University of Massachusets Athletics
Men's Basketball Concludes Home Stand Against Rhode Island
February 19, 2001 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 19, 2001
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Probable UMass (11-12/9-3) Starters Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Cl. F 40 Micah Brand 6-11 243 So. F 20 Winston Smith 6-5 228 Sr. C 33 Kitwana Rhymer 6-10 256 Sr. G 5 Monty Mack 6-3 200 Sr. G 30 Shannon Crooks 6-2 222 Jr.
Probable Rhode Island (5-21/1-12) Starters Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Cl. F 21 Andre Scott 6-9 225 Fr. F 14 Tavorris Bell 6-6 210 Jr. C 54 Marcus Evans 6-9 250 Jr. G 2 Dinno Daniels 6-0 175 Jr. G 33 Zach Marbury 6-3 185 Jr.
About the Minutemen: Coach Bruiser Flint's UMass basketball team winds up its season-long three-game homestand and hopes to rebound from Saturday's 84-52 loss to Temple when it faces Rhode Island in the 116th meeting between the schools. The Minutemen fell to 9-3 in the A-10 and 11-12 overall with Saturday's loss, their worst-ever in the Mullins Center and worst in Amherst since St. Joseph's (a Hawk team which included Flint and UMass associate coach Geoff Arnold) beat Massachusetts at Curry Hicks Cage, 84-50, Feb. 15, 1986. The Minutemen, though, have won seven of their last nine games, and own their second-best A-10 mark after 12 games in Flint's tenure, behind an 11-1 record in 1997-98. Massachusetts beat Rhode Island three weeks ago tonight in Providence, 78-46, and is aiming to sweep the regular-season series from the Rams for the second-straight season and the ninth time in the last 12 years. Picked for third in the A-10 preseason coaches and media poll (behind Xavier and Temple, teams that UMass went 3-1 against this season) but left for dead after posting a 2-9 non-league record, UMass finds itself fighting for the A-10 title, but in need of help to reach that goal. The Minutemen are alone in third-place in the standings, two games behind first-place St. Joseph's (11-1, at Dayton tomorrow), a half-game behind second-place Xavier (10-3, hosts St. Bonaventure tomorrow) and a half-game in front of fourth-place Temple (9-4, idle until Saturday). Minuteman senior guard Monty Mack, who enters today's game with 2,047 points, has scored 20-or-more points in eight-straight games and in 13 of his last 14 outings. The first UMass player since Julius Erving in 1970-71 to score 20-or-more in eight-straight games, Mack has averaged 23.3 points over his last eight outings.
About the Rams: Rhode Island is 5-21 overall and 1-12 in the A-10 after Saturday's 79-65 loss at Xavier. The Rams have dropped six straight since beating La Salle in double-overtime, 96-92, Jan. 27, at Kingston, and are in last place in the A-10, a game behind 10th-place Duquesne (a squad Rhode Island faces in Kingston Feb. 28). Rhody, 0-13 away from home this season, has lost 20-straight games away from home since beating La Salle, 75-66, in Philadelphia, Jan. 15, 2000, and is one of two A-10 teams still in search of its first conference road win of the season.
Last Time Out: UMass ran into a red-hot Temple team, and the result was a crushing 84-52 defeat Saturday afternoon at the Mullins Center. The Minutemen held a 5-2 lead on a Micah Brand basket at the 16:57 mark, but the Owls went on an 8-0 run to take a 10-5 lead at the 15:44 mark and the closest UMass would get the rest of the way would be one at 12-11 with 14:40 left. The Owls held a 17-point halftime lead, 47-30, and built the advantage to 27 early in the second half (59-32) en route to handing the Minutemen their worst loss ever in the Mullins Center and worst in Amherst in some 15 seasons. After hitting 64.0 percent from the field in the first half (60.0 percent from three-point range), Temple cooled in the second half, but still shot 52.6 percent from the field and 55.0 percent from beyond the arc (the Owls' 11 made treys were a Mullins Center record). Quincy Wadley (28 points) and Lynn Greer (26) combined for 54 of Temple's 84 points, as Temple won at the Mullins Center for the second-straight season and third time overall. Monty Mack led UMass with 21 points, while Jackie Rogers came off the bench to record his first career double-double, a 13-point, 11-rebound effort.
