Men’s Basketball: Terriers Set to Face River Hawks

Featured image by Troy Bolduc

By Austin Rayamajhi

Boston University Men’s Basketball (5-6, 0-0 PL) is set to take on the UMass Lowell River Hawks (9-4, 0-0 AE) in an afternoon matchup over the weekend. 

BU has had a shaky start to their season. After stringing together four wins in their last five matchups, the Terriers fell to Merrimack in a heart-breaker during their last game. 

Lowell and BU have had their fair share of history, playing against each other 11 times. The two schools have played a game against each other every year since 2013, aside from the covid-striken year in 2020. The Terriers have a slight edge, winning six games compared to the River Hawks five. However, Lowell has won the last two matchups between the teams. 

Lowell is a dynamic and balanced team, with four people averaging over ten points per game. Leading this group is graduate guard Quinton Mincey with his 16.5 points per game. Mincey is a talented shooter, shooting 38.5% from the 3 point line. He also leads the team in minutes at 34.2 per game, averaging nearly 8 minutes more per game than the next player. 

Next to Mincey, Lowell has talented fifth year forward Max Brooks. Brooks leads the team in rebounds with 7.8 a game, and is second in scoring with an average of 15.3 points per game. Brooks is a force in the paint on both ends, averaging 2.6 blocks per game while shooting 74.1% from the field. 

In addition to Mincey and Brooks, the River Hawks have freshman guard Martin Somerville and fifth year guard Yuri Cuvington. Somerville is another prolific shooter for Lowell, shooting a team high 45% from 3 among players who have played at least ten games. Cuvington is averaging a career-high 11.3 points per game this season. 

BU is hoping to string together some wins before Patriot League play starts. The Terriers will have to break some trends if they want the victory as Lowell is currently undefeated at home, boasting an 8-0 record. BU is just 1-3 on the road so far this season.  

For the Terriers, sophomore guard Kyrone Alexander continues to be their star player. Alexander is the only Terrier averaging over ten points per game, at 13.4, and is the only player to be in the top three for points, rebounds, and assists for the team. Alexander is looking to bounce back as the last game against Merrimack saw him put up just eight points and miss an important free throw in the clutch.

The Terriers will face the River Hawks on Dec. 21st at 2 p.m. in a contest taking place in Lowell, Massachusetts with the game streaming on ESPN+