University of Massachusets Athletics
Minutemen To Face Duquesne In A-10 Tourney
March 08, 2004 | Men's Basketball
March 8, 2004
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Game Day Quick Facts
The Teams: Massachusetts (10-18, 4-12 A-10) vs. Duquesne (11-16, 6-10 A-10)
Date: March 10, 2004
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Place: University of Dayton Arena (13,266), Dayton, Ohio
UMass Radio Network: Bob Behler, play-by-play; WRNX 100.9 FM, Holyoke, flagship
Duquesne Radio Network: Ray Goss, play-by-play; George Von Benko, color; KQV 1410 AM, Pittsburgh, flagship
Series Record: Massachusetts leads, 29-20
Last Meeting: Duquesne 88, Massachusetts 62 (January 18, 2004, Pittsburgh, Pa.)
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.
UMASS SET FOR ATLANTIC 10 TOURNEY: The Minutemen are the fourth seed out of the East Division for the 2004 Atlantic 10 Tournament, which begins Wednesday, Mar. 10, in Dayton, Ohio. UMass will play an opening round game at 7:00 p.m. against Duquesne, the fifth seed from the West Division. The winner of the opening round game between the Minutemen and the Dukes will take on Dayton, the top seed from the West Division, in the quarterfinals on Thursday, Mar. 11, at 7:00 p.m.
THE SERIES WITH DUQUESNE: This will be the 50th meeting between UMass and Duquesne, with the Minutemen holding a 29-20 lead in the all-time series. The Dukes won this season's first meeting between the schools 88-62 in Pittsburgh, and have been victorious in two of the last three meetings. Prior to that, the Minutemen had won 16 consecutive games in the series. For games played in the Atlantic 10 Tournament, UMass holds a 4-3 advantage with four straight victories. The Minutemen also lead the series 4-2 in neutral site games (all coming in the Atlantic 10 Tournament), winning the last four.
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. During the game at Temple, the Minutemen set school single-game records for both three-point field goals made (18) and attempted (40). On the season, UMass stands 185 of 549 from three-point range (33.7 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. With at least one more game to play this year, the 2003-2004 squad already stands second on the school single-season charts for three-pointers made and attempted. During Lappas' first season at UMass in 2001-2002, the Minutemen set the school records for both three-point field goals made (204) and three-point field goals attempted (587). Last year, UMass sank 164 three-pointers (fifth-most in school history), while attempting 544 shots from beyond the arc (second-most in school history). Massachusetts has made at least one three-point goal in 179 straight games.
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 been named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week seven times this season (on Nov. 23, Nov. 30, Dec. 28, Jan. 11, Jan. 25, Feb. 29 and Mar. 6) and Dinn Brothers UMass Athlete of the Week twice (Dec. 29 and Mar. 2). In the Richmond game, Freeman led the team with 27 points and seven rebounds, while hitting nine of 11 shots from the floor. In the game at Temple, he posted his 11th double-double of the season with 10 points and 12 rebounds. He also had a big day in the victory over Saint Bonaventure, totaling career-bests of 31 points and 18 rebounds. Previously, against Saint Joseph's, Freeman led the team with 21 points and six rebounds, while in the Rider game, he recorded team-highs of 17 points and 11 rebounds. Freeman also had big games at Rhode Island (13 points, four rebounds two blocks), against Fordham at home (18 points and 10 rebounds), against Temple (16 points), at Saint Joseph's (17 points, 12 rebounds), at Duquesne (16 points, 13 rebounds), at Saint Bonaventure (19 points, five rebounds), against George Washington (19 points, 10 rebounds), vs. Albany (22 points, 10 rebounds), against Maine (23 points, six rebounds), vs. Marshall (18 points, 10 rebounds), at Central Connecticut (15 points, 13 boards), vs. Hartford (19 points, nine rebounds), at Texas Tech (17 points) and against Saint Francis (11 points, 14 rebounds). Through 28 games this year, Freeman is averaging a team-best 15.3 points and 8.4 rebounds, while hitting 54.8 percent of his shots from the floor.