Minuteman Coach Bruiser Flint: UMass' James "Bruiser" Flint (St. Joseph's, 1987) stands 82-69 (.543) in his fifth season as a collegiate head coach, all with the Minutemen. In his 12th season overall in Amherst, Flint is one of only two coaches in school history to take three teams to postseason play in their first four seasons at the UMass helm (John Calipari was the other). His 82 career wins rank fourth on the school's all-time list, just three behind No. 3 Harold M. Gore (85 wins in 11 years from 1916-17, 1918-19 and 1920-29). Only three other men, Jack Leaman (343 games), Calipari (264) and Robert T. Curran (161), have coached in more games at UMass than Bruiser's 151, and only Calipari (91 victories) has won more A-10 regular-season games on the Minuteman bench than Flint (50). Flint, whose first two Minuteman squads earned NCAA Tournament bids and whose fourth team went to the NIT, owns a 50-26 (.658) record in regular-season Atlantic 10 Conference play. Each of Flint's first four UMass squads finished third or higher in the A-10 standings, and his 2000 unit became the first to reach the conference tournament semifinals since the 1996 squad captured the last of the school's five consecutive league tournament crowns. His teams have won at least nine conference games every season. In addition, his program has produced at least one all-conference performer each year, and nine of his 11 seniors (81.8 percent) have left Amherst with degree in hand. Before being tabbed to replace Calipari, Flint, a Philadelphia native, spent seven seasons as an assistant to Cal on the UMass sideline. He is 6-3 vs. Rhode Island, 2-2 at the Mullins Center.
Ram Coach Jerry DeGregorio: Rhode Island's Jerry DeGregorio (St. John's, 1988) owns a 10-46 (.179) record in his second and final season as the Rams' head coach. DeGregorio announced eight days ago that he would step down as Rhody's coach at the end of the season. The 17th coach in Rhode Island history, DeGregorio is 0-3 vs. UMass and Flint, 0-1 at the Mullins Center.
The Series: This is the 116th meeting in a series that UMass leads, 66-49, after last month's 78-46 victory over the Rams in Providence. The Minutemen, who have won 22 of the last 27 meetings between the teams, have won three straight over Rhode Island since a 59-56 Ram victory at the Providence Civic Center, Feb. 13, 1999. UMass is 40-18 vs. the Rams in games played in the Commonwealth, including a 5-2 advantage in games played at the Mullins Center. Rhody's last win over UMass at the Mullins Center was a 73-62 decision, Feb. 4, 1999. The Minutemen have beaten the Rams more times (66) than any other opponent and the series ranks as the longest in school history in terms of games played (115).
Earlier This Season in Providence: UMass ran its win streak to five-straight by downing Rhode Island, 78-46, at the Providence Civic Center, Jan. 30. The Minutemen, who trailed just once in the game (at 2-0), built a 13-point halftime lead, 35-22, as senior guard Monty Mack tallied 21 of the team's 35 first-half points. The Rams would pull to within 39-30 with 18:03 left on a Dinno Daniels lay-up, but UMass used an 11-0 run to make it 50-30 with 13:28 to play and never looked back in beating Rhody for the 22nd time in the last 27 meetings between the teams. Mack paced the UMass offensive attack as he poured in a season-high 29 points, to go with three assists and a steal, in 31 minutes of work. Mack's effort, just five points off his career-best, marked the 47th time in his career he had scored 20-or-more points, one more 20-point outing than Julius Erving had in his two-year, 52-game career. Junior guard Shannon Crooks netted 10 points and collected four steals for the Minutemen, while junior forward Jackie Rogers came off the bench to tally 13 points and junior center Eric Williams pulled down 10 rebounds. Zach Marbury led Rhode Island with 22 points. The Minutemen, who posted their largest win of the season, pounded Rhode Island on the glass, 45-22, allowed a season-low 46 points, had a season-high 13 steals and forced a season-high 23 turnovers.
