University of Massachusets Athletics
UMass Hosts Undefeated BC In Commonwealth Classic On Sunday
December 31, 2004 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 31, 2004
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MASSACHUSETTS (6-3) vs. BOSTON COLLEGE (10-0)
Sunday, Jan. 2, 2005 • 2 p.m.
Mullins Center (9,493), Amherst, Mass.
UMass Radio Network
UMass Hosts Undefeated BC In Commonwealth Classic On Sunday
• The Minutemen look for their fourth consecutive win on Sunday as UMass (6-3) hosts in-state rival Boston College (10-0) in the 38th edition of the Commonwealth Classic. Both teams come into the game after 67-65 comeback victories. Last Tuesday, UMass trailed Boston University by 13 before rallying for its biggest comeback victory in 112 games. BC was down by 18 to Kent State on Wednesday and came back for the win.
• Sunday's game is the 150th game at the Mullins Center and the fourth in a six-game home stand for Massachusetts - the longest stretch in more than 70 years. The Mullins Center has proven a true `sixth-man' this season as the squad has produced a 6-1 record in front of the home crowd.
• Last season's match-up between the two teams proved a classic for the series despite the 76-75 overtime loss for UMass. Boston College, who enters the game undefeated and ranked No. 6 nationally in RPI, leads the all-time series 20-17. The last time UMass defeated the Eagles was in Boston on Dec. 4, 1999 (74-67).
• UMass goes for its seventh win of the season which would make the Minutemen 7-3. The last time UMass had seven or more wins in its first 10 games was the Final Four year of 1995-96 when they started the year 27-0.
• Last season, UMass didn't pick up its seventh win of the season until Jan. 24, 2004 -- the 17th game of the season. In fact, since 1995-96, the earliest UMass won its 10th game of the season came in the 1997-98 season when they the 12th game of that season on Jan. 3, 1998 beating Saint Joseph's (72-66).
• UMass is looking for its second win over a Big East team this season and is seeking to beat UConn and BC in the same season for the first time since 1977-78 when UMass beat UConn, 74-64, on Dec. 14, 1977 and BC, 88-64, on Jan. 27, 1978. The last time UMass had two wins over the Big East Conference in the same season came in 1999-2000 when the Minutemen beat BC, 74-67, on Dec. 4, 1999 and Villanova, 52-51, on Dec. 6, 1999.
• Despite both Boston College and Boston University being just down the Pike, this is the first time since the 2000-01 season that both teams have been featured on the schedule. In that season as well as 1999-2000, the games came back-to-back, the same as this year. A win on Sunday would be the first time since 1999-2000 that UMass defeated both schools in the same year, as the Minutemen beat BU, 70-51, on Dec. 2, 1999 and BC, 74-67, on Dec. 4, 1999.
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Top 10 Tidbits
• UMass is 4-0 in games decided by four points or less this season, winning twice by two.
• UMass/Dinn Brothers Athlete of the Week Art Bowers is averaging 16.3 over his last four games after scoring 7.4 ppg over the first five games. • Preseason A-10 Player of the Year Rashaun Freeman hs double-doubles in each of his last two games vs. Rider (20 pts, 13 reb) and vs. BU (25 pts, 13 reb.). • Head coach Steve Lappas has a 57-19 career record in his fourth seasons at three different programs for a 75.0 win percentage. • Steve Lappas will coach his 500th career game on Jan. 5 vs. Temple. • Steve Lappas will coach his 100th game at UMass on Jan. 12 at Saint Joseph's. • UMass is in the midst of a six-game homestand, its longest since 1930-31, when they played seven home games in a row. • The 17 home games is a school record as UMass played 15 in 2003-04. • The last time UMass beat UConn and BC in the same season was 1977-78. • The win over No. 7/6 UConn was UMass' first over a top-10 team since beating No. 10 Maryland in 1997. • UMass has just two road games prior to Jan. 12, trips to Seattle and Miami.
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• Sunday's game marks the first time BC coach and UMass grad Al Skinner will be coaching at the Mullins Center since his No. 30 was retired last season. Skinner starred at UMass in the early 70s as he was named first-team All-Yankee Conference three times (1972-74. He was also an all-district selection in those seasons. In his career, Skinner scored 1,235 points which ranks 16th all-time. He led the then-Redmen to a pair of Yankee Conference titles. Following his UMass career, Skinner went on play professionally in both the ABA and NBA, with the New York Nets, Detroit Pistons and Philadelphia 76ers. He began his collegiate coaching career at the University of Rhode Island, before taking over at Boston College in 1997.
