University of Massachusets Athletics
UMass Set To Face Xavier On The Road
February 12, 2004 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 12, 2004
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Game Day Quick Facts
The Teams: Massachusetts (9-12, 3-6 A-10) vs. Xavier (13-9, 4-5 A-10)
Date: February 14, 2004
Time: 4:00 p.m.
Place: Cintas Center (10,250), Cincinnati, Ohio
Atlantic 10 Television Network: Michael Reghi, play-by-play; Mark Adams, color; shown locally on New England Sports Network
UMass Radio Network: Bob Behler, play-by-play; Jack Leaman, color; WRNX 100.9 FM, Holyoke, flagship
Xavier Radio Network: Jon Sunderman, play-by-play; Byron Larkin, color; WLW 700 AM, Cincinnati, flagship
Series Record: Xavier leads, 7-6
Last Meeting: Xavier 86, Massachusetts 73, January 18, 2003; Amherst, Mass.
PROBABLE UMASS STARTERS Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Cl. F 11 Maurice Maxwell 6-5 175 Fr. F 22 Jeff Viggiano 6-6 215 So. C 1 Rashaun Freeman 6-9 255 So. G 12 Anthony Anderson 5-11 170 Sr. G 34 Art Bowers 6-4 190 Fr.
THE SERIES WITH XAVIER: This will be the 14th meeting between UMass and Xavier, with the Musketeers leading the all-time series 7-6. Xavier has won three straight in the series, with the last victory for the Minutemen coming at the Mullins Center on Feb. 14, 2001 (59-49). Prior to the Musketeers' current three-game win streak, UMass had won two straight and four of the previous six meetings between the schools. For all games played in Cincinnati, the series is tied 3-3, including a 1-1 mark at the Cintas Center. UMass gave Xavier its first-ever loss at the Cintas Center on Jan. 9, 2001, and remains one of only four visiting teams to ever win in the building. Minuteman head coach Steve Lappas has a career record of 1-3 against the Musketeers, while Xavier head coach Thad Matta stands 3-0 against UMass.
LASME BECOMING A FACTOR: Freshman Stephane Lasme (Libreville, Gabon) has been a pleasant surprise for the Minutemen this season, while seeing action at both power forward and center. He had one of his best games on Sunday against Dayton, scoring a career-high and team-best 13 points, while hitting six of eight shots from the field. Lasme also pulled down seven rebounds against the Flyers, in addition to posting a career-high six blocked shots. In the previous game at Rider, he totaled 12 points on five of six shooting, to go along with two rebounds, two steals, a block and an assist. Earlier in the season against Texas Tech, Lasme pulled down a career-best 13 rebounds, in addition to scoring six points and blocking four shots. He also totaled five points, eight rebounds and five blocks against Marshall, while recording six points and six rebounds against Saint Francis (N.Y.). Through 21 games this season, Lasme is averaging 3.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.7 blocks. Lasme came to UMass from Leon Mba High School, where he played for coach Ebolo Firmin in the African High School Federation.
VIGGIANO PROVIDES A SPARK: Sophomore forward Jeff Viggiano (Suffield, Conn.) has been a key player for the Minutemen this year, while seeing time at both power forward and small forward. Viggiano has come on strong over the last few weeks, averaging 11.5 points and 9.0 rebounds in the last six games, while posting the first three double-doubles of his collegiate career during that span. In UMass' last game against Dayton, he scoring 11 points while pulling down a career-best 13 rebounds. In the previous contest at Rider, Viggiano posted another double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. In the victory at Rhode Island, he recorded 12 points, a team-high nine rebounds, two assists and two blocks, while against Fordham, Viggiano totaled 11 points and three rebounds, while hitting four of six shots from the field. Some of Viggiano's other big games this season have come against Temple (nine points, nine rebounds, three assists, two blocks), Saint Joseph's (12 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, two steals), Duquesne (13 points, five rebounds and three blocks), Connecticut (career-best 22 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals) and Tennessee (eight points, five rebounds, two blocks). In 20 games played so far this year, including 17 starts, he has averaged 9.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists per contest. Last year, Viggiano averaged 7.0 point and 2.9 rebounds per game, while starting 21 out of 29 games.
