Preview: River Hawks Visit Wildcats in America East Clash

LEE, N.H. (Interstat) — Two teams seeking momentum in the America East Conference will meet Thursday when the New Hampshire Wildcats host the Massachusetts-Lowell River Hawks at Lundholm Gym.

Both squads enter the Jan. 29 matchup with sub-.500 overall records. The visiting River Hawks (8-13) have lost three straight, including a 79-56 defeat at Maryland-Baltimore County on Saturday. The Wildcats (7-12) have won three of their last four, most recently an 80-72 home victory over Albany on Jan. 24.

A key matchup will feature two of the conference’s recent standout performers. For Massachusetts-Lowell, junior forward Austin Green has been a consistent force. Over his last seven games, Green is averaging 12.1 points and 5.8 rebounds per contest. He posted 14 points and six rebounds in the loss to UMBC.

New Hampshire will counter with sophomore guard KiJan Robinson, who is coming off a prolific stretch. Robinson averaged 18.3 points over his last three games, including a 22-point effort against Vermont and an 18-point performance in a triple-overtime win over Binghamton on Jan. 22. He scored 17 points in the win over Albany.

The River Hawks’ recent struggles follow a three-game winning streak earlier in January. Beyond Green, Victor Okojie added 12 points off the bench against UMBC. New Hampshire’s recent uptick has been fueled by Robinson and forward Jack Graham, who had 15 points and five rebounds against Albany.

This is the first of two regular-season meetings between the rivals. They will play again in Lowell on Feb. 19. In the broader conference standings, both teams are looking to climb out of the bottom tier and secure positioning for the America East tournament.

Following this game, Massachusetts-Lowell will travel to face Maine on Jan. 31. New Hampshire will hit the road for a game at Bryant on the same day.

Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. EST at Lundholm Gymnasium on the campus of the University of New Hampshire.