University of Massachusets Athletics
UMass Travels To St. Bonaventure For Wednesday Showdown
January 25, 2005 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 25, 2005
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MASSACHUSETTS (9-7, 3-3) at ST. BONAVENTURE (1-15, 0-5)
Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2005 • 7 p.m.
Reilly Center (6,000)
St. Bonaventure, N.Y.
UMass Radio Network
UMass Travels To St. Bonaventure
• The Minutemen hit the road for just the fourth trip this season as UMass heads to Western New York to take on St. Bonaventure on Wednesday at 7 p.m. UMass comes into the game with a 9-7 overall record and 3-3 in the Atlantic 10. The Bonnies have had hard times this season posting a 1-15 record overall and are winless in the league at 0-5. UMass' Bob Behler and Jason Yellin call the game on the UMass Radio Network, available on WRNX (100.9 FM) and via umassathletics.com.
• UMass comes off a tough 73-54 loss to Saint Joseph's last Saturday at the Mullins Center. Senior Anthony Anderson played his 100th career with UMass against the Hawks and led the team in scoring (16 points), rebounds (6) and assists (7). That loss on the heels of back-to-back wins as the Minutemen had big scoring games with 76 points in wins over No. 21/22 George Washington (76-74 in OT) and Fordham (76-63). In each game UMass had a pair of 20-point scorers as Rashaun Freeman (27) and Maurice Maxwell (20) reached the mark at GW followed by Freeman (26) and Anthony Anderson (23) against the Rams. It was the first time since 1998-99 UMass had consecutive games with two 20-plus point scorers. Anderson will play his 100th career game with UMass against St. Joe's.
• UMass looks for its 10th win this season which would equal the entire win total of last season when the Minutemen went 10-19. A win over Saint Bonaventure would give the Minutemen their fourth A-10 win, also matching last season's total of conference wins (4-12).
Taking On The Tough Teams
• UMass comes into this game having played the 10th-most difficult slate according to College RPI (as of Jan. 24). Through Monday's games, UMass' opponents had a combined record of 138-84 for a 61.3 win percentage including undefeated Boston College (16-0).
• According to CollegeRPI.com, the Minutemen now have the 10th toughest schedule in the country. Only Kansas, Oklahoma State, Providence, Arizona, Wake Forest, Duke, Temple, Oregon and Missouri have tougher schedules this season.
• On the 2004-05 slate, the Minutemen have faced three teams in this week's top 20 in both the AP and ESPN/USA Today polls: No. 8/8 Boston College, No. 17/23 Gonzaga and No. 19/16 Connecticut. George Washington fell out of the top-25 after losing to UMass on Jan. 15, but is first among others receiving votes. ACC newcomer Miami is also among the top teams receiving votes the AP Poll.
• Additionally, UMass has faced three Elite Eight teams from last season's NCAA Tournament: UConn (W, 61-59), Xavier (W, 90-86 3OT), and Saint Joseph's (L, 52-59).
• On Jan. 15, UMass defeated the Atlantic 10's top team, George Washington who was ranked 21st nationally heading into the game. Sophomore Rashaun Freeman's lay-in with 0.4 seconds to play gave the Minutemen a 76-74 overtime win and their second win over a top-25 opponent. Earlier this season, Freeman hit a game-winner against then-No. 7/6 UConn on Dec. 9.
• Prior to this season, the last time UMass beat two ranked teams in the same season was in 1998-99, when the Minutemen upset No. 15 Kansas, 64-60 (1/16/99) and No. 24 Temple, 57-49 (2/28/99). All-time, UMass is 29-61 against ranked teams.
The Series With St. Bonaventure
• This will be the 50th meeting between UMass and St. Bonaventure, with the Minutemen holding a 32-17 lead in the all-time series. The teams split last year's meetings with each team winning on its homecourt. UMass has won four of the last six meetings, but prior to that St. Bona won four games in a row.
• For games played at the Reilly Center, UMass holds a 12-11 advantage with two wins in the last three games.