Active UMass Players vs. Rhode Island
GP FG% 3FG% FT% Reb. PPG A TO BK ST MP
Blizzard 3 .500 .000 .500 2.0 4.3 3 4 5 1 33
Brand 3 .609 .000 .444 6.0 10.7 1 4 3 1 65
Crooks 3 .536 .375 .667 4.7 11.7 6 8 1 12 80
DePina 7 .233 .222 .667 2.3 3.4 22 5 0 8 139
Jenkins 1 .000 .000 .000 2.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 4
Killings 1 .000 .000 .000 2.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 2
Mack 7 .438 .333 .800 3.6 17.1 19 10 0 11 228
Pugh 1 .000 .000 .000 2.0 0.0 1 0 0 1 7
Rhymer 5 .333 .000 .636 4.0 3.4 4 6 0 0 73
Rogers 1 .714 .000 .750 6.0 13.0 0 2 2 0 14
Smith 6 .611 .667 .667 2.0 4.7 7 2 0 6 96
Williams 1 .250 .000 .000 10.0 2.0 1 2 0 1 21
The Minutemen at Mullins: Massachusetts, 5-3 at the Mullins Center this season (6-3 overall at home, including a win over Duquesne at the Springfield Civic Center), stands 75-21 (.781) in its ninth season of play here, 53-14 (.791) all-time vs. A-10 opponents. Under coach Bruiser Flint, the Minutemen are 37-20 (.649) at Mullins, 25-12 (.676) against league foes. Rhode Island is one of three schools (George Washington and Temple are the others) to beat UMass twice (2-5) at the Mullins Center, and a win would allow it to join those two institutions as the only three-time winners against the Minutemen here. The Minutemen, on the other hand, are assured of a winning homecourt record for the 19th-straight season, but need one more victory here to assure a ninth-straight above .500 record at the Mullins Center.
Mack's Hot: UMass senior guard Monty Mack has been on fire, scoring 20-or-more points in eight-straight games (23.3 ppg over that stretch) and in 13 of his last 14 outings (21.9 ppg in that period) overall after Saturday's 21-point effort against Temple. Mack's string of 20-point outings is a career-long, and the longest by a UMass player since Julius Erving's 11-game streak to open his junior campaign in 1970-71. Mack has recorded 51 career 20-point scoring games, five more than Erving had in his two-year, 52-game career, and six shy of Jim McCoy's school-record 57 from 1988-92. Mack has recorded at least one 20-point scoring game against every league opponent, and has two-or-more such performances against nine of 10 A-10 foes, including Rhode Island (two such efforts). The 373rd Division I player to reach the 2,000-point plateau, Mack's 2,047 points rank second to McCoy's 2,374 in UMass annals, and he is the first player in A-10 history to record career totals of 2,000 points, 300 made treys (has 304), 200 assists (has 249) and 150 steals (has 151), while playing 4,000 minutes (4,131). In fact, only two A-10 players, La Salle's Donnie Carr (308) and Duquesne's Tom Pipkins (311), have nailed more treys in there career than Mack (La Salle's Kareem Townes made 300 treys in his career but never played in the A-10).