• During the UMass-Rhode Island game on Feb. 18, 2004, Skinner (No. 30, 1971-1974) became the fourth player in school history to have his number retired. The other three players to be honored are George "Trigger" Burke (No. 32, 1954-1956), Julius Erving (No. 32, 1969-1971) and Lou Roe (No. 15, 1991-1995)
Historic Milestones Keep On Coming
• The milestones continue to come for UMass basketball. The game vs. Boston College is the 150th all-time at the Mullins Center, as UMass comes into the game with a 106-43 recording including 6-1 this season.
• Last Tuesday's game with Boston University was the 2,000th game in program history for UMass. All-time the Minutemen -- as they are currently known -- are 1050-950. The first game in school history was played on Jan. 10, 1900 as UMass defeated the Northampton YMCA, 14-9 at a game played in Amherst at Drill Hall. The 1,000th game in school history came on Jan. 31, 1972 as the then-Redmen defeated Springfield College, 82-63 at Curry Hicks Cage. In that game, Peter Trow led UMass with 20 points. Al Skinner also played in that game.
• Earlier this season, UMass welcomed its millionth men's basketball fan to the Mullins Center, as 10-year old Zachary Gabor, came through the turnstiles at the Davidson game on Dec. 19. Currently 1,006,365 fans have come to men's basketball games at Mullins.
• UMass won its 100th game at the Mullins Center last season on Feb. 28, 2004, beating St. Bonaventure, 82-71.
• The personal milestones will come for head coach Steve Lappas in the next few weeks, as the veteran bench boss will coach his 500th career game when UMass hosts Temple on Jan. 5. Then he will coach his 100th game with UMass at Saint Joseph's on Jan. 12.
• In continuing the history theme, UMass is in the midst of its longest homestand in more than 70 years as BC comes to the Mullins Center for the fourth game in a six-game home stretch. It is the longest homestand for UMass in Mullins Center history and the longest homestand since 1930-31. UMass hosted seven games in a row at Drill Hall (going 4-3 in those games from Jan. 21-Feb. 13) -- in the facility's final season as the home to UMass basketball -- before Curry Hicks Cage opened in 1931.
Series History
• The Eagles hold a 20-17 advantage in the all-time series with the Minutemen, which began in the 1905-06 season. Boston College has won the last five meetings between the schools, but prior to that UMass had posted six straight wins in the series. Since the teams resumed playing each other -- as the Commonwealth Classic -- on an annual basis during the 1995-96 season, the series as even at 5-5.
• Boston College has won both games played at Mullins, winning in 2000 and 2002. For games played on the Boston College campus, the Eagles hold a 8-3 advantage with a 2-1 mark at the Conte Forum. The schools have also played nine times at either the Boston Garden or the FleetCenter, with UMass leading 6-3 in those contest.
• The two programs first met nearly a century ago with the Minutemen winning the first game 20-15 on Dec. 8, 1905 in Drill Hall. The two teams did not play again until the 1950-51 season, but met regularly since then with the exception of the 1980-89 seasons.
• Last season playing following a major snowstorm in Boston, Craig Smith hit two free throws with 14.6 seconds left, lifting Boston College to a 76-75 overtime win over UMass in the annual Commonwealth Classic. Smith, who finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds, missed a pair of free throws late in regulation that could have give BC a five-point lead with just over a minute left. Anthony Anderson paced the Minutemen with 20 points, and Brennan Martin had a career-high 13. Anderson was named the A-10 Player of the Week and UMass Athlete of the Week after his performance.
Bowers and Freeman Lead The Charge
• Sophomore Art Bowers has been red-hot of late averaging 16.3 points over his last four games, after starting the year with a 7.4 ppg average through five games. Bowers has also hit 14 of his last 32 from three-point range (44 percent) after starting the year 1-for-23. That included a stretch of 14-for-28 (50 percent) from Dec. 12-23.
• Bowers set his career-high in points with 21 vs. Rider. He previously scored 19 vs. Temple on Jan. 24, 2004. He tied his career-best for made field goals, as he also set that original mark in that Temple game. Bowers' five made three-pointers was a career-high as he made four on three previous occasions.
• Bowers continued his heroics as he converted the game-winning three-point play against Boston University on Dec. 28 with 19 seconds remaining. Bowers finished that game with 15 points for his fourth consecutive contest in double-figures and 17th of his career with 10-or-more points.