• The Minutemen stand 17-6 all-time against St. Bonaventure in Amherst, including a 8-3 mark at the Mullins Center, but the Bonnies have won their last three of the last four games at Mullins.
• UMass head coach Steve Lappas has a 3-2 career mark against the Bonnies with a 2-1 mark at the Reilly Center. St. Bonaventure's Anthony Solomon is 1-1 all-time against the Minutemen.
The Last Meeting
• In the last meeting between the teams on Feb. 28, 2004, Rashaun Freeman had career highs of 31 points and 18 rebounds to lead Massachusetts to an 82-71 victory over St. Bonaventure for UMass' 100th win at Mullins Center. The 18 rebounds set a Mullins Center record as well.
• The teams were tied at 29 at halftime, but UMass took command with a 21-5 run in the first 12 minutes of the second half and never surrendered the lead. The Bonnies (6-19, 2-12), behind the 3-point shooting of Marques Green, whittled a 16-point deficit to four at 65-61 with 4:36 to play. But Maurice Maxwell followed with a three-point play as the Minutemen held onto the lead. Green had a game-high 33 points and was 8 of 16 from 3-point range.
• Freeman was 14 of 19 from the field and pulled down 14 of his 18 rebounds on defense. Jeff Viggiano had 14 points and Art Bowers 13 for UMass in its final home game of the season.
The Last Meeting At St. Bona
• On Jan. 14, Patrick Lottin scored 22 points to lead St. Bonaventure past Massachusetts, 77-71, in Olean, N.Y. The Bonnies took the lead for good in the opening minutes of the second half with a 12-2 run, including two 3-pointers by Lottin. He also led the Bonnies with six rebounds. Marques Green had 15 points and six assists for St. Bonaventure, which snapped a five-game losing skid. Ahmad Smith added 17 points and seven rebounds.
• Anthony Anderson had 26 points, eight rebounds and three steals for UMass, which dropped its fifth straight. Rashaun Freeman added 19 points for the Minutemen.
St. Bonaventure Capsule
• The Bonnies have the worst record in the Atlantic 10 and are one of seven teams in the nation with just one win. Only Savannah State (0-23) is winless in Division I. St. Bonaventure is 0-5 in the A-10 as well. Under second year head coach Anthony Solomon they have lost to Iona (73-49), Marist (74-58), Canisius (67-61), Syracuse (91-67), Cornell (58-54), West Virginia (70-55), Arkansas-Little Rock (76-56), Niagara (111-75), George Mason (85-58), Northern Illinois (71-62) and in the A-10 against Rhode Island (72-70), LaSalle (68-57), George Washington (85-59), Temple (71-47) and Duquesne (83-70). Their lone win came against Alcorn State (80-66).
• The Bonnies have three players scoring more than 11 points led by Wade Dunston (12.4), Patrick Lottin (12.0) and Ahmad Smith (11.7). Smith leads in rebounding as a guard at 6.3.
Winning The Close Ones
• UMass has made a practice of winning the close games this season. The Minutemen are a remarkable 6-0 in games decided by four points or less. The Minutemen are 3-0 in two-point games, 1-0 and three-point games and 2-0 in four-point games. They are also a perfect 2-0 in overtime games winning the triple-OT game over Xavier, 90-86, on Jan. 8 and the 76-74 overtime victory over No. 21/22 George Washington on Jan. 15.
• It is a great turnaround for UMass, which went 2-4 in games decided by four points or less last season.
The Magic 70 mark
• UMass is a perfect 6-0 in games the Minutemen score 70 or more points. The Fordham win was the latest instance of the team scoring 70 or more points and coming away with the win with a 76-63 victory. They have also won games against Yale (70-56), Davidson (70-67), Rider (73-63), Xavier (90-86) and GW (76-74 in OT) this season. Last year, UMass was 7-4 when they scored 70 points.