Stepping Up: The names are the same, but their games are not. Perhaps that's the best way to explain how a team was picked to finish third in the league's preseason poll, then stumbled to a 2-9 record in the non-conference season, but has since won nine of 12 games in A-10 play. Five players are scoring at a higher rate than they did in the non-league season, and the result is that UMass is averaging 4.9 points more per game against its league foes (71.2 ppg) than it did in the non-conference (64.7 ppg) portion of the schedule. Those Minutemen stepping up include:
Player Non-League A-10 Difference Monty Mack 16.3 ppg 22.3 ppg +6.0 Jackie Rogers 5.2 ppg 7.1 ppg +1.9 Micah Brand 8.2 ppg 9.8 ppg +1.6 Kitwana Rhymer 8.6 ppg 9.3 ppg +0.7 Ronell Blizzard 1.7 ppg 2.3 ppg +0.6
As a team, UMass has stepped up its game in just about every facet since the arrival of A-10 play, as the comparison listed below illustrates:
UMass Non-League vs. A-10 Offensive Statistical Comparison
G FG% 3FG% FT% Reb. Mar. PPG A TO BK ST
Non-Conf. 11 .385 .296 .626 -2.1 64.7 11.5 16.3 5.2 6.6
A-10 12 .445 .358 .699 +2.3 69.6 13.7 13.5 5.3 6.2
What a Schedule: Grueling. Tough. Hard. Difficult. Take your pick. They're all words that can be used to describe the UMass schedule this season, which this week is ranked as the nation's sixth-(Sagarin), seventh-(College Basketball News) or 12th-(CollegeRPI.com) toughest in college basketball, depending on the rating service used. Using the latest CollegeRPI.com rankings, 17 of the Minutemen's 23 games thus far have been against teams with an RPI of 103 or better, and 16 are ranked 88th or better. UMass is 2-4 vs. opponents ranked from 1-50 in the RPI, 2-8 vs. teams ranked from 51 through 100, 4-0 vs. teams ranked from 101 to 150 and 3-0 vs. teams ranked worse than 151. Every team that has beaten UMass this season has a .500 or better record, and seven have already won at least 17 games. The 12 teams that have beaten the Minutemen this season are a combined 202-91 (.689) to date. UMass' RPI is No. 65 entering tonight's game, and two of their last four league opponents are ranked from 1-80 in the RPI. Rhody checks in at No. 227. The Minutemen would appear to be on track to have a schedule ranked among the nation's top 20 in degree of difficulty for the third time under coach Bruiser Flint, and the fourth time in school history, based on CollegeRPI.com's figures. UMass' other top 20 schedules in terms of difficulty came in 1997-98 (No. 19), 1996-97 (No. 14) and 1993-94 (No. 9). Over the last eight seasons, only once has the Minuteman strength of schedule been ranked lower than 56.
Why We Win: In each of their 11 victories this season, the Minutemen bench has outscored their opponent's bench, and in 10 of their wins they have outshot the opponent. Against Xavier, a 59-49 victory, UMass outshot the Musketeers, .365-.315, and its bench outscored XU's, 16-6. In its 11 wins, UMass has shot 46.0 percent (278-of-604) from the field, 66.7 percent at the foul line (162-of-243), outrebounded its opponents by +3.8 rpg, while averaging 70.6 points and 13.6 turnovers per game. Those numbers compare to 37.6 percent field goal shooting (259-of-689), 65.7 percent free throw marksmanship (190-of-289), a -3.1 rebound margin, 64.2 points and 15.9 turnovers in the Minutemen's 12 setbacks. As can be expected, there is also a marked statistical difference between the Minutemen's defensive averages in their wins when compared to their losses. UMass has held its opponents to 58.5 ppg and 37.0 percent (220-of-594) field goal shooting, while forcing 15.5 turnovers in its 11 wins, but in defeat, the 12 opponents have averaged 77.1 points per game and shot 44.9 percent (301-of-671) from the field. In 10 of its 12 losses, though, UMass led at some point in the game before falling (the exceptions were at Ohio State and to Boston College at home).
The SWAT Squad: Through 23 games, UMass leads the Atlantic 10 in blocked shots with an average of 5.26 rejections per game (a league-best 121 on the season). The Minutemen, who have had five or more rejections 13 times, had a season-high 13 snuffs against Duquesne, and have had at least one blocked shot in 89-straight games since being held without one in a 74-66 loss at Temple, March 1, 1998. Kitwana Rhymer leads the team and the Atlantic 10 Conference with 2.13 bpg (49), while Micah Brand (28, 1.21 bpg) ranks second on the team and seventh in the A-10 and Ronell Blizzard (24, 1.04 bpg) is third on the squad and eighth in the league. Those three players have blocked more shots (101) as a trio than eight A-10 teams have recorded for the season, and Rhymer's total by itself would stand ahead of one team.
