes during a 20-3 run that made it just a four-point game, 69-65, with 1:51 to go. However, Justin Mazzulla hit a critical three to keep the Catamounts in front before free throws would seal the decision. Blunt went 4-for-6 from long range in the outing, as the River Hawks shot 45% (9-20) from deep as a unit. Max Brooks added 14 points and six rebounds on the day.

THREAT ON THREES
The River Hawks’ shooting has ignited from long range as of late, averaging 48.4% (15-31) from beyond the arc in the last two games.

SHARP SHOOTERS
The River Hawks, who have ranked in the top two in the America East in shooting percentage for the previous three years, turned in their strongest shooting performance against a DI opponent this year at Maine on Feb. 2 (51.1%). The team is currently fifth in the league with a 43.6% clip. Max Brooks is pacing the conference, shooting 62.6% from the field.

COMING ON STRONG
Allin Blunt, who logged his 100th career game at UMBC on Jan. 8, is playing some of his best basketball in his senior season. The forward, who logged the first 20-point games of his career against Maine and UAlbany, is averaging 18.6 points in the last five outings.

TURNING UP THE PRESSURE
The River Hawks are doing a good job forcing the ball out of their opponents’ hands this season. The team is currently second in the league in turnover margin (+2.0) and is boasting 15.0 points off turnovers per game.

ON HIS BLOCK
Max Brooks set a new, all-time program record with 10 blocks at UAlbany on Jan. 12. He leads the conference and is 29th in the country with 2.42 blocks per game.

DEFENSE WINS GAMES
This year, Coach Duquette has made defense a huge point of emphasis for his program, which typically leads the America East in several offensive categories. So far, the River Hawks are first in the league and 32nd in the nation in FG% defense. The team held Fisher to an all-time program-low 38 points on Nov. 27.

EARLY BIRD SPECIAL
So far this year, UMass Lowell owns an 8-1 record when leading at halftime.

CLEANING THE GLASS
UMass Lowell is strong crashing the boards on the offensive end, leading the America East in offensive boards per game (11.1) and rebounding offense (37.3).

PUTTING UP A FIGHT
So far, six of the team’s 10 losses, including five conference losses have featured double-digit lead changes.