It will be a matchup between two of the nation’s top scoring defenses when the Massachusetts-Lowell River Hawks (10-15) take on the UMBC Retrievers (6-20). The game gets underway at 12:00 pm ET on Sunday, Feb. 14.
The River Hawks were victorious over Maine 108-95 on Thursday. Matt Harris led all scorers on the team with 33 points on 10-for-15 shooting. The Retrievers are coming off a deflating 75-52 loss at the hands of Stony Brook on Thursday. Ishmail Jabbie stood out for UMBC, posting eight points, two steals, and two rebounds.
When considering eFG%, the River Hawks figure to have a significant advantage on the offensive end. They rank 31st in the nation in that category at 54.1%, whereas the porous defense of UMBC ranks 345th in eFG% with opponents connecting at a clip of 55.2%.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The River Hawks won the first game 95-89. Harris was a top performer in the victory with 32 points, four rebounds, one assist, and five three-pointers.
Notes
In its last game, UMBC lost by a margin of 23 points. Massachusetts-Lowell is 1-6 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. UMBC has a 0-6 record in blowouts.
The Massachusetts-Lowell River Hawks average a field goal percentage of 46.8% this season. The UMBC Retrievers have an underachieving record of 1-14 when opponents have a FG% of 46.8% or greater.
The Massachusetts-Lowell River Hawks rank lower for their field goal percentage (53rd) than they do for their effective field goal percentage (31st), but the UMBC Retrievers have a better FG% ranking (179th) than eFG% ranking (184th).
Massachusetts-Lowell ranks 82nd in assists, registering 15.0 per game. UMBC performs worse at 250th with 12.4 assists per game.
Massachusetts-Lowell has forced an average turnover percentage of 20.0% this season. UMBC has a poor 3-6 record when its TO% is 20.0% or higher.