70 or More Usually Means Good Things: The Minutemen are 5-3 this season when scoring 70-or-more points, a number that continues to be a good indicator to use in predicting their success. UMass is 18-5 (.783) when scoring 70-plus points over the past two seasons, but just 20-33 (.377) when scoring 69 or fewer points. Under coach Bruiser Flint, the Minutemen are 44-13 (.772) all-time when reaching the 70-point mark, but just 38-56 (.404) when scoring 69 or fewer points. UMass is also 11-41 (.212) under Flint when it allows 70 or more points, including an 0-8 mark this season.
Watch the Clock: Under coach Bruiser Flint, UMass has been nearly unbeatable when leading with 5:00 remaining, as the Minutemen are 75-9 (.893) all-time under his leadership when ahead after 35 minutes of play, including an 11-0 mark this season. UMass is 2-2 (.500) in Flint's tenure when tied with 5:00 to go, 0-1 this year. UMass has struggled nearly as much when trailing with 5:00 left, posting a 5-58 mark (.079), which includes an 0-11 record this year. The Minutemen's come-from-behind victories in Flint's tenure came against North Carolina-Wilmington (down 41-37, but won 47-46) and Duquesne (trailed 63-60, won 73-71) in 1996-97, Charlotte (behind 48-45, won 68-62 in OT) and St. Joseph's (behind 63-58, won 82-79 in OT) in 1997-98 and Villanova (down 40-38, won 52-51) last year.
Comeback Kids: On 17 occasions over the last six-plus seasons, including 11 times under coach Flint, the Minutemen have overcome a double-digit deficit at some point in the game to claim victory. UMass' most-recent double-digit rally to win effort came against Dayton, when it overcame an 11-point first half deficit to beat the Flyers, 62-57, at the Mullins Center, Jan. 18. Earlier this year against George Washington, the Minutemen overcame a 15-point deficit with 1:07 left in the first half to beat the Colonials, 76-60, at the Mullins Center. The 15-point lead the Minutemen overcame to win marked their largest comeback victory under Flint, three points more than they overcame in a 69-48 victory over Drexel during the 1996-97 campaign, and the program's largest since rallying from 16 down in the first half to beat Maryland, 50-47, Dec. 2, 1995.
Happy New Year: To say the least, New Year's have been good for coach Bruiser Flint and the Minutemen. Under Flint's direction, UMass is a combined 21-33 (.389) in games played through Dec. 31, but is 61-36 (.629) from Jan. 1 through the end of the season. Flint's best month for success has been January, as the Minutemen own a 34-10 (.773) all-time record in the first month of the New Year on his watch. This year's 7-1 (.875) mark gave UMass its second-best January record (by percentage) in Flint's tenure behind a 9-0 (1.000) mark in 1997-98 and ahead of a 7-2 (.778) slate in 1996-97.
Field Goal Shooting is Up and Down: After hitting a then-season-high 54.0 percent from the field in their season-opening victory over Iona, the Minutemen shot just 38.3 percent over the next 13 games (and did not reach the 50.0 percent mark in any game), but have since hit 50.0 percent in three of their last nine outings (.510 vs. Dayton in Amherst, a season-high .552 vs. Duquesne and .524 against Fordham). League play has brought back the UMass shooting touch, as the squad that hit just 38.5 percent in non-conference play and averaged 64.7 points, has connected on 44.5 percent of its fielders against A-10 foes (en route to 69.6 ppg) to move its season mark to 41.5 percent. The Minutemen, who have won 15-straight games when reaching the 50.0 percent mark since an 88-83 loss to George Washington in the quarterfinals of the 1998 Atlantic 10 Tournament, own a 29-4 mark under Flint when hitting better than half of their fielders, including a 4-0 record this year. UMass' top guns are Eric Williams (.519), Jackie Rogers (.518) and Kitwana Rhymer (.507).
