University of Massachusets Athletics
UMass Returns Home To Face Rhode Island
February 17, 2004 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 17, 2004
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Game Day Quick Facts
The Teams: Massachusetts (9-13, 3-7 A-10) vs. Rhode Island (14-11, 3-8 A-10)
Date: February 18, 2004
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Place: William D. Mullins Memorial Center (9,493), Amherst, Mass.
UMass Radio Network: Bob Behler, play-by-play; Jack Leaman, color; WRNX 100.9 FM, Holyoke, flagship
UMass Student Radio: WMUA 91.1 FM, Amherst
Rams-on-Radio: Steve McDonald, play-by-play; Don Kaull, color; WHJJ 920 AM, East Providence, flagship
Series Record: Massachusetts leads, 69-52
Last Meeting: Massachusetts 67, Rhode Island 63; January 31, 2004; Kingston, R.I.
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 RHODE ISLAND: This will be the 122nd meeting between UMass and Rhode Island, with the Minutemen leading the all-time series 69-52. UMass has won 25 of the last 33 games in the series, but the Rams have been victorious in three of the last five contests. For games played in Amherst, the Minutemen lead the series 42-19, with a 7-3 mark at the Mullins Center. The Minutemen have both defeated (69 wins) and played (121 games) the Rams more than any other opponent in school history. UMass coach Steve Lappas owns a 2-3 career mark against the Rams, while Rhode Island coach Jim Baron stands 9-17 against UMass (3-2 since moving to Kingston).
A TRIBUTE TO AL SKINNER: During the UMass-Rhode Island game, "A Tribute to Al Skinner" will take place, presented by Coca-Cola, Kraft, the UMass Alumni Association, the UMass Court Club and the Nathan Agencies. The university will officially retire Skinner's No. 30 jersey during halftime ceremonies. 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).
BOWERS HAVING A FINE ROOKIE CAMPAIGN: Freshman guard Art Bowers (Wilmington, Del.), who has turned into one of the team's top scorers in his first season with the Minutemen, was named the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week and the Dinn Brothers UMass Athlete of the Week on Feb. 1. Against Xavier, he scored a team-high 10 points, in addition to pulling down six rebounds. In the win at Rhode Island, Bowers led the team with 18 points, 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 16 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 20 games he has played this season, Bowers is averaging 9.2 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists.
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 22 games so far this year, Anderson is averaging 13.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists, while hitting 40.0 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 (211) and three-point attempts (537), while ranking fifth in three-point percentage (.393). 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 67 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 22 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).
XAVIER RECAP: Forward Justin Cage totaled 12 points, six assists and five rebounds, to lead Xavier to a 64-44 victory over UMass at the Cintas Center on Feb. 14, 2004. The Musketeers opened the game hot, jumping out to a 14-2 lead in the first five minutes of play. The Minutemen trimmed the lead to nine points on several occasions during the first half, but could get no closer, before Xavier took a 12-point lead into the locker room. The Musketeer lead stayed in double digits early in the second half, and UMass trailed by 14 with 9:20 left to play. But Xavier then went on a 12-2 run to put the game out of reach, before eventually winning by 20 points. Four Musketeers scored in double figures, including center Anthony Miles (12 points, seven rebounds), forward Justin Doellman (11 points) and guard Lionel Chalmers (10 points). The Minutemen were led by guard Art Bowers with 10 points and six rebounds, while forward Rashaun Freeman totaled nine points and nine rebounds. Forward Stephane Lasme tied a career-high with six blocked shots, while also recording four points and five rebounds.
MINUTEMEN LOOK FOR 100TH MULLINS VICTORY: When UMass takes on Rhode Island, it will be looking to post its 100th victory since moving into the William D. Mullins Memorial Center. The Minutemen are currently in their 12th season of play at the Mullins Center, posting an all-time record of 99-40 in the building. UMass stands 7-5 at the Mullins Center so far this season, having won two of its last three home games. The Minutemen were 8-6 in the Mullins Center last year, and have 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. Here is a look at some of UMass' milestone victories in the Mullins Center:
Win Score Date 1 Massachusetts 64, West Virginia 59 (OT) Feb. 4, 1993 25 Massachusetts 59, Temple 58 Jan. 21, 1995 50 Massachusetts 79, George Washington 48 Jan. 10, 1998 75 Massachusetts 59, Xavier 49 Feb. 14, 2001
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. Against Dayton, he posted his third double-double of the season with 11 points and a career-best 13 rebounds. In the previous contest at Rider, Viggiano had 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 21 games played so far this year, including 18 starts, he has averaged 9.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists per contest. Last year, Viggiano averaged 7.0 point and 2.9 rebounds per game, while starting 21 out of 29 games.
