University of Massachusets Athletics
UMass To Play Dayton On Sunday
February 06, 2004 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 6, 2004
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Game Day Quick Facts
The Teams: Massachusetts (9-11, 3-5 A-10) vs. Dayton (18-3, 8-0 A-10)
Date: February 8, 2004
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Place: William D. Mullins Memorial Center (9,493), Amherst, Mass.
Atlantic 10 Television Network: Scott Graham, play-by-play; Ron Perry, 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
Dayton Radio: Larry Hansgen, play-by-play; Bucky Bockhorn, color; WHIO 1290 AM, Dayton
Series Record: Massachusetts leads, 5-4
Last Meeting: Dayton 83, Massachusetts 55, January 29, 2003; Dayton, Ohio
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 DAYTON: This will be the 10th meeting between UMass and Dayton, with the Flyers leading the all-time series 5-4. Dayton has won three straight in the series, with the last victory for the Minutemen coming at the Mullins Center on Jan. 18, 2001 (62-57). Prior to the Flyers' current three-game win streak, UMass had won three out of four meetings between the schools. For all games played at the Mullins Center, the Minutemen hold a 3-2 advantage, although Dayton did win its last trip to Amherst on Jan. 29, 2002 (83-68). UMass head coach Steve Lappas has a career record of 0-2 against the Flyers, while Dayton head coach Brian Gregory is facing the Minutemen for the first time.
MINUTEMEN LOOK FOR 100TH MULLINS VICTORY: When UMass takes on Dayton, 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 99-39 in the building. UMass stands 7-4 at the Mullins Center so far this season, having won its last two 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 61-24 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
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 20 games so far this year, Anderson is averaging 14.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.7 assists, while hitting 41.5 percent from three-point range and posting a 1.64:1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
FREEMAN HAS IMPRESSIVE START TO SEASON: 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 UMass' last game at Rider, Freeman recorded team-highs of 17 points and 11 rebounds for his ninth double-double of the season. In the previous contest 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 20 games this year, Freeman is averaging a team-best 15.4 points and 8.1 rebounds, while hitting 55.0 percent of his shots from the floor.
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 (206) and three-point attempts (519), while ranking fifth in three-point percentage (.397). 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 85 points to become the school's 36th career 1,000-point scorer, already owns two of the top 10 places on the school's single-season chart for three-point goals made.
RIDER RECAP: Forwards Rashaun Freeman (17 points, 11 rebounds) and Jeff Viggiano (14 points, 10 rebounds) both posted double-doubles, to lead the Minutemen to a 74-61 victory over Rider at Sovereign Bank Arena on Feb. 3, 2004. The Broncs started the game hot, jumping out to a 20-9 lead in the first 10 minutes of play. But the Minutemen responded with a 17-6 run to tie the score, and eventually took a 34-33 lead into the locker room. UMass was still up 44-42 at the 14:30 mark, before going on a 12-2 run to take a 12-point lead. Rider cut the lead to single digits several times over the final 10 minutes of play, but would never get any closer than seven points. The Minutemen made six of eight foul shots over the final four minutes to help secure the victory. In addition to Freeman and Viggiano, guard Anthony Anderson (15 points) and forward Stephane Lasme (12 points) both scored in double figures, while forward Maurice Maxwell posted a career-best eight assists. Guard Jerry Johnson led Rider with 12 points, five rebounds and five assists, but was able to convert on only three of 15 shots from the field.
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. In UMass' last game at Rider, Viggiano posted his second career double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. In the previous contest at Rhode Island, he totaled 12 points, a team-high nine rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Against Fordham, Viggiano totaled 11 points and three rebounds, while hitting four of six shots from the field, while against Temple, he pulled down a team-best nine rebounds to go along with nine points, three assists and two blocks. Some of Viggiano's other big games this season have come against Saint Joseph's (12 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, two steals), Duquesne (13 points, five rebounds and three blocks), No. 1-ranked Connecticut (career-best 22 points on nine of 12 shooting, in addition to totaling four rebounds, two assists and two steals) and Tennessee (eight points, five rebounds, two blocks). In 19 games played so far this year, including 16 starts, he has averaged 9.2 points, 4.8 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.
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 14 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 18 games he has played this season, Bowers is averaging 9.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists.