Balancing Act: While there is no question that Monty Mack is the Minutemen's go-to player, their offensive attack after him is balanced, as three players behind him are contributing between 9.0 and 9.2 points per game, and a fourth is averaging 6.2 points. Mack's average of 19.5 ppg leads the team, while Shannon Crooks (9.2 ppg), Micah Brand (9.0 ppg), Kitwana Rhymer (9.0 ppg) and Jackie Rogers (6.2 ppg) rank second through fifth. For the season, UMass is 5-5 when placing three or more players in double figures (with a high of five in a loss to Providence), but just 6-7 when two or fewer players reach double-digits. A year ago, UMass had three players average in double-digits, and a fourth at 7.8 ppg. The last time the Minutemen finished the season with just one double-figure scorer was in 1985-86 when Lorenzo Sutton averaged 17.1 ppg. Since then, UMass has had at least three players finish the year with double-figure scoring averages every season.
Foul Shooting: After hitting just 58.6 percent from the free throw line in their first four games of the season, the Minutemen have shot 68.1 percent (284-of-417) from the stripe since then to improve their season mark to 66.2 percent. UMass has hit 70.0 percent or better in 10 of its last 19 games, including a season-high 83.3 percent effort at Ohio State and 78.6 percent performances against both Dayton and Temple away from home. The Minutemen, who have watched their opponents hit 71.3 percent from the line, have been outscored by 61 points (413-352) at the stripe on the year. However, in A-10 action, UMass is shooting 69.9 percent at the free throw line (compared to 62.6 percent in the non-league season) and has shot 70.0 percent or better six times. The Minutemen have only been outscored by seven points at the line (188-181) in league play. UMass' top free throw shooter is Monty Mack at 79.6 percent (86-for-108), while Kitwana Rhymer is second at .698.
Cleaning the Glass: While its free throw shooting has improved in its last 19 games, UMass' rebounding has been better over the last 17 games, too. After being outrebounded in each of their first six games, the Minutemen have outrebounded 11 of their last 17 opponents, and for the season are +0.3 (36.3-36.0) on the glass. In A-10 play, UMass is a +2.3 rpg on the boards and has outrebounded six opponents, but in its last three outings, at Dayton and against Xavier and Temple here, it has been outrebounded by 22 caroms. Last month at Rhode Island, the Minutemen held a +23 advantage on the glass (45-22), their biggest rebound advantage since a +26 effort against St. Joseph's, Feb. 28, 1996. Kitwana Rhymer is UMass' top rebounder at 7.0 per game (7.5 rpg in A-10 play), as seven of the nine players in the rotation are averaging at least 3.0 rebounds per game.
On the Inside: In A-10 action, the Minuteman frontline has played an important role in the team's 9-3 start, accounting for 48.9 percent of the offensive production (34.1 ppg, compared to 31.9 ppg vs. non-league foes). While packing an offensive punch, the frontline has also allowed UMass to outrebound its opponent by +2.3 per game in conference play (compared to a -2.1 rpg margin in non-conference play). In last month's homecourt win over Dayton, the UMass frontline tallied a season-high 51 points, but it scored just 17 points in last Wednesday's win over Xavier and had just 22 points against Temple, but 17 of those points came from its reserves. In league play, Kitwana Rhymer, Micah Brand and Jackie Rogers have done most of the damage. Brand averages 9.8 points and 4.8 rebounds, while Rhymer contributes 9.3 ppg and 7.5 rpg vs. league foes and Rogers contributes 7.1 ppg and 3.9 rpg.
Getting Defensive: A trademark of the UMass basketball program over the last 13 years has been stingy defensive play, and that appears to again be the case again this season. For the year, Minutemen opponents are shooting 41.2 percent (39.4 percent by A-10 foes) from the field, including 31.9 percent (31.0 percent by A-10 opponents) from three-point range, and have topped the 50.0 percent mark only five times. The Minutemen have held 54 of their last 66 opponents, including 18 of 23 this season, to under 50 percent shooting from the field (UMass is 31-23 in those games), and 33 foes to under 40 percent shooting (24-9). Under coach Flint, UMass has held an opponent to under 40 percent shooting 78 times (in 151 total games) and owns a 60-18 (.769) record in those contests. In its last two losses, though, at Dayton and to Temple at Amherst, the UMass defense has allowed its foe to shoot 53.3 percent from the field and average 86.5 ppg. The Minutemen rank fourth in the A-10 in both field-goal percentage defense (.412) and scoring defense (68.2 ppg) for all games, but rank second in both field goal percentage defense (.394) and scoring defense (63.8 ppg) in conference games only statistics. Each of Flint's first four teams rank among the school's top 10 in fewest points allowed per game (since the 1951-52 season), as his teams have allowed 65.1 ppg in his tenure.