• Sophomore Rashaun Freeman had 25 points, including 15 in the second half against BU. It was his seventh double-figure game this season and 31st in 38 career games. Freeman had his second straight game of 20 or more points and eighth of his career as he netted 20 against Rider on Dec. 23. The BU game was also his third career game with 25 or more points and first this season.
• Against BU Freeman also had 13 rebounds for his second straight double-double and third this season and 15th of his career. He also hauled down 13 boards vs. Rider. The 13 rebounds were his most since his career-high and Mullins Center record 18 vs. St. Bonaventure on Feb. 28, 2004.
• Freeman also made a career-high 13 free throws on 14 attempts against the Terriers. It was the best percentage of his career (92.9). This came on the heels of an 8-for-15 shooting performance vs. Rider. Also, he was shooting 55.1 percent from the line this season (27-for-49) coming into the BU game.
• Overall, Freeman is the team's top scorer at 16.0 points per game, which ranks fifth in the A-10. His team-best 8.1 rebounding average is second in the A-10 and his 52.0 field goal percentage is fourth in the league.
More Minute Matters
• Senior guard Chris Chadwick led UMass to a perfect 3-0 record as the team's starting point guard in Anthony Anderson's absence. In fact, UMass is 4-0 this season when Chadwick starts as he also was in the starting five for the win over Yale.
• In his three starts, Chadwick played 34.3 minutes per game including a career-high 38 vs. Boston Univ. on Dec. 28. He averaged 8.0 points per game, 4.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists.
• Sophomore Maurice Maxwell broke out a mini-slump with his first double-figure game in five games with 11 against BU. He averaged just 6.3 over his previous four games after scoring 14.5 over the first four games.
• Freshman Olivier Lamoureux made his collegiate debut against Boston University entering the game with 10:23 left in the first half. The Montreal native had been hampered by various injuries this season (hernia, shoulder, Achilles).
• Freshman Lawrence Carrier, who is seeing increased time with the ankle injury to Jeff Viggiano played a career-high 24 minutes vs. BU. He also made the first free throw of his collegiate career early in the second half as he missed his first five this season.
Anderson Climbs The All-Time Charts
• Senior captain Anthony Anderson is once again be the leader on the court for UMass this season. Last year, Anderson averaged 12.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists per contest, while hitting 38.7 percent from three-point range and posting a 1.7:1 assist-to-turnover ratio. In addition, he became the 36th career 1,000-point scorer in UMass history during the game at Richmond on March 6, 2004, finishing the year with 1,007 career points scored. Anderson also hit the 200th three-point shot of his UMass career at Fordham on January 28, becoming only the fourth player in school history to accomplish that feat.
• Anderson is now 29th all-time in career scoring with 1,073 points. He passed Alex Eldridge (1,053) in the Gonzaga game with 14 and is just one shy of Shannon Crooks (1,074). He moved past four players in the Northeastern game: Dana Dingle (1,043), Charlton Clarke (1,041), David Brown (1,037) and Derick Claiborne (1,033).
• He is now tied for second on the school's all-time chart for three-pointers made (245) with Carmelo Travieso, and is third in three-point attempts (630) and fifth in three-point percentage (.390). Anderson needs to hit 86 three-point shots to break Monty Mack's school record for three-pointers made (331), which was set from 1997-2001.
• In addition, Anderson totaled 102 assists in 2003-04, becoming only the sixth player in school history to record 100 or more assists in three consecutive seasons (joining Charlton Clarke, Joe DiSarcina, Alex Eldridge, Derek Kellogg and Carl Smith). If he posts 100 or more assists again in 2004-2005, Anderson will join Smith as the only Minutemen to reach triple digits in assists four times.
• Anderson is now eighth all-time in career assists at UMass with 330 as he passed current Boston College coach Al Skinner (320) in the Gonzaga game and Louisville mentor Rick Pinto, who had 329 from 1973-74.
• In career steals, Anderson is just five away from being tied for ninth in career thefts, as he has 130. Both Tony Barbee and Anton Brown had 135 in the early 90s.
• This season, Anderson is third on the team in scoring (11.0), first in assists (3.5) and second in rebounding (5.2). He hauled down a career-high 13 rebounds in the win over Yale. Anderson is also shooting a great percentage from three-point range, (.391), hitting 18-of-46 this season.