THE LAST TIME: In the last meeting between the Minutemen and the Flyers, forward Brooks Hall scored 20 points to lead Dayton to an 83-55 victory at the University of Dayton Arena on January 26, 2003. Dayton took control of the contest from the opening tip, starting off on a 12-2 run which began with Mark Jones' three-point basket only 12 seconds into the game. The Flyers then expanded their lead to 16 points (20-4) just over seven minutes into the opening half. The Dayton lead grew as large as 21 points in the first half, before the Minutemen made it a 16-point game at the break. UMass scored the first four points of the second half, cutting the Flyers' advantage to only 12 points, but Dayton responded with a 7-1 run and the Minutemen would not threaten again. UMass would get no closer than 18 points in the final 15 minutes of the game, with the Flyers expanding their lead to 28 points in the closing seconds. Center Gabe Lee led the Minutemen in scoring for the first time in his career with 12 points, while also pulling down nine rebounds. Dayton had five different players score in double figures.
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 7.2 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.4 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 11 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 seven times this season (including a 45-minute stint in the overtime game at Boston College) including three of UMass' last four contests (against Temple, Fordham and Rhode Island). For the season, Anderson has now played 753 out of a possible 785 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.
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 110 blocks though 20 games, good for an average of 5.50 blocks per contest. The Minutemen stand for ahead of every other school in the Atlantic 10, as Richmond currently ranks second with an average of 4.76 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 (Libreville, Gabon) has also come up big for UMass, totaling 29 blocks to rank third in the Atlantic 10 with an average of 1.5 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 33-45 while at UMass. He owns a career mark of 263-217 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.
DIALING LONG DISTANCE: The three-point shot has become an important part of the UMass offense since Steve Lappas began his tenure as head coach. The 2001-2002 Minutemen set school records for both three-point field goals made (204) and three-point field goals attempted (587) during Lappas' first season. Last year, UMass sank 164 three-pointers (fourth-most in school history), while attempting 544 shots from beyond the arc (second-most in school history). In 20 games this season, the Minutemen stand 126 of 363 from three-point range (34.7 percent), including a sizzling 12 of 19 performance (63.2 percent) in the victory over Vermont, and a nine for 15 night (60.0 percent) in the win over Fordham. Massachusetts has made at least one three-point goal in 171 straight games.
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), 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 three more games carried as part of the Atlantic 10 Television Network package, against Dayton (Feb. 8), Xavier (Feb. 14) and Richmond (Mar. 6). In addition, the Mar. 3 contest at Temple will be shown on CN8. So far this season, the Minutemen stand 3-5 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 Monday, Feb. 9. The show is taped at 11:45 a.m. from the Blue Wall Pub in Amherst, and is open to the general public.
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).
ABOUT THE FLYERS: Dayton enters the game with an overall record of 18-3 on the season, including a perfect 8-0 mark in Atlantic 10 Conference games. The Flyers have won their last eight games, since suffering a 61-59 defeat at Wyoming on Jan. 3. Dayton also has a 7-2 mark in games played away from the University of Dayton Arena, including a perfect 3-0 mark in conference play. Senior guard Ramod Marshall currently leads the team with averages of 14.5 points and 5.7 assists per game, while senior forward Keith Waleskowski has averaged 12.6 points and 10.0 rebounds per contest. Senior center Sean Finn is also enjoying a fine season, averaging 13.0 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, while hitting 68.1 percent of his field goal attempts.
DAYTON HEAD COACH BRIAN GREGORY: In his first season as a collegiate head coach, Brian Gregory has led the Flyers to an 18-3 record so far this year. Gregory came to Dayton after spending the last four years as an assistant coach at Michigan State, from 1999-2003. He also served as an assistant at Northwestern (1997-1999) and Toledo (1996-1997), and had a previous stint at Michigan State from 1990-1996. Gregory is a 1990 graduate of Oakland (Mich.) University, where he was a three-time All-Conference selection and an Academic All-American.
MINUTEMATTERS: 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 ... Massachusetts has made at least one three-point field goal in 171 consecutive games and in 546 of 553 games it has played since the arc was added to the college game in 1986-1987 ... UMass has won 29 of its last 31 games when shooting 50.0 percent or better from the field, including this year's 5-0 mark and an 11-2 record in Steve Lappas' tenure in Amherst ... UMass shot a season-high 59.5 percent from the field in the victory over Fordham, marking the second consecutive game they set a new standard and the best shooting mark in the Steve Lappas era.