ANDERSON LEADS MINUTEMEN IN BACKCOURT: Senior guard Anthony Anderson (Lynn, Mass.) has been the leader on the court for a young UMass team this season. Against Rider, he recorded 15 points and five assists in the UMass victory. Previously, in the victory at Rhode Island, Anderson totaled 12 points, five assists and five steals, while hitting all four of his free throw attempts in the final two minutes to seal the win. And in the victory over Fordham, he totaled 14 points, five rebounds and four assists, while hitting four of six three-point attempts. Earlier this season, Anderson was named Atlantic 10 Player of the Week and Dinn Brothers UMass Athlete of the Week on Dec. 7, after a pair of outstanding performances against Boston College (20 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three steals) and Vermont (career-best 29 points). Some of his other big games this season have come against Temple (12 points, eight rebounds, seven assists), Saint Bonaventure (26 points, eight rebounds, three steals), La Salle (20 points, three steals), Tennessee (15 points, seven assists, five rebounds), Connecticut (15 points, four rebounds), Marshall (17 points, six assists) and Saint Francis (21 points, five rebounds, six assists). Through 21 games so far this year, Anderson is averaging 14.0 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists, while hitting 41.0 percent from three-point range and posting a 1.6:1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
ANDERSON CLIMBS CAREER CHARTS: With his strong start to the 2003-2004 season, senior guard Anthony Anderson continues his assault on the all-time school records for three-point shooting. Against Fordham on Jan. 28, Anderson hit the 200th three-point shot of his UMass career, becoming only the fourth player in school history to accomplish the feat. He currently stands fourth on the school's all-time charts for three-pointers made (209) and three-point attempts (528), while ranking fifth in three-point percentage (.396). On track to earn a fourth season of competition by graduating by the summer of 2004, Anderson will have a chance to break Monty Mack's school record for three-pointers made (331), which was set from 1997-2001. Anderson, who also needs just 74 points to become the school's 36th career 1,000-point scorer, already owns two of the top 10 places on the UMass single-season chart for three-pointers made. In addition, he needs only 24 more assists this year to become the sixth player in school history to records 100 or more assists in three consecutive seasons (joining Charlton Clarke, Joe DiSarcina, Alex Eldridge, Derek Kellogg and Carl Smith).
DAYTON RECAP: Forward Keith Waleskowski totaled 18 points and eight rebounds, to lead Dayton to a 66-59 victory over UMass at the Mullins Center on Feb. 8, 2004. The Flyers got off to a fast start, outscoring the Minutemen 8-0 in the first three minutes of play, but UMass responded with a 9-2 run to get back in the game. The score remained close throughout a first half which featured two ties and four lead changes, and the teams went into the locker room tied at 34-34. Dayton once again started fast in the second half, outscoring UMass 10-2 in the first five minutes to build an eight point lead. The Flyers were still up by eight with just over 10 minutes left to play, when the Minutemen used a 10-2 run to tie the score at 54-54. But Waleskowski would score baskets on each of Dayton's next two possessions, to give the Flyers the lead for good. UMass would get no closer than four points in the final three minutes of play, as Dayton hit four of six free throws down the stretch. Forward Stephane Lasme led the Minutemen with a career-high 13 points, seven rebounds and six blocks, while forward Jeff Viggiano had a double-double with 11 points and a career-best 13 rebounds.
FREEMAN HAS IMPRESSIVE START TO CAREER: Sophomore forward Rashaun Freeman (Schenectady, N.Y.) has had some outstanding games to open his collegiate career, and has already been named Atlantic 10 Conference Rookie of the Week five times this season (on Nov. 23, Nov. 30, Dec. 28, Jan. 11 and Jan. 25) and Dinn Brothers UMass Athlete of the Week once (Dec. 29). In the Rider game, Freeman recorded team-highs of 17 points and 11 rebounds for his ninth double-double of the season. Previously at Rhode Island, he totaled 13 points, four rebounds and a pair of blocked shots. In the victory over Fordham, Freeman led the team with 18 points and 10 rebounds, while against Temple, he scored 16 points on five of seven shooting from the floor. Freeman also had big games against Saint Joseph's (17 points and 12 rebounds), Duquesne (16 points, 13 rebounds), Saint Bonaventure (19 points, five rebounds), George Washington (19 points, 10 rebounds), Connecticut (15 points, three boards), Albany (22 points, 10 rebounds), Maine (career-high 23 points, six rebounds, three steals), Marshall (18 points, 10 rebounds, three steals), Central Connecticut (15 points, 13 boards), Hartford (team-high 19 points and nine rebounds), Texas Tech (team-high 17 points on eight of 13 shooting) and Saint Francis (11 points and 14 rebounds). Through 21 games this year, Freeman is averaging a team-best 15.0 points and 7.9 rebounds, while hitting 53.9 percent of his shots from the floor.