Up Next
• After the BC games, the A-10 schedule opens against Temple on Jan. 5 following by a Jan. 8 visit from Xavier. The Temple game is broadcast on CN8 while the Xavier game is the A-10 Game of the Week which will be shown on NESN in New England.
Mullins Magic
• UMass is in its 13th season of play at the William D. Mullins Memorial Center, and has posted an all-time record of 106-43 in the building. The Minutemen went 8-7 at the Mullins Center last season, recording their 100th all-time victory at Mullins against St. Bonaventure on February 28.
• This year, UMass is 6-1 at the Mullins Center as they host a school-record 17 games.
• With the addition of last year's 8-7 mark at Mullins, UMass has not had a losing record at home since moving into the new arena in 1992-93. In fact, UMass has gone 21 straight seasons without having a losing record on its home court. The Minutemen also own a 62-27 all-time record in regular season Atlantic 10 Conference games at the Mullins Center, and a 3-1 mark in Atlantic 10 Tournament contests.
Congrats To Our Millionth Fan
• Ten-year old Zachary Gabor of Amherst, Mass. was the millionth fan to attend a men's basketball game at the Mullins Center as he was the 1,680th person to enter the Dec. 19 game vs. Davidson. He received two season tickets and free concessions for two to the 2005-06 men's basketball season along with two plane tickets courtesy of USAir and hotel accommodations to the 2005 Atlantic 10 Tournament in Cincinnati, along with tickets to the games.
UMass Shocks Champion UConn; Freeman Honored By A-10
• UMass shocked defending national champion No. 7/6 UConn on Dec. 9 with a stirring 61-59 win over the Huskies. Before a national audience on ESPN2 and the largest crowd in four years at the Mullins Center. Rashaun Freeman scored the game-winning layup with 4.3 seconds left on the clock. After Denham Brown's three-point field goal came up short the Mullins Center crowd went wild storming the court. The game was featured as the lead story on SportsCenter.
• For his efforts in the 61-59 upset victory over No. 7 UConn on Dec. 9, Freeman was tabbed the Atlantic 10 Co-Player of the Week. He shared the weekly honor with senior guard T.J. Thompson of George Washington who averaged 20.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in two wins.
• Pacing UMass with 18 points and eight rebounds against UConn, the Preseason A-10 First Team selection came up big time and again for the Minutemen, who beat the Huskies for the first time in 14 meetings.
• The Huskies came back from a 12-point, first-half deficit and held a tenuous five-point lead late in the game until Freeman hit consecutive baskets with under four minutes left, pulling the Minutemen within 55-54. His layup to win the game snapped UConn's 13-game win streak versus UMass and, more impressively, UConn's 88-game streak extending back to 1986 versus non-conference New England teams.
• UConn entered the game averaging 60.0 rebounds per game and outrebounding their opponents by 25.0 per game. UMass tied them on the glass in the game, 39-39. The Minutemen outrebounded the Huskies in the first half, 23-21. UMass outscored Connecticut 42-24 in the paint for the game.
• The win over UConn came in the first instance that a defending national champion had visited Amherst, and the Mullins Center.
• UMass is now 3-1 all-time against defending national champions, as the Minutemen posted win in back-to-back seasons in their first ever meetings with the NCAA trophy holders. UMass knocked off North Carolina, 91-86, in overtime on Nov. 24, 1993 as part of the Preseason NIT at Madison Square Garden. One year later, UMass thumped Arkansas, 104-80, on Nov. 25, 1994 in the Tip-Off Classic at the Springfield Civic Center. UMass' last game against a champ came on Nov. 22, 1999, as the Minutemen lost to UConn at Gampel Pavilion, 79-65, on Nov. 22, 1999.
• The crowd of 9,037 was the largest in four seasons and the biggest since the last sellout at the Mullins Center, when 9,493 came to the UMass-Temple game on Feb. 17, 2001.
• UMass picked its first win over a ranked team since March 9, 2001 when they beat No. 21 Saint Joseph's, 75-70 in the A-10 Tournament.
• It was UMass' first win over a top-10 team since a 78-61 win over No. 10 Maryland on Feb. 15, 1997.
• It was UMass' first win over UConn since Dec. 15, 1983, with UMass winning 67-65 in overtime at the Cage.
• UMass was the first team from New England outside of the Big East to beat UConn since 1986.
