MEN'S BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK
 
The Vermont men's basketball team wraps up a brief two-game road trip Monday night with a 7 p.m. contest against the Riverhawks of UMass Lowell.
 
Tipoff from the Costello Athletic Center can be seen via a FREE live stream available on AmericaEast.TV. Local radio coverage begins at 6:30 on ESPN 101.3 FM with AJ Kanell calling the action.
 
RELATED LINKS
Vermont Game Notes (.pdf)
UMass Lowell Game Notes
UMass Lowell Game Coverage: Live Video – Live Audio – Live Stats
Albany Flashback: Game Recap – CatamounTV Highlights
 
Last Time Out at Albany: Vermont held a one-point lead with under two minutes left but Albany went five-for-six at the free throw line in the final 90 seconds to close out a 75-71 win over the Catamounts Saturday night at SEFCU Arena. Ernie Duncan posted a new career-high of 23 points to pace a pair of Catamounts in double-figures. Duncan finished shooting 8-of-14 from the field including 5-of-9 from beyond the arc. Cam Ward contributed 13 points off the Vermont bench in 23 minutes of action. Peter Hooley and Evan Singletary both scored 20 points to lead the Great Danes. Singletary did all of his damage in the second half scoring all 20 points after halftime including 8-of-10 from the free throw line. Ward completed an old-fashioned three-point play out of a timeout to give Vermont a 71-70 lead with 1:50 showing on the clock. The Great Danes got to the free throw line six times in the final 90 seconds, though, and iced the game with five makes. The Cats had two chances to tie with less than thirty seconds to play but three-pointers from Duncan and Ward didn't find the mark.
 
About UMass Lowell: UMass Lowell is coming off a 91-73 loss to Stony Brook on Saturday in Lowell. Isaac White tied a career-high with 20 points including six three-pointers. Stony Brook led by as many as 25 after Lowell jumped out to a 6-2 lead right off the jump. The Riverhawks have gone 1-1 in their first two games through the second half of league play with a win over Hartford and Saturday's loss to the Seawolves. UMass Lowell is led by do-it-all forward Jahad Thomas. The sophomore leads the team in scoring (12.8 ppg), rebounding (7.4 rpg) and assists (3.4 apg). As a team, the Riverhawks (8-15, 4-6 AE) average about 75 points per contest while giving up over 80. 
 
Series History: Vermont leads the all-times series with UMass Lowell 4-1. The first ever meeting between the two teams occurred just two seasons ago in Lowell. (UVM Win, 62-48). In two games in Lowell, Vermont has won by an average of 12.5 points, including last season's 61-50 win at the Tsongas Center.
 
Last Meeting vs. UMass Lowell: UMass Lowell used a balanced attack with six players scoring in double figures to outgun Vermont and hand the Catamounts a 93-82 defeat at Patrick Gym on Jan. 18. Dre Wills returned to the Vermont lineup in a big way finishing with a career-high 22 points and four rebounds. Ethan O'Day chipped in with 12 points to go along with seven rebounds while Trae Bell-Haynes, Everett Duncan (both with 11 points) and Cam Ward (10 points) all found double digits. Jahad Thomas led the way for UMass Lowell collecting 14 points and nine rebounds. Logan Primerano scored a team-high 17 points including some key buckets down the stretch, most notably a follow-slam midway through the second half.
 
On the Road Again: Since the 2011-12 season, Vermont is 26-11 in road regular season games vs. conference opponents. The Cats are 4-1 this season, were 5-3 last season and 7-1 during the 2013-14 season (won Regular Season Championship).
 
Double-Trouble: After registering just one double-double as a team in 2014-15 (Drew Urquhart vs. SVC), the Cats have posted eight this season by six different players.
 
Landing on Their Feet: The Cats have shown good resiliency when it comes to bouncing back after a loss. This season, Vermont is 7-3 after a loss (2-3 on the road). Four players average in double figures led by Kurt Steidl (11.7 ppg). In those ten games, Vermont has also shot nearly 50% from the floor.
 
Swat Team: With 108 blocks through 25 games, the Catamounts rank first in the America East in total blocks and second in blocks per game (4.3). Ethan O'Day ranks second with his 50 blocks.
 
Off the Pine: Vermont's bench players have been key to the 6-4 start to league play. UVM's bench players outscored their counterparts 72-32 in the last three games. Against Albany, Vermont outscored the Danes 26-15 off the bench thanks to 13 points from Cam Ward.