NJIT, UMass Lowell meet in conference play

NJIT (2-2, 1-1) vs. UMass Lowell (2-6, 1-3)

Costello Athletic Center, Lowell, Massachusetts; Saturday, 3 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: UMass Lowell plays host to NJIT in an America East matchup. Each team last saw action this past Monday. NJIT needed overtime to beat Vermont by one point, while UMass Lowell fell to Stony Brook, 71-64.

BIG MEN ON CAMPUS: UMass Lowell's Obadiah Noel has averaged 22 points and 4.1 rebounds while Connor Withers has put up 5.9 points and 4.9 rebounds. For the Highlanders, Zach Cooks has averaged 18.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.5 steals while Dylan O'Hearn has put up 16.5 points.

FACILITATING THE OFFENSE: Noel has been directly responsible for 53 percent of all UMass Lowell field goals over the last three games. The senior guard has 24 field goals and eight assists in those games.

SLIPPING AT 71: UMass Lowell is 0-5 this year when it allows 71 points or more and 2-1 when holding opponents to fewer than 71.

ACCOUNTING FOR ASSISTS: The River Hawks have recently created buckets via assists more often than the Highlanders. UMass Lowell has an assist on 27 of 60 field goals (45 percent) over its previous three outings while NJIT has assists on 29 of 81 field goals (35.8 percent) during its past three games.

DID YOU KNOW: The NJIT offense has recorded a turnover on only 15.2 percent of its possessions, which is the 15th-best rate in the nation. The UMass Lowell defense has forced opposing teams to turn the ball over on just 16.4 percent of all possessions (ranked 308th among Division I teams).

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