• Since Steve Lappas took over at UMass, the Minutemen are 23-9 in games which they score 70 points.
Home Sweet Home At Mullins
• UMass is in its 13th season of play at the William D. Mullins Memorial Center, and has posted an all-time record of 108-46 in the building. The Minutemen went 8-7 at the Mullins Center last season, recording their 100th all-time victory at Mullins against St. Bonaventure on February 28. This year, UMass is 8-4 at the Mullins Center as they host a school-record 17 games. UMass hosted the 150th game at the building on Jan. 2, as Boston College beat the Minutemen, 67-48.
• With the addition of last year's 8-7 home record, UMass has not had a losing record at home since moving into the new arena in 1992-93. In fact, UMass has gone 21 straight seasons without having a losing record on its home court.
• The Minutemen also own a 64-29 all-time record in regular season Atlantic 10 Conference games at the Mullins Center, and a 3-1 mark in Atlantic 10 Tournament contests.
• UMass went 4-2 in its last homestand (Dec. 19-Jan. 8) -- the longest at the school since 1930-31 season when UMass had seven games in a row at home at Drill Hall, the team's last season in the facility before legendary Curry Hicks Cage was opened in 1931-32.
Anderson Climbs The All-Time Charts
• Senior captain Anthony Anderson is once again be the leader on the court for UMass this season. This season, Anderson is second on the team in scoring (11.8), second in assists (3.5) and second in rebounding (4.3). He hauled down a career-high 13 rebounds in the win over Yale.
• Anderson is also shooting a strong percentage from three-point range, (.432), hitting 38-of-88 this season, which ranks second in the Atlantic 10. He made a season-high five three-pointers on 10 attempts against Fordham, when he had a season-high 23 points.
• In his 100th career game at UMass against Saint Joseph's on Jan. 22, he led the team in scoring (16), assists (7) and rebounds (6).
• After starting the year 36th in career scoring, Anderson is now 23rd all-time in career scoring with 1,160 points. Next on the list at No. 22 is Rafer Giles (1988-91) with 1,163 points and No. 21 John Murphy (1973-75) with 1,184. In the Saint Joseph's game, he passed No. 23 Rodger Twitchell (1,151) and No. 24's Lari Ketner and Will Herndon (1,148). He passed Mike Williams (1,122) against Fordham with his 23-point effort. He moved by Shannon Crooks (1,074) and Jack Foley (1,081) in the Boston College game after moving past Alex Eldridge (1,053) in the Gonzaga game. He moved past four players in the Northeastern game: Dana Dingle (1,043), Charlton Clarke (1,041), David Brown (1,037) and Derick Claiborne (1,033).
• He is now second on the school's all-time chart for three-pointers made (265) as he passed Carmelo Travieso (245) in the Boston College game. Anderson is second in three-point attempts (672) passing Travieso (666) and fifth in three-point percentage (.394). Anderson needs to hit 67 three-point shots to break Monty Mack's school record for three-pointers made (331), which was set from 1997-2001.
• In addition, Anderson totaled 102 assists in 2003-04, becoming only the sixth player in school history to record 100 or more assists in three consecutive seasons (joining Charlton Clarke, Joe DiSarcina, Alex Eldridge, Derek Kellogg and Carl Smith). If he posts 100 or more assists again in 2004-2005, Anderson will join Smith as the only Minutemen to reach triple digits in assists four times.
• Anderson is now seventh all-time in career assists at UMass with 354 as he passed current Boston College coach Al Skinner (320) in the Gonzaga game and Louisville mentor Rick Pinto, who had 329 from 1973-74. He passed Charlton Clarke (350) in the Saint Joseph's game.
• In career steals, Anderson is now tied for eighth in career thefts, as he has 139 along with Carl Smith. He passed Will Herndon (137) in the Fordham game and both Tony Barbee and Anton Brown, who had 135 in the early 90s at Saint Joseph's on Jan. 12. He tied Will Herndon (137) against George Washington.
