Sacred Heart Pioneers vs UMass Lowell River Hawks Prediction, 12/16/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Sacred Heart Pioneers vs UMass Lowell River Hawks

Date: Tuesday, December 16, 2025

Location: Kennedy Family Athletic Complex in Lowell, MA

TV: ESPN+

The UMass Lowell River Hawks (4-8) host the Sacred Heart Pioneers (4-6) at Kennedy Family Athletic Complex on Tuesday.

The Sacred Heart Pioneers faced off with NJIT and earned the victory with a final of 65-49 in their last contest. Sacred Heart wrapped up the game with a 42.9% field goal percentage (24 of 56) and knocked down 6 of their 18 3-point shots. At the charity stripe, the Pioneers knocked down 11 of 14 shots for a percentage of 78.6%. When discussing getting rebounds, they earned 35 with 8 of them being of the offensive sort. They also doled out 17 assists in this contest in addition to creating 10 turnovers and earning 6 steals. With respect to defense, Sacred Heart let their opponent shoot 28.3% from the field on 17 of 60 shooting. NJIT recorded 10 assists and had 3 steals in the matchup. Additionally, NJIT totaled 33 rebounds (12 offensive, 21 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. NJIT finished the contest at 64.3% at the free throw line by burying 9 of their 14 tries. They also knocked down 6 of their 29 shots from beyond the perimeter. When discussing personal fouls, the Pioneers finished with 15 while NJIT racked up 12 personal fouls.

Nyle Ralph-Beyer is someone who was a major factor in the game. He went 58.3% from the floor but had no assists when the game ended. He played 35 minutes and pulled down 3 rebounds. He was able to score 21 points on 7 out of 12 shooting.

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Sacred Heart heads into this one with a win-loss mark of 4-6 this season. They turn it over 13.8 times per contest and as a team they are committing 16.1 personal fouls every game. As a unit, Sacred Heart is collecting 34.7 rebounds per game and is sitting with 153 assists for the year, which has them ranked 198th in college in terms of passing. The Pioneers are shooting 36.7% on shots from distance (114 of 311) and 77.9% from the free throw line. They currently have an average of 77.2 pts per contest (193rd in college) while shooting 43.3% from the field.

Defensively, the Pioneers are able to force 13.2 turnovers per game and they draw 15.8 personal fouls. They concede 36.7% on shots from beyond the arc and they rank 298th in college in PPG allowed (78.7). The Pioneers defense is giving up a FG percentage of 46.8% (277 of 592) and they concede 34.2 rebounds per game as a team. They are ranked 313th in college in giving up assists with 174 relinquished this season.

The last time they took the hardwood, the UMass Lowell River Hawks took a defeat with a final score of 75-71 against Quinnipiac. In relation to rebounding, UMass Lowell allowed Quinnipiac to get 34 in all (13 on the offensive glass). They finished 25.0% from 3-point land by going 4 out of 16 and finished the contest at 19 of 29 from the free throw line (65.5%). The River Hawks permitted Quinnipiac to knock down 26 of 63 tries from the floor which had them shooting 41.3% in this contest. In all, the River Hawks finished the game shooting 27 for 57 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 47.4%. When it comes to 3-point shots, UMass Lowell made 10 of 19 attempts (52.6%). They were able to knock down 7 of them for a percentage of 53.8%. Quinnipiac earned 15 personal fouls for this contest which took the River Hawks to the charity stripe for 13 shots. They also turned it over 19 times, while earning 4 steals in this game. The River Hawks snagged 24 defensive rebounds and 6 offensive boards totaling 30 in the game.

Angel Montas was important for the River Hawks for the contest. He totaled 18 points in his 33 mins on the hardwood and had 2 dimes in the matchup. He made 7 out of 13 in the game for a field goal rate of 53.8%, and accumulated 8 rebounds.

UMass Lowell has a win-loss record of 4-8 this season. The River Hawks are responsible for committing 15.8 personal fouls per game and they go 67.0% from the free throw line. They are assisting teammates 13.8 times per game (236th in college) and they turn it over 14.7 times per contest. UMass Lowell has totaled 929 points on the year (77.4 per game) and they collect 38.2 boards per game. As an offense, the River Hawks are hitting on 47.2% from the field, which ranks them 108th in D-1.

The UMass Lowell defense gives up 34.2% on shots from distance (104 of 304) and their opponents are connecting on 72.9% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have given up 14.8 assists and 34.6 boards on a nightly basis, which has them ranked 272nd and 180th in those defensive categories. The River Hawks defensively are ranked 301st in college in points allowed per game with 78.9. They are forcing 11.5 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 44.0% from the field (221st in the country).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take UMass Lowell

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