Consistent Success: The Atlantic 10 Conference's winningest program over the last 11 seasons, UMass is one of 21 Division I schools to have earned 10 postseason tournament bids in the last 11 years (from 1989-90 through 1999-2000). The guest list includes:
The Minutemen, who are assured of their 12th-straight winning A-10 record (after posting no winning marks, just two .500 records and 56 victories in their first 13 seasons in the league) since a 5-13 mark in 1988-89, own a 136-54 (.716) record in regular-season league play and have captured 10 league titles (five regular season, five tournament) in that time frame. Over the past 11-plus seasons, UMass owns a 265-122 (.685) overall record, an average of 23.1 victories per season.
Fast Breaks: Temple--Owls nail Mullins Center-record 11 treys to hand UMass worst loss ever in building, worst loss in Amherst since 1985-86 season, Monty Mack records eighth-straight 20-point game, finishes with 21, Jackie Rogers contributes first career double-double (13 points, 11 rebounds)...Xavier--Minutemen overcame 29-25 halftime deficit to sweep season series from Musketeers, 59-49, hand coach Flint 50th regular-season A-10 win as Mack reached 20-point mark for seventh-straight game (23)...At Dayton--Flyers hit an opponent-high 54.2 percent from field and ended six-game UMass win string, 89-76, Mack became second player in school history to reach 2,000-point plateau on a pair of free throws with 2:31 left, Brand had career-high 23 points...Fordham--UMass won sixth-straight, squared overall record at .500 for first time since late November, Mack recorded fifth-straight 20-point game and 100th career double-figure scoring effort, Rogers had career-high-tying 16 points and nine boards as Minutemen scored season-high 85 points...At Rhode Island--Minutemen held Rams to 46 points while recording second-best offensive game of season (78 points)...At Temple--UMass posted first-ever win at Liacouras Center (in four tries), ended three-game Owl series win streak with exciting 65-64 overtime victory...At La Salle--Mack scored 17 of team's final 21 points as Minutemen overcame three-point deficit to win, 62-58, Mack moved past Lou Roe into second-place on UMass all-time scoring list...Duquesne--Returning to the Springfield Civic Center for the first time since the 1994-95 season, Minutemen beat Duquesne for 16th consecutive time, 80-69, and record best shooting game of season (.552)...Dayton--Minutemen overcame 11-point Flyer first-half lead to win, 62-57, as UMass frontline accounted for 51 points, Kitwana Rhymer had career-high-tying 19 points and Rogers had career-high 16 points in school's 1,000th all-time victory...At St. Bonaventure--Bonnies' Vidal Massiah hit trey in closing seconds to lift his team to 66-65 win, end UMass' bid for 3-0 A-10 start, Mack hit 20-point mark for fifth-straight game...At Xavier--Minutemen jumped out to 18-8 lead in game's first 10 minutes, never let hometown Musketeers get closer than four after that in becoming first visiting team to win at new Cintas Center, 75-64, and improved to 2-0 in A-10 for third time in four years...George Washington--UMass overcame 15-point Colonial lead to record largest comeback win in Flint-era, 76-60, in A-10 opener for both teams, as Mack scored 28 points and Minutemen recorded season-low eight turnovers...Richmond (Tournament of Champions)--In preview of future A-10 foe, Spiders hand Minutemen 63-59 loss, as UR shoots 20-of-24 at foul line to UMass' 13-of-17 to get the victory, Winston Smith had career-high 14 rebounds...North Carolina (Tournament of Champions)--Minutemen were within five early in second half, but Tar Heels would hand UMass its worst loss since a 105-74 setback to Duquesne, Feb. 18, 1989...Boston College--Eagles ended Minutemen's five-year grip on Commonwealth Classic trophy by posting victory in their first-ever visit to the Mullins Center...At Boston U.