MEN'S BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK
 
Fresh off its third straight road win, the Vermont men's basketball team returns to Patrick Gym to host UMass Lowell for a 7 p.m. tipoff Monday night.
 
The game can be seen on AmericaEast.TV for free in HD and can be heard on ESPN 101.3 FM with AJ Kanell on the call.
 
RELATED LINKS
Vermont Game Notes (.pdf)
UMass Lowell Game Notes
UMass Lowell Game Coverage: Live Video – Live Audio – Live Stats
Hartford Flashback: Game Recap – CatamounTV Highlights
 
Last Time Out at Hartford: Five Catamounts scored in double figures led by a career-high 24 from senior Ethan O'Day and the Vermont men's basketball team got back to its winning ways defeating Hartford on the road, 83-68. O'Day put together one of the best performances of his career pouring in his 24 points on a swift 10-of-13 shooting to go along with 10 rebounds and a career-high six blocks. The double-double was the third of his career and the ten rebounds also give him 500 for his career. Cam Ward finished the night with 17 points, seven assists and five rebounds off the bench while the Duncan brothers combined for 26 points in the win – Ernie with 15 and Everett with a career-best 11. Kurt Steidl also reached double-figures chipping in with 11, as well. With Vermont leading by 17 points at one point during the first half, Hartford stormed back to take a 42-39 lead at halftime. Vermont clamped down defensively in the second half, holding the Hawks to just 25% shooting in the latter 20 minutes en route to victory.
 
About UMass Lowell: In its third transitional year of Division I play, UMass Lowell enters Monday's contest with a 6-11 record overall and 2-1 in league play. The Riverhawks joined America East in the spring of 2013 and are coming off a 95-89 overtime road win against UMBC on Saturday. Matt Harris scored 28 of his career-high 32 points after halftime. Jahad Thomas finished with 19 points and six steals in the win. Thomas, who missed the final seven games of last season due to injury, has picked up right where he left off before the injury. An America East All-Rookie selection last year, Thomas leads UML in scoring (13.0 ppg), rebounding (7.1 rpg) and assists (3.8 apg). Harris comes into the game shooting 44.7% from downtown - one of the top percentages in the league. Pat Duquette, in his third season as bench boss for UMass Lowell, has a record of 28-46 and led the Riverhawks to a win over ACC foe Boston College earlier this season.
 
Series History: Vermont leads the all-times series with UMass Lowell 4-0. The first ever meeting between the two teams occurred just two seasons ago in Lowell. (UVM Win, 62-48). In two games at Patrick Gym, UVM has beaten UMass Lowell by an average of 34 points. In two games in Lowell, Vermont has won by an average of 12.5 points.
 
Last Season vs. UMass Lowell: Vermont swept the season series with UMass Lowell last season. In the first meeting in Lowell, Vermont shot 54% from the field and Dre Wills scored 20 points to lead four Catamounts in double-figures in a 61-50 Catamount win. In the second meeting, Vermont made 16 3-pointers and shot 76.2 percent from 3-point range to roll past UMass Lowell, 96-53.  Ethan O'Day scored 21 points in 20 minutes of action as Vermont led 29-6 just nine minutes into the contest.
 
Top Cats in America East: Since the start of the 2002-2003 season, Vermont has 187 America East wins. That is the most in the league and 64 more than the next team (Albany - 123).
 
Cats in January: Since the start of the 2011-12 season, Vermont has gone 32-8 in the month of January. The Cats were 7-3 last season and 8-1 in 2013-14.
 
The Big Cheese Unleashed: O'Day's monster game against Hartford ranks as one of the top performances in program history. O'Day is the first player to score at least 20 points, grab 10 boards and block five shots since Marqus Blaklely, who went for 30 points, 20 rebounds and six blocks against Hartford on February 20, 2008.