FREEMAN HAS RECORD-SETTING GAME AGAINST BONNIES: Sophomore forward Rashaun Freeman had the top performance of his young career in the victory over Saint Bonaventure on Feb. 28. Freeman scored a career-best 31 points on 14 of 19 shooting from the field against the Bonnies, in addition to pulling down a career-high 18 rebounds. His 31 points were the most by a UMass player since Monty Mack scored 32 at Xavier on Feb. 12, 2000. Freeman also had the most points by a first-year UMass player since Marcus Camby scored 32 points against Maryland in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on March 19, 1994. In addition, Freeman's 18 rebounds were the most by a UMass player since Ajmal Basit pulled down 19 at Rhode Island on Jan. 29, 1998. Freeman also set a Mullins Center record for most rebounds (18), while tying the Mullins Center records for field goals made (14) and defensive rebounds (14). The previous Mullins Center record for rebounds was 17 by Carlin Warley of Saint Joseph's on Feb. 1, 1995. Freeman tied Warley's record for defensive rebounds (14 on Feb. 1, 1995), while matching Camby's 14 field goals made (against Princeton on Dec. 14, 1994).
ANDERSON SCORES 1,000TH CAREER POINT: In the regular season finale at Richmond, senior guard Anthony Anderson (Lynn, Mass.) scored nine points to become the 36th career 1,000-point scorer in UMass history. Anderson enters the Atlantic 10 Tournament with exactly 1,000 career points scored. Earlier this season against Fordham (Jan. 28), Anderson hit the 200th three-point shot of his UMass career, becoming only the fourth player in school history to accomplish that feat. He currently stands third on the school's all-time chart for three-pointers made (226), fourth in three-point attempts (578) and fifth in three-point percentage (.391). 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. In addition, he needs only one 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).
ANDERSON LEADS MINUTEMEN IN BACKCOURT: Senior guard Anthony Anderson has been the leader on the court for a young UMass team this season. In the game at Temple, Anderson had 17 points and five assists, while hitting five of nine three-point attempts. In the home game against Rhode Island, he led the team with 19 points, eight rebounds, four assists, three steals and no turnovers. Previously, at Rider, he recorded 15 points and five assists in the UMass victory. On Dec. 7, Anderson was named Atlantic 10 Player of the Week and Dinn Brothers UMass Athlete of the Week, after a pair of outstanding performances against Boston College (20 points, nine rebounds, four assists, three steals) and Vermont (career-best 29 points). Some of his other big games this season have come at Rhode Island (12 points, five assists, five steals), against Fordham (14 points, five rebounds, four assists), against Temple (12 points, eight rebounds, seven assists), at Saint Bonaventure (26 points, eight rebounds, three steals), against La Salle (20 points, three steals), against Tennessee (15 points, seven assists, five rebounds), at Connecticut (15 points, four rebounds), against Marshall (17 points, six assists) and against Saint Francis (21 points, five rebounds, six assists). Through 28 games this year, Anderson is averaging 13.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists, while hitting 39.3 percent from three-point range and posting a 1.68:1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
RICHMOND RECAP: Forward Rashaun Freeman totaled 27 points and seven rebounds, but it was not enough as UMass suffered a 69-65 loss to Richmond at the Robins Center on March 6, 2004. The Spiders jumped out to an early 7-2 lead, but the Minutemen responded with a 12-0 run to take a seven-point lead five minutes into the game. The UMass lead grew as large as eight points, before a 20-5 run put Richmond back in control. The Minutemen managed only eight points in the final 10 minutes of the opening half, as the Spiders to a 45-32 lead into the locker room. UMass started the second half on a 13-5 run, making it a five-point game with 13 minutes remaining. The Minutemen cut the lead to two points with just five minutes left, before once again going cold from the field. UMass made only two field goals in the final five minutes of play, while the Spiders made three of four free throws in the final 30 seconds to secure the win. Forward Mike Skrocki led Richmond with 24 points, while guard Tony Dobbins added 15 points, including a string of 10 straight points down the stretch. Guard Art Bowers had 12 points for UMass, while hitting four of five three-point attempts.