--Ronell Blizzard sparked UMass with career-high-tying nine points, career-high 14 rebounds and career-best seven blocks, as Minutemen ended longest losing streak since 1986-87 campaign with 16-point victory...At UConn--Minutmen dropped sixth-straight overall, 10th-straight to Huskies, 82-67, as Mack scored season-low three points...At Ohio State--UMass shot just 16.7 perecent from field in first half, finished game at 26.7 percent (lowest-ever in Flint-era), and dropped 54-51 decision to Buckeyes...Providence--Season-high five Minutemen score in double figures, but Friars overcame nine-point second-half deficit to beat UMass...At Oregon--Brand tallied then-career-high 19 points off the bench, but UMass fell, 91-76, at Portland's Rose Garden...At Holy Cross--Crusaders overcame eight-point UMass halftime lead to post victory as Minutemen shot just 21.6 percent (after a 52.4 percent first-half effort) in decisive second half and lost at Centrum Centre for first time in nine games...At Marquette--Four players score in double figures, but UMass dropped 68-64 decision to Golden Eagles, despite limiting home team to 32.7 percent field goal shooting...Iona--Minutmen won season opener for eighth time in last nine years, as Shannon Crooks had season-high 20 points and Eric Williams had 14 off the bench.
Quick Tips: UMass has used five different starting line-up combinations this season, and eight players have started at least one game on the season...the Minuteman bench, which scored a season-high 37 points against Fordham, has provided 414 points (18.0 ppg overall, 18.6 ppg vs. A-10 foes) on the season compared to its opponents' 352 (15.3 ppg, 10.2 in A-10 play)...UMass is 4-4 in games decided by five or fewer points after recording a 1-6 mark in such games a year ago...the Minutemen have hit at least one three-point goal in 86-straight games since a first-round 1998 NCAA Tournament loss to Saint Louis, while their opponents have at least one trey in 30-straight outings...the 2000-01 Minuteman roster features four former Bay State prep products with the addition of walk-on freshman guard Dwayne Killings to the roster...Killings, who prepped at Amherst Regional High School, wears No. 12 and saw his first action of the season against Rhode Island (two minutes, no points and two rebounds), then scored his first collegiate points on a trey late in the Fordham victory...the 2000-01 season marks the 25th year of A-10 basketball, and the Minutemen have been there for every season...the A-10, of course, was founded as the Eastern Collegiate Basketball League and started play with the 1976-77 campaign...the league became the Eastern Eight a year later, and the A-10 in 1983...UMass has produced at least one all-conference performer for 17-straight seasons...UMass is 5-8 vs. 2000 postseason tournament teams (3-7 vs. 2000 NCAA teams, 2-1 vs. NIT entrants), and is the only A-10 team which went to postseason play last year that must face each of the league's 2000 postseason entrants home and home this year...UMass is one of 15 schools to have made at least one Final Four appearance since 1996, as it made its first and only trip in 1996.
Noting the 2000-01 Minutemen
#1 Jonathan DePina, 5-9, 185, Sr., Boston, Mass.
#2 Jackie Rogers, 6-8, 230, Jr., Syracuse, N.Y.
#3 Ronell Blizzard, 6-8, 205, Jr., Waterbury, Conn.
#4 Willie Jenkins, 6-6, 200, Fr., Memphis, Tenn.
#5 Monty Mack, 6-3, 200, Sr., Boston, Mass.
#20 Winston Smith, 6-5, 228, Sr., Summit, N.J.
#21 Eric Williams, 6-8, 243, Jr., Brooklyn, N.Y.
#24 Jameel Pugh, 6-5, 200, Fr., Sacramento, Calif.
#30 Shannon Crooks, 6-2, 222, Jr., Everett, Mass.
#33 Kitwana Rhymer, 6-10, 256, Sr., St. Thomas, Virgin Islands
#40 Micah Brand, 6-11, 243, So., Middletown, N.Y.