Men’s Hoops Set For In-State Matchup With UMass Lowell

University of Massachusetts Men's Basketball Game Notes & Information
Game 9	Massachusetts (7-1 Overall, 0-0 Atlantic 10) vs. UMass Lowell (9-1 Overall, 0-0 America East)
Date \| Time	Thursday, December 8 \| 7 p.m.
Location	Amherst, Mass. \| Mullins Center
Tickets	Tickets
Watch	NESN \| ESPN+
Game Notes	Massachusetts
Listen	WEEI (105.5 FM) \| WCRN (830 AM) \| Varsity Network App
Live Stats	SideArm Stats
Twitter	@UMassAthletics \| @UMassM BB
Instagram	UMass Basketball
Facebook	UMass Basketball

AMHERST, Mass. - The University of Massachusetts men's basketball team brings a six-game winning streak into an in-state battle with UMass Lowell on Thursday night in the Mullins Center. The Kennedy Cup matchup between the Minutemen and River Hawks tips off at 7 p.m.

Six In Double Figures
UMass had six players finish in double figures in the win over UAlbany, led by freshman Tafara Gapare's career-high 15 points while Isaac Kante added 14. Fellow freshman Keon Thompson recorded a career-best 13 points as UMass' freshmen combined for 32 points on the night.

Bench Boost
The Minutemen scored a season-high 58 bench points in Monday night's win over UAlbany in the Mullins Center. UMass ranks sixth nationally and leads the Atlantic 10 in bench points per game at 35.8, led by 8.6 points per game from Isaac Kante along with 8.3 from RJ Luis and 8.0 from Dyondre Dominguez.

Hot Start
UMass is off to its best start to a season since 2013-14 with a 7-1 record while in the midst of a six-game winning streak. The Minutemen opened the stretch with five consecutive wins away from home, including three on a neutral floor at the Myrtle Beach Invitational followed by two road wins at USF and Harvard. The streak continued with Monday's win over UAlbany.

Top-30 Win Percentage
The Minutemen rank inside the top-30 nationally in winning percentage at just under 88-percent to rank 27th in the country in the category. UMass is second in the Atlantic 10 in win percentage with Fordham leading the way at 90-percent win rate.

Off And Running
UMass leads the Atlantic 10 in fastbreak points per game with 14.22 and rank inside the top-60 nationally in the category.

Lock Down
The Minutemen allow 66 points per game defensively and rank 47th in the country in 3-point defense, holding teams to 28-percentage from range. Wildens Leveque is top-70 in the country in blocks per game at 1.62 and set a new Myrtle Beach Invitational record for blocks in a single game with five. UMass forced UAlbany into 19 turnovers last game and came away with 12 steals, led by five from Tafara Gapare.

Approaching 300
Head Coach Frank Martin is five wins away from reaching 300 for his career and currently holds a 294-202 record as a collegiate head coach. Martin picked up 171 of his 295 wins in 10 seasons at South Carolina and won 117 games in five seasons at Kansas State.

Looking Ahead
UMass returns on the road for a pair of Basketball Hall of Fame contests on neutral courts, beginning with Hofstra at the Barclays Center on Sunday as part of the Hall of Fame Invitational. The Minutemen will take on North Texas in their backyard in Springfield, Mass. at the MassMutual Center on Saturday, Dec. 17 at 3 p.m.

Scoreboard

Players Mentioned

Dyondre Dominguez

Tafara Gapare

Isaac Kante

Wildens Leveque

RJ Luis

Keon Thompson

Scoreboard

University of Massachusets Athletics