Preview: River Hawks Visit Black Bears in America East Matchup VEAZIE, Maine (Interstat) — Two America East men’s basketball teams looking to halt losing streaks will meet Tuesday night when the Massachusetts-Lowell River Hawks visit the Maine Black Bears at Cross Insurance Center. The River Hawks (13-17) enter on a two-game skid, including an 84-60 home loss to Maryland-Baltimore County on Saturday. The Black Bears (8-21) have dropped three of their last four, most recently falling 74-67 at Binghamton. Massachusetts-Lowell will look to guard Shawn Simmons to provide a spark. The junior is averaging 10.1 points per game and is coming off a 13-point performance against UMBC. He scored 15 points in a Jan. 31 meeting with Maine, a 91-77 River Hawks victory at home. Maine counters with guard Mekhi Gray, who has been a bright spot during a difficult season. Gray is averaging 12.3 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. He poured in a team-high 19 points in the loss at Binghamton and had 17 points in a Feb. 5 upset win over Vermont. The River Hawks have dominated the recent series, winning the last six meetings. Their 14-point win earlier this season was fueled by 52% shooting from the field and a 42-28 rebounding advantage. Both teams have struggled for consistency in conference play. Massachusetts-Lowell has shown flashes, winning three straight in mid-February before its current slide. Maine has conference wins over Vermont and Albany this season but has yet to win consecutive games since late January. Tuesday’s contest is the penultimate regular-season game for both squads before the America East tournament. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. EST.