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 the game at Temple, he scored a team-high and career-best 23 points and pulled down nine rebounds, while hitting four of eight three-point attempts. In the victory over Saint Bonaventure, Viggiano totaled 14 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Previously against Rhode Island, Viggiano totaled 11 points, eight rebounds, two assists, two blocks and two steals, while in the Dayton game, he posted his third double-double of the season with 11 points and a career-best 13 rebounds. Some of Viggiano's other big games this season have come at Fordham (11 points, two rebounds, two assists), at Rider (14 points, 10 rebounds), at Rhode Island (12 points, nine rebounds, two assists, two blocks), against Fordham (11 points, three rebounds), against Temple (nine points, nine rebounds), at Saint Joseph's (12 points, 10 rebounds), at Duquesne (13 points, five rebounds, three blocks), at Connecticut (22 points, four rebounds) and against Tennessee (eight points, five rebounds, two blocks). In 27 games played so far this year, including 24 starts, he has averaged 9.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists per contest. Last year, Viggiano averaged 7.0 point and 2.9 rebounds per game, while starting 21 out of 29 games.
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. Previously 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. Some of his other top games this season came at Xavier (four points, five rebounds, six blocked shots), against Marshall (five points, eight rebounds, five blocks) and at Fordham (six points, seven rebounds). Through 28 games this season, Lasme is averaging 3.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocks.
THE LAST TIME: In the last meeting between the Minutemen and the Dukes, guard Jack Higgins scored 24 points on eight of 13 shooting, to lead Duquesne to a 88-62 victory at the A.J. Palumbo Center on Jan. 18, 2004. The Dukes opened the game on a 13-5 run, but UMass responded with a 9-3 spurt of its own to make it a two-game game at the 12-minute mark of the opening half. But the Dukes offense turned it on again with a 15-4 run, before the Minutemen cut the lead to seven points at the break. The second half was all Duquesne, as the Dukes began the half on a 14-2 run to take a 19-point lead. UMass would get no closer than 16 points the rest of the way, as Duquesne opened up the lead as large as 26 points late in the game. Forward Rashaun Freeman led the Minutemen with 16 points and a game-high 13 rebounds, while guard Anthony Anderson added 14 points and two assists. Forward Jeff Viggiano also had a big day off the bench, totaling 13 points, five rebounds and three blocked shots. Duquesne had four players score in double figures, including Higgins, forward Elijah Palmer (16 points), guard Bryant McAllister (13 points) and center Kieron Achara (10 points).
FREEMAN SELECTED ALL-DISTRICT: On Feb. 18, it was announced that sophomore forward Rashaun Freeman has been named to the 2003-2004 National Association of Basketball Coaches All-District I second team. Freeman was one of 13 players from the Atlantic 10 Conference to be honored on the teams, which were selected for 15 districts around the nation. The last UMass player to earn NABC All-District honors was Monty Mack, who was selected first team All-District in 1998-1999, 1999-2000 and 2000-2001.
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. In UMass' last game at Richmond, he scored 12 points, while handing out four assists and hitting four of five three-point attempts. In the game at Temple, Bowers totaled 18 points, eight assists and five rebounds, while hitting four of nine three-point attempts. In the win over Saint Bonaventure, he totaled 13 points, nine assists and six rebounds, and at Xavier, Bowers scored a team-high 10 points, in addition to pulling down six rebounds. On Feb. 1, he was named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week and the Dinn Brothers UMass Athlete of the Week, after a pair of strong performances against Rhode Island (18 points, four assists) and Fordham (18 points, eight assists, seven rebounds). Bowers also had a big game in the win over Temple, hitting the game-winning three-point shot with 32 seconds left. He finished the Temple game with a career-high 19 points and seven rebounds. Bowers turned in some other top performances against Saint Joseph's (10 points, four rebounds, four assists), 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). In the 26 games he has played this season, Bowers is averaging 9.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.3 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 game at Temple, Maxwell totaled 12 points, seven rebounds and four assists. At Fordham, he led the team with 15 points, while also recording three rebounds, three assists and three steals. Previously against Rhode Island, Maxwell totaled 17 points and three assists, while hitting six of 11 shots from the floor. 