UMass Hosts Siena On Friday Night At Mullins

Dec. 20, 2005

UMASS (3-3) vs. SIENA (4-3)
Friday, Dec. 23, 2005  7 P.M.
Mullins Center (9,493), Amherst, Mass.
Radio: WRNX (100.9 FM - Flagship) WCRN (830 AM), WATD (95.9 FM)

After Long Lay-Off, UMass Hosts Siena
 UMass returns to action 12 days following their 64-45 win over Boston University on Dec. 12, as the Minutemen take on Siena on Friday, Dec. 23 at 7 p.m., at the Mullins Center. The Minutemen will welcome their ninth scholarship player as Danté Milligan will play in his first game with UMass after transferring from Pittsburgh last winter.

 UMass is facing Siena for the first time since March 16, 2000, a 66-65 Saints win in the NIT Tournament in Albany. That game was UMass' last postseason contest. In the series, UMass had won the first four meetings prior to that postseason loss.

 UMass is 3-3 after the BU win as junior James Life netted a game-high 20 points as he made six 3-point field goals, matching his entire total from the first five games. Rashaun Freeman had his third double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds while Jeff Viggiano added 10 points. Freeman continues to lead UMass in scoring and rebounding at 16.0 ppg and 9.3 rpg. Life was named the UMass/Dinn Brothers Athlete of the Week after his big game.

 Friday's game begins the second half of the season for UMass and starts a stretch of three games in six days as the Minutemen head to New York for the Panasonic Holiday Festival at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 27-28. UMass faces St. Peter's on the first day at 6:30 p.m., and will take on either Columbia or St. John's on the second day at 6:30 or 8:30 p.m.

 Siena comes into Friday's game with a 4-3 record and is similarly coming off a 12-day break since their last game, a 67-50 loss to Canisius on Dec. 11 in upstate New York. The Saints are led by Kojo Mensah (17.7 ppg) and Antoine Jordan (17.0 ppg). Their wins have come against A-10 foe Fordham (64-54), Holy Cross (68-63), Albany (82-74) and Niagara (76-75).

 Friday's game will be carried on the UMass Sports Network on 100.9 FM in Western Massachusetts and 830 AM and 95.9 FM in the Eastern portion of the state.

Freeman Closes In On 1,000 Points
 Junior All-Conference selection Rashaun Freeman is in line to become the 37th UMass player to score more than 1,000 points, needing just 27 more. He enters the Siena game with 973 points in his two-plus seasons with the Minutemen. The last player to pass the 1,000-point plateau was Anthony Anderson (2001-05), who did it on March 6, 2004 against Richmond in his junior season. Anderson finished his career with 1,211 points to rank tied for 19th all-time at UMass with Jim Town (1974-77).

 With 27 points vs. Siena, he would accomplish the feat in his 64th career game. In his previous 63 games, he has reached double-figures 51 times after his 12 points vs. Boston University.

 At his current pace, and going with average of 29 games per season, Freeman would finish his career with 1,786 points, which would be fourth all-time at UMass. Jim McCoy is the all-time record holder with 2,374 points.

Top 5 Tidbits

 UMass is playing Siena for the first time since March 16, 2000, the Minutemen's last postseason game in the NIT Tournament.

 Danté Milligan will make his UMass debut and play in his first collegiate game since Dec. 18, 2004 when he suited up for Pittsburgh against Coppin State.

 Stephane Lasme is third in the nation blocked shots with 4.7 per game.

 UMass is third in the nation in blocked shots at 8.2 per game.

 UMass opponents have a composite 62.8 winning percentage this season.

Series Notes
 UMass and Siena play for the sixth time in history on Friday. The Minutemen won the first four meetings before losing the last game, 66-65 at the Pepsi Center in Albany on Mar. 16, 2000. That game came in the NIT Tournament First Round and is UMass' last postseason game. In that loss, Monty Mack had 20 points. Marcus Faison led Siena with 22.

 UMass won regular-season game against Siena in 1991 (94-59) and 1992 (70-58) as the teams played a home-and-home after their first postseason game, an 82-80 UMass overtime win in the NIT Tournament Third Round in 1991. In that game, Will Herndon led UMass with 20 points, while all-time leading scorer Jim McCoy tallied 19 including the only field goal in overtime as UMass outscored Siena 2-0 in the extra session.

 Travis Ford has never coached against Siena while Fran McCaffery has never coached against UMass.

Connections With UMass and Siena
 Siena assistant coach Craig Carter spent last season with the Minutemen as the Director of Basketball Operations.

 UMass junior Rashaun Freeman is a native of Schenectady, nearby Siena's campus in Loudonville, New York. Siena also has a Schenectady native in Justin Maxwell, who went to rival Guilderland High School.

UMass Thumbnail
 The Minutemen come into the Siena game at 3-3 overall after a 64-45 win over Boston University on Dec. 12. That game came on the heels of a 78-60 loss to No. 3 UConn on Dec. 8. Prior to the loss, UMass posted a 36-point win over Savannah State on Nov. 28. In the win over the Tigers, UMass had six players score in double-figures for the first time since 1990-91 as James Life (18) led the way. Life also led UMass in scoring against Boston University with 20 points. Overall, Life is third on the team in scoring at 9.8 per game with a team-high 12 3-point field goals.

 Rashaun Freeman now has 22 career double-doubles after 12 points and 10 rebounds vs. Boston University. He leads UMass in scoring with 16.0 points per game and rebounds with 9.3 boards per game. He is one of three starters shooting 50 percent from the floor at 52.8. Stephane Lasme is shooting 58.6 from the floor in addition to his 4.7 blocks per game which ranks third in the nation. Lasme also scores 8.3 points per game and averages 6.3 rebounds.

 Second-leading scorer Brandon Thomas has struggled recently scoring just 11 total points in the last two games. Prior to that, he averaged 16.3 points over three games from Nov. 22-28. Thomas is second on the team scoring 10.3 per game. He is shooting 48 percent from the floor and has made 10 3-pointers.

 After opening the year with a 67-62 win over Hartford on Nov. 18, UMass dropped a pair of hard-fought games at Davidson, 66-63 on Nov. 22 and vs. UAB in the Tip-Off Classic, 86-77 in Springfield, Mass., on Nov. 25. In the loss at Davidson, UMass led by 10 points with 7:30 left in the game, but the Wildcats went on a 16-3 run to finish the game. Stephane Lasme tied the UMass school record with nine blocked shots in addition to 10 points and 11 rebounds, coming up just short of what would have been UMass' second-ever triple-double. Maurice Maxwell was the high scorer with 13 points.

 Against UAB, at Springfield's MassMutual Center, Brandon Thomas scored 22 points while Rashaun Freeman had his 20th career double-double with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Lasme had 14 points and seven blocks.

Milligan to Make His UMass Debut
 UMass will gain its ninth scholarship player starting with the Siena game as redshirt-sophomore forward Danté Milligan will make his UMass debut. Milligan transferred to the Minutemen from Pittsburgh last winter. He last played in a collegiate game on Dec. 18 against Coppin State. He has played just seven collegiate games in his career, dating back to 2003, as he red-shirted his true freshman year with Pittsburgh.

 Milligan is expected to play power forward and small forward and will add depth up front. He is now listed at 6-9, 215 pounds since coming in from Pittsburgh.

Lasme The Blocking Machine
 Stephane Lasme is third in the nation in shots blocked per game at 4.7. He has 28 blocks in six games. He trails Wyoming's Justin Williams at 6.3 per game and Northeastern's Shawn James (6