Season Outlook Capsule
• Heading into the 2004-2005 season, the UMass basketball team looks to return to its place among the top teams in the Atlantic 10 Conference. With all five starters returning from last year's squad, and some talented newcomers joining the team, the Minutemen should once again have the ingredients necessary to contend in the league, and make a run at their first postseason tournament bid since 1999-2000.
• Although last year's Minutemen were only able to finish fourth in the Atlantic 10 East Division, they showed some flashes of what UMass fans can expect to see in years to come. UMass led the Atlantic 10 in blocked shots with an average of 5.3 per game, while standing second in assists with an average of 15.4 per contest.
• To build the 2004-05 team, the Minutemen have 11 players returning, including all five starters and nine of the 10 scholarship lettermen off last year's squad. All told, the 11 returnees provided 93.4 percent of the scoring and 91.3 percent of the rebounding a year ago. They will be joined by a cast of three newcomers, who will look to help the Minutemen return to the postseason this spring. The returning starters for the Minutemen this year are senior Anthony Anderson, sophomores Rashaun Freeman, Art Bowers and Maurice Maxwell. Junior Jeff Viggiano started last season but was coming off the bench prior to his injury as sophomore Stephane Lasme has taken over as the starting power forward. Thus, UMass starts four sophomores and one senior with the top four reserves as a senior (Chris Chadwick), a junior (Viggiano) and two freshmen (Lawrence Carrier and Jeff Salovski).
UMass Among League Favorites
• As the preseason basketball publications rolled in, the UMass men's basketball team continues to garner national attention. In CBS Sportsline/Basketball News Preview, the Minutemen have been picked as the favorites to win the Atlantic 10 East Division. UMass was also selected as the No. 1 team in the East by Lindy's preseason magazine.
• In addition to being picked as the top team in the East, Rashaun Freeman has also been named CBS Sportsline/Basketball News Preview's Conference Player of the Year. Freeman has also been named to the publication's preseason Atlantic 10 first team, while senior guard Anthony Anderson has been named to the preseason second team.
• According to this preview magazine, "Massachusetts has five starters back and hopes to return to glory ... UMass might start to wake some of the echoes of old as they make some noise in the A-10."
• According to Lindy's, "UMass will win the A-10 East because it has the best returning talent. ... The Minutemen return the A-10's best low-post scorer (Freeman), two gifted young wings (Art Bowers, Maurice Maxwell) and a senior point guard (Anthony Anderson)."
• Freeman has also been named the league's top rebounder, is a member of the preseason all-conference first-team and is ranked as the 17th center in the nation according to the magazine.
• Anderson was also named to the preseason all-conference third team. Additionally, the magazine is quoted as saying, newcomer front-court player Lawrence Carrier will be a player to "keep an eye on."
• In checking other preseason magazines, Freeman has also been named to the preseason All-Atlantic 10 first team according to Athlon Sports College Basketball as well as in Street & Smith's College Basketball Preview. In Street & Smith's, Freeman was named the A-10's best rebounder.
Making The Road Trips Count
• UMass has just 10 road games this season and only two prior to Jan. 12. The Minutemen will travel far and wide as part of their road schedule this season with trip to opposite corners of the country. UMass was in Seattle to face Gonzaga at Key Arena on Dec. 4. That trip was the longest on the schedule at 2,980 miles.
• The weekend following the trip to Seattle, UMass headed to Coral Gables, Fla., home of the University of Miami for a game on Dec. 12. That trip was 1,471 miles. Sandwiched between those cross-country ventures was the match-up with defending national champion UConn on Dec. 9.
• Overall, UMass travels 14,258 (7,129 each way) miles during the regular-season for an average trip of 713 miles each way.
Tough Stretch
• UMass finished its most difficult three-game stretch of the season, having played at perennial NCAA team Gonzaga in Seattle on Dec. 4 (losing, 68-57), beating No. 7/6 UConn (61-59) before falling at ACC newcomer Miami (Fla.) on Dec. 12, 80-53, in Coral Gables. UMass's two trips sandwiched around the UConn game, covered more than 8,900 miles, hitting two of the furthest corners of the country. The games in Seattle and Miami were UMass' only two road games prior to Jan. 12, but happened just eight days apart and covered nearly 4,500 miles each way.
Starting 2-0
• UMass started the year 2-0 for just the second time since the Final Four year of 1995-96 after beating Yale, 70-56, on Nov. 27, at the Mullins Center. The only other time in the last nine years UMass started 2-0 was 2001-02, in Steve Lappas' first year in Amherst.