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 at Rhode Island (12 points, five rebounds, game-winning three pointer with 25.6 seconds remaining), against Saint Bonaventure (10 points, six rebounds, four assists), at Rider (career-high eight assists), against Tennessee (12 points, four assists, three steals), against Albany (10 points, two rebounds, one assist and one steal), against Vermont (14 points on five of seven shooting) and at Boston College (10 points, four assists, three rebounds). For the season, he is now averaging 7.8 points, 3.0 assists, 2.9 rebounds, 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 this season, with a UMass player taking home the award in nine out of 16 weeks on the year. Forward Rashaun Freeman led the way by earning the honor seven times (Nov. 23, Nov. 30, Dec. 28, Jan. 11, Jan. 25 and Feb. 28), while guard Art Bowers (Feb. 1) and forward Maurice Maxwell (Dec. 21) took home the award once each. With three Rookie of the Week recipients this year, UMass became 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 gone the distance 11 times this season (including a 45-minute stint in the overtime game at Boston College), while playing the entire 40 minutes in seven of UMass' last 12 contests. For the season, Anderson has now played 1,069 out of a possible 1135 minutes, good for an average of 38.2 minutes per game (39.1 minutes per game against Atlantic 10 Conference foes). 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 152 blocks though 28 games, good for an average of 5.43 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 4.38 blocks. In the latest NCAA statistics, through games of March 1, UMass stood ninth in the nation with 5.7 blocks per game. Leading the way for the Minutemen is freshman forward Stephane Lasme, who has totaled 51 blocks to rank third in the Atlantic 10 with an average of 1.8 blocks per game. Junior center Gabe Lee (Camilla, Ga.) was also enjoying a fine season 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 January 14.
MINUTEMEN ON TELEVISION: UMass once again made a number of appearances on live television during the 2003-2004 regular season. Televised games this season came 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, Feb. 14 at Xavier and Mar. 6 at Richmond), New England Sports Network (Dec. 6 at Boston College), CN8 (Jan. 7 against La Salle and Mar. 3 at Temple), Cox-3 (Jan. 31 at Rhode Island), ESPN Regional (Dec. 20 against Marshall) and WPSG-TV in Philadelphia (Feb. 25 against Saint Joseph's). So far this season, the Minutemen stand 3-10 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. The late Jack Leaman, former UMass head coach, was 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, March 15. The show is taped at 11:45 a.m. from the Blue Wall Pub in Amherst, and is open to the general public.
CHADWICK STEPPING UP ON OFFENSE: Junior guard Chris Chadwick (Union, N.J.) has shown an ability to produce on the offensive end of the floor this season. In the home game against Saint Joseph's, Chadwick scored a career-high 15 points, making five of nine shots from the floor and all four of his free throw attempts. Previously at Fordham, he scored 11 points on five of nine shooting from the field. Chadwick also had a big game against Dayton, scoring 12 points on five of seven shooting, while hitting two of three three-point attempts. Through 28 games played this season, Chadwick has averaged 3.9 points, 1.9 assists and 1.2 rebounds.
MINUTEMEN RECORD 100TH MULLINS VICTORY: When UMass defeated Saint Bonaventure on Feb. 28, 2004, the Minutemen recorded their 100th victory since moving into the William D. Mullins Memorial Center. UMass just completed its 12th season of play at the Mullins Center, and has posted an all-time record of 100-42 in the building. The Minutemen went 8-7 at the Mullins Center this year, and have not had a losing record at home since moving into the new arena in 1992-1993. In fact, UMass has now gone 22 straight seasons without having a losing record on its home court. UMass also owns 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.
HEAD COACH Steve Lappas: Now in his third season as the head coach of the Minutemen, Steve Lappas has an overall record of 34-52 while at UMass. He owns a career mark of 264-224 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 10th all-time in career coaching victories at UMass, needing only six more wins to move into eighth place.
MINUTEMATTERS: 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 ... Former UMass stars Marcus Camby and Lou Roe were both selected to ESPN's Silver Anniversary All-Atlantic 10 Conference team ... During the UMass-Rhode Island game on Feb. 18, three-time first team All-Yankee Conference selection Al 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) ... UMass has won 29 of its last 32 games when shooting 50.0 percent or better from the field, including this year's 5-1 mark and an 11-3 record in Steve Lappas' tenure in Amherst ... The Minutemen finished the regular season in fourth place in the Atlantic 10 East Division, just where they were predicted to finish the league's preseason poll. The only team in the conference to exceed expectations by a great margin was George Washington, which finished second in the West Division after being picked to come in fifth.