• Last year, Anderson averaged 12.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists per contest, while hitting 38.7 percent from three-point range and posting a 1.7:1 assist-to-turnover ratio. In addition, he became the 36th career 1,000-point scorer in UMass history during the game at Richmond on March 6, 2004, finishing the year with 1,007 career points scored. Anderson also hit the 200th three-point shot of his UMass career at Fordham on January 28, becoming only the fourth player in school history to accomplish that feat.
Freeman Leads The Charge
• Sophomore Rashaun Freeman was red-hot over a two-game stretch on Jan. 15-19, posting a 26.5 ppg average while hauling down 9.0 rebounds per game. He was also shooting 65.5 percent from the floor in the two games (19-for-29). Including the Saint Joseph's game from last Saturday, his averages for the last three games are 19.0 ppg and 7.0 rpg.
• Freeman scored more than 25 points in back-to-back games for the first time in his career after a 26-point effort against Fordham on Jan. 19. That came on the heels of perhaps the best game of his career, against No. 21/22 George Washington on Jan. 15, as he piled up season-bests with 27 points and 15 rebounds. Overall, Freeman is the team's top scorer at 15.0 points per game, which ranks tied for fifth in the A-10. His team-best 7.6 rebounding average is fifth in the A-10 and his 50.6 field goal percentage is the best in the league.
• Freeman has scored in double-figures in 11 of 16 games this season and in 35 of 45 career games. His GW game marked his fourth career double-double and 16 of his career. He was named the UMass/Dinn Brothers Athlete of the Week after the GW game.
• Freeman has hit the game-winning shots in both of UMass' upset wins over ranked teams this season, scoring with 4.4 seconds to beat No. 7/6 UConn on Dec. 9 and with 0.4 seconds left in overtime to beat No. 21/22 George Washington on Jan. 15.
• Following both wins Freeman was featured on ESPN's SportsCenter. He was interviewed on SportsCenter after the UConn game as part of the lead story. After the GW game, his shot was part of Chris Berman's Plays of the Week on Jan. 16.
• Freeman had 25 points, including 15 in the second half against Boston University on Dec. 28. Freeman had his second straight game of 20 or more points and eighth of his career as he netted 20 against Rider on Dec. 23. The BU game was also his third career game with 25 or more points and first this season. Against BU Freeman also had 13 rebounds for his second straight double-double. He also hauled down 13 boards vs. Rider.
• Freeman also made a career-high 13 free throws on 14 attempts against the Terriers. It was the best percentage of his career (92.9). This came on the heels of an 8-for-15 shooting performance vs. Rider. Also, he was shooting 55.1 percent from the line this season (27-for-49) coming into the BU game.
• Freeman was named co-Atlantic 10 Player of the Week on Sunday, Jan. 2 after the Boston University game. He shared the honor with LaSalle's Steven Smith. In Massachusetts' only game of the week, Freeman recorded 25 points and 13 rebounds as the Minutemen downed Boston University, 67-65, on Dec. 28. The game marked his seventh double-figure scoring game of the season. He was 6-11 (.545) from the field and 13-14 (.929) from the foul line. The 13 free throws represent a career-high. He also had two blocks, an assist, and a steal.
• It was Freeman's second Player of the Week citation of the season. He also earned the honor after the win over UConn, taking home the accolade on Dec. 12.
Maxwell Lights It Up
• Sophomore Maurice Maxwell has made the most of his return to the starting line-up as he came off the bench on Jan. 5 vs. Temple. Over the last five games -- all as a starter, he is averaging 13.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game. He has scored in double-figures in four of the five games after a 14-point effort against Saint Joseph's on Jan. 22.
• Maxwell posted a career-high 20 points in the win at George Washington. His 20-point effort at GW came along with five rebounds and five assists, which was a team-high.
• Maxwell nearly pulled off the second triple-double in school history against Xavier, as he scored 16 points, handed out a career-high 10 assists and grabbed a career-high nine rebounds. The only other triple-double came in 1973 by Al Skinner.