BLOCK PARTY: Throughout the 2003-2004 season, the Minutemen have been the top team in the Atlantic 10 Conference, and among the best in the nation, at blocking shots. UMass currently has 118 blocks though 21 games, good for an average of 5.62 blocks per contest. The Minutemen stand far ahead of every other school in the Atlantic 10, as Richmond currently ranks second with an average of 4.77 blocks. In the latest NCAA statistics, through games of February 2, UMass stood 18th in the nation with 5.7 blocks per game. Leading the way for the Minutemen was junior center Gabe Lee (Camilla, Ga.), with 45 blocked shots for an average of 3.2 blocks per game. He ranked first in the league and ninth in the nation, before suffering a season-ending injury at Saint Bonaventure on Jan. 14. Freshman forward Stephane Lasme has also come up big for UMass, totaling 35 blocks to rank third in the Atlantic 10 with an average of 1.7 blocks per game.
THE LAST TIME: In the last meeting between the Minutemen and the Musketeers, forward David West totaled 21 points and 11 rebounds to lead Xavier to an 86-73 victory at the Mullins Center on January 18, 2003. The game was close throughout the first half, although UMass never led, as Xavier was in front from the 17:54 mark on. The Minutemen were down by only three (30-27) with four minutes left before the break, but the Musketeers then closed the half on an 8-4 run to take a seven-point advantage into the locker room. UMass trimmed the lead to five points on a basket by forward Jackie Rogers with 17:57 left to play, but Xavier then went on a 13-0 run to take control of the game. The Musketeer lead stayed in double figures until 2:26 remained, when Rogers hit a pair of free throws to make it a nine-point game. The Minutemen could get no closer than seven points in the closing minutes, with Xavier making all eight of its free throw attempts in the final two minutes of play. Rogers led the UMass offense with a career-high 23 points, including an 11 of 12 performance on the foul line. In addition to West, two other Musketeers scored over 20 points (Romain Sato had 24, and Dedrick Finn scored 21).
BOWERS HAVING A FINE ROOKIE CAMPAIGN: Freshman guard Art Bowers (Wilmington, Del.) has turned into one of the team's top scorers in his first season with the Minutemen, and was named the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week and the Dinn Brothers UMass Athlete of the Week on Feb. 1. In the win at Rhode Island, Bowers led the team with 18 points (hitting six of 10 shots from the floor, two of four from three-point range and four of four at the foul line), while also handing out four assists. In the victory over Fordham, he totaled 18 points, eight assists and seven rebounds. And in the win over Temple, Bowers hit the game-winning three-point shot with only 32 seconds remaining, to bring UMass back from a 65-63 deficit. He finished the Temple game with a career-high 19 points, to go along with seven rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Bowers, who has been in the starting lineup at shooting guard for 15 games this season, turned in some other outstanding performances against Saint Joseph's (10 points, four rebounds, four assists), George Washington (11 points), Albany (13 points, two rebounds, two assists and three steals), Vermont (16 points on seven of 11 shooting, team-best seven rebounds) and Saint Francis (14 points on five of eight shots from the field, including two of three from three-point range). In the 19 games he has played this season, Bowers is averaging 9.1 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists.
MAXWELL MAKING PRESENCE FELT: Freshman Maurice Maxwell (Philadelphia, Pa.) has turned into a key perimeter player for the Minutemen, while seeing action at both shooting guard and small forward. In the victory at Rhode Island, he totaled 12 points and five rebounds, while hitting the game-winning three pointer with 25.6 seconds remaining. Previously at Saint Joseph's, he totaled eight points, six rebounds and three assists. In the game at Duquesne, Maxwell totaled eight points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals, while against Tennessee, he recorded 12 points, four assists and three steals, in addition hitting three of five attempts from three-point range. Earlier in the season against Marshall, Maxwell had a career-high 19 points, five steals and three assists, and was named Atlantic 10 Conference Rookie of the Week and Dinn Brothers UMass Athlete of the Week. Maxwell had some other big games against Rider (career-high eight assists), Albany (10 points, two rebounds, one assist and one steal), Vermont (14 points on five of seven shooting) and Boston College (10 points, four assists, three rebounds). For the season, he is now averaging 6.9 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game.