THE LAST TIME: In the last meeting between the Minutemen and the Rams, forward Maurice Maxwell hit a three-point shot with 25.6 seconds remaining, to break a 62-62 tie and lift UMass to a 67-63 victory over Rhode Island at the Ryan Center on Jan. 31, 2004. The game was close throughout a first half which featured eight ties and 10 lead changes. Neither team led by more than four points, before the Rams took a one-point advantage into the locker room. Rhode Island then started the second half hot, outscoring the Minutemen 11-2 over the first 3:15 to take a 10-point lead. But UMass came right back with a three-pointer by guard Art Bowers and a jumper from guard Anthony Anderson to stay close. The Minutemen took their first lead of the second half at the 11:50 mark on a layup by Maxwell, then things stayed close to the final minutes. After a pair of free throws by Anderson put UMass up 62-61 at the 1:26 mark, Rhode Island guard Brian Woodward hit one of two shots at the foul line to tie the score. Maxwell would then nail the game-clinching three-pointer, before Anderson added two more free throws in the closing seconds to seal the victory. All five UMass starters scored in double figures, led by Bowers with with 18 points. Woodward scored a team-high 13 points to lead the Rams.
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 22 games this year, Freeman is averaging a team-best 14.8 points and 8.0 rebounds, while hitting 53.2 percent of his shots from the floor.
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, 2.8 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game.
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 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 22 games this season, Lasme is averaging 3.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.9 blocks.
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 13 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 six contests (against Temple, Fordham, Rhode Island and Dayton). For the season, Anderson has now played 829 out of a possible 865 minutes, good for an average of 37.7 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 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, Feb. 8 against Dayton and Feb. 14 at Xavier), 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 one more game carried as part of the Atlantic 10 Television Network package, at Richmond on Mar. 6. In addition, the Mar. 3 contest at Temple will be shown on CN8. So far this season, the Minutemen stand 3-7 in games shown on live television.
MINUTEMEN 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 Monday, Feb. 23. The show is taped at 11:45 a.m. from the Blue Wall Pub in Amherst, and is open to the general public.
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 127 blocks though 22 games, good for an average of 5.77 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 4.67 blocks. In the latest NCAA statistics, through games of February 9, UMass stood 16th in the nation with 5.6 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 41 blocks to rank third in the Atlantic 10 with an average of 1.9 blocks per game.
HEAD COACH Steve Lappas: Now in his third season as the head coach of the Minutemen, Steve Lappas has an overall record of 33-47 while at UMass. He owns a career mark of 263-219 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.
ABOUT THE RAMS: Rhode Island enters the game with an overall record of 14-11 on the season, including a 3-8 mark against Atlantic 10 Conference foes. The Rams started the season with a 12-3 mark, but have since lost eight out of 10 games. Junior guard Dawan Robinson leads the team with an average of 16.8 points per game, while senior guard Brian Woodward (13.4 ppg) and junior guard Dustin Hellenga (11.8 ppg) are also scoring in double figures. The Rams average an Atlantic 10-best 40.6 rebounds per game, with eight different players pulling down between 3.0 and 5.4 boards per contest.
RHODE ISLAND HEAD COACH JIM BARON: Now in his third season as head coach of the Rams, Jim Baron has led Rhode Island to an overall record of 42-42, including a trip to the National Invitation Tournament in 2003. Baron's career coaching record stands at 248-244, including nine years at Saint Bonaventure from 1992-2001, and five seasons at Saint Francis (Pa.) from 1987-1992. Baron also spent time as an assistant coach at Notre Dame (1981-1987), Saint Bonaventure (1980-1981), Loyola of Maryland (1979-1980) and Rochester (1978-1979). A 1977 graduate of Saint Bonaventure, Baron was a three-year letterwinner for the Bonnies, helping the team to an overall record of 73-28 during his playing career.
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.