Big Deli Is The Super Sub
• Freshman center Jeff Salovski has been a key to UMass' success all season. The "Big Deli" is scoring 3.7 points per game this season, In a four-game stretch from Jan. 8-19, he was scoring 9.0 ppg and 5.2 rebounds per game. Over five games from Jan. 5-19, he has hit 16-of 23 shots for a 69.6 field goal percentage.
• Salovski is also one of the top shooters from the floor with a 54.8 field goal percentage (23-of-42). If he had enough attempts, he would lead the league.
• He was named the Dinn Brothers/UMass Athlete of the Week after his tremendous breakout game against Xavier on Jan. 8. Nicknamed "The Big Deli," Salovski had a career-high 21 points including 9-of-10 from the floor. He also grabbed nine rebounds for the second game in a row. Salovski scored 12 of the 21 points in overtime and eight in the third overtime.
• Salovski has recorded a new career-high in minutes in three consecutive games, playing 15 vs. Boston College, 18 vs. Temple and 26 vs. Xavier. • With his 21 points vs. Xavier, he nearly doubled his season scoring total as he had 23 points in his first 11 games, scoring four points on five occasions.
More Minute Matters
• Sophomore Stephane Lasme is the only UMass player to start all 16 games this season. Lasme has been a shot blocking machine, leading the team with 33. He is third in the league with 2.07 per game. UMass is second in the A-10 in blocked shots with 4.88 per game. Lasme has scored 7.4 points per game over four games from Jan. 8-19, including his third career game in double-figures with 11 vs. Xavier on Jan. 8. Over that span he was shooting 63.3 from the floor (14-for-22).
• Senior guard Chris Chadwick led UMass to a perfect 3-0 record as the team's starting point guard in Anthony Anderson's absence. In fact, UMass is 7-4 this season when Chadwick starts as he also was in the starting five for the win over Yale. The only losses came vs. Boston College, Temple and Saint Joseph's.
• In his three starts when Anderson was out, Chadwick played 34.3 minutes per game including a career-high 38 vs. Boston Univ. on Dec. 28. He averaged 8.0 points per game, 4.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists.
• Chadwick had a season-high 12 points including a clutch three-point play in the final minute of regulation at George Washington on Jan. 15.
• Freshman Olivier Lamoureux made his collegiate debut against Boston University entering the game with 10:23 left in the first half. The Montreal native had been hampered by various injuries this season (hernia, shoulder, Achilles).
Historic Milestones Keep On Coming
• The milestones continue to come for UMass basketball. The game vs. Boston College on Jan. 2 was the 150th all-time at the Mullins Center, as UMass has a 108-46 all-time mark at Mullins recording including 8-4 this season.
• The game with Boston University on Dec. 28 was the 2,000th game in program history for UMass. All-time the Minutemen -- as they are currently known -- are 1050-952. The first game in school history was played on Jan. 10, 1900 as UMass defeated the Northampton YMCA, 14-9 at a game played in Amherst at Drill Hall. The 1,000th game in school history came on Jan. 31, 1972 as the then-Redmen defeated Springfield College, 82-63 at Curry Hicks Cage.
• The Jan. 5 game with Temple was the 500th game which UMass' Steve Lappas has served as a head coach in the college basketball ranks. Lappas has a 270-230 career record in 16-plus seasons at Manhattan (1988-92), Villanova (1992-2001) and UMass (2001-present). Lappas coached 118 games with the Jaspers, compiling a 56-62 record; he coached 284 games with the Wildcats, posting a 174-110 record and is 43-60 in 103 career games at UMass.
• He coached his 100th game at UMass at Saint Joseph's on Wednesday.
• Earlier this season, UMass welcomed its millionth men's basketball fan to the Mullins Center, as 10-year old Zachary Gabor, came through the turnstiles at the Davidson game on Dec. 19. Currently 1,025,564 fans have come to men's basketball games at Mullins.