THE ROOKIES OF THE WEEK: The Minutemen have had a firm hold on Atlantic 10 Conference Rookie of the Week honors so far this season, with a UMass player taking home the award in seven of the first 12 weeks on the year. Forward Rashaun Freeman has led the way by earning the honor five times (on Nov. 23, Nov. 30, Dec. 28, Jan. 11 and Jan. 25), while guard Art Bowers (Feb. 1) and forward Maurice Maxwell (Dec. 21) have taken home the award once each. With three Rookie of the Week recipients this year, UMass has become just the fourth team in Atlantic 10 history to have three different players win the award in the same season. The previous three schools to accomplish the feat were Xavier (1995-1996), La Salle (2002-2003) and George Washington (2003-2004).
ANDERSON BECOMING AN IRON MAN: Senior guard Anthony Anderson has become a familiar sight on the hard wood, and earlier this season he had a streak of 157 straight minutes on the court (from the Hartford game on Nov. 24 to the Marshall contest on Dec. 23). He has played all 40 minutes eight times this season (including a 45-minute stint in the overtime game at Boston College) including four of UMass' last five contests (against Temple, Fordham, Rhode Island and Dayton). For the season, Anderson has now played 793 out of a possible 825 minutes, good for an average of 37.8 minutes per game. This comes as nothing new to Anderson, who averaged 36.1 minutes per game last season, and 34.0 minutes per contest in 2001-2002.
UMASS TO RETIRE AL SKINNER'S JERSEY: UMass has announced that "A Tribute to Al Skinner" will take place on Feb. 18, 2004, presented by Coca-Cola, the UMass Alumni Association, the UMass Court Club and the Nathan Agencies. The school will retire Skinner's No. 30 jersey at halftime of the game between UMass and Rhode Island. Special guests expected to be in attendance include former UMass coach Jack Leaman and former UMass players Julius Erving and Rick Pitino. Currently the head coach at Boston College, Skinner was a three-time first team All-Yankee Conference selection at UMass from 1971-1974, while leading the team 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. Skinner will become only the fourth player in UMass men's basketball history to have his jersey number retired. The previous three players to have their jersey retired are George "Trigger" Burke (No. 32, 1954-1956), Julius Erving (No. 32, 1969-1971) and Lou Roe (No. 15, 1991-1995).
MINUTEMEN ON TELEVISION: UMass will once again make a number of appearances on live television throughout the 2003-2004 regular season. Televised games so far this season have come on ESPN (Jan. 3 against Tennessee), ESPN2 (Nov. 21 at Texas Tech and Jan. 24 against Temple), the Atlantic 10 Television Network (Jan. 18 at Duquesne and Feb. 8 against Dayton), New England Sports Network (Dec. 6 at Boston College), CN8 (Jan. 7 against La Salle), Cox-3 (Jan. 31 at Rhode Island) and ESPN Regional (Dec. 20 against Marshall). The Minutemen will have two more games carried as part of the Atlantic 10 Television Network package, at Xavier (Feb. 14) and at Richmond (Mar. 6). In addition, the Mar. 3 contest at Temple will be shown on CN8. So far this season, the Minutemen stand 3-6 in games shown on live television.
UMASS ON THE RADIO: All University of Massachusetts basketball games can be heard live on the UMass Basketball Radio Network, with WRNX 100.9 FM (Holyoke) serving as the flagship station. Bob Behler is in his fifth season as the play-by-play announcer, while former UMass head coach Jack Leaman is in his 10th year as color analyst. Here is the list of this week's affiliates on the UMass Basketball Radio Network: WCAP 980 AM (Lowell / Boston) and WATD 95.9 FM (Marshfield / Boston). In addition, WMUA 91.1 FM, the UMass student station, will carry a number of Minuteman basketball games during the 2003-2004 season.
THE UMASS BASKETBALL SHOW: Head coach Steve Lappas' weekly television show, "The UMass Basketball Show with Steve Lappas presented by Coca-Cola," airs on WGGB Channel 40 (ABC, Springfield) on Sundays at 11:30 p.m. The show will also be shown by WGGB on Sunday afternoons at 12:30 p.m. on weekends when UMass does not play a Sunday game, and on WLVI Channel 56 (Boston) on Sundays at 11:55 p.m.
THE COORS LIGHT COACH'S SHOW: Head coach Steve Lappas' weekly radio show, "The Coors Light Coach's Show with Steve Lappas," airs from 7:00-8:00 p.m. on WRNX 100.9 FM (Holyoke). The show, hosted by Bob Behler, runs throughout the season, and will next air on Tuesday, Feb. 17. The show is taped at 11:45 a.m. from the Blue Wall Pub in Amherst, and is open to the general public.
HEAD COACH Steve Lappas: Now in his third season as the head coach of the Minutemen, Steve Lappas has an overall record of 33-46 while at UMass. He owns a career mark of 263-218 in 16 seasons as a head coach, including nine years at Villanova (174-110) and four seasons at Manhattan (56-62). A 1977 graduate of the City College of New York, Lappas has led his teams to four NCAA Tournament appearances (with Villanova in 1994-1995, 1995-1996, 1996-1997 and 1998-1999) and four trips to the National Invitation Tournament (Manhattan in 1991-1992 and Villanova in 1993-1994, 1999-2000 and 2000-2001). In addition, his 1993-1994 Villanova team claimed the NIT championship. Lappas currently ranks 11th all-time in career coaching victories at UMass, needing only six more wins to move into eighth place.
MULLINS MAGIC: UMass is currently in its 12th season of play at the William D. Mullins Memorial Center, posting an all-time record of 99-40 in the building. The Minutemen stand 7-5 at the Mullins Center so far this season, and need only one more win to post their 100th all-time victory at Mullins. UMass was 8-6 in the Mullins Center last year, and has not had a losing record at home since moving into the new arena in 1992-1993. In fact, UMass has gone 21 straight seasons without having a losing record on its home court. The Minutemen also own a 61-25 all-time record in regular season Atlantic 10 Conference games at the Mullins Center, and a 3-1 mark in Atlantic 10 Tournament contests.
ABOUT THE MUSKETEERS: Xavier enters the game with an overall record of 13-9 on the season, including a 4-5 mark in Atlantic 10 Conference games. The Musketeers are currently on a three-game winning streak, including victories over Cincinnati and Richmond. Prior to that, Xavier had lost five out of six, including its only two home losses of the season (to Saint Joseph's and Richmond). Senior guard Romain Sata leads the team with averages of 16.1 points and 7.6 rebounds per game, while senior guard Lionel Chalmers has averaged 15.4 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists per contest. Senior center Anthony Myles is also enjoying a fine season, averaging 9.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, while sophomore guard Dedrick Finn has averaged 8.9 points and 3.9 assists per contest.
XAVIER HEAD COACH THAD MATTA: Now in his third season as head coach of the Musketeers, Thad Matta has led Xavier to a 63-21 record over the last three years. Matta came to Xavier from Butler University, where he led the Bulldogs to a 24-8 record during his only season in 2000-2001. During his first three years as a collegiate head coach, Matta has led his squad to the NCAA Tournament every season. Prior to his time as a head coach, Matta served as an assistant at Butler (1997-2000), Miami of Ohio (1994-1995; 1996-1997) and Western Carolina (1995-1996). A 1990 graduate of Butler, Matta was a two-year starter for the Bulldog basketball team.
MINUTEMATTERS: Junior guard Chris Chadwick (Union, N.J.) scored a career-high 12 points on five of seven shooting against Dayton, marking the first double-figure scoring game of his collegiate career ... Former UMass stars Marcus Camby and Lou Roe were both selected to ESPN's Silver Anniversary All-Atlantic 10 Conference team ... Junior center Gabe Lee, who averaged 9.1 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.2 blocks over the first 14 games of the season, is expected to miss the rest of the year due to injury ... Senior guard Marcus Cox (Bridgeport, Conn.) and sophomore forward Alassane Kouyate (Bamako, Mali) are also expected to miss the entire 2003-2004 season due to injury. Kouyate is eligible to redshirt and will have three years of collegiate eligibility remaining, while Cox's college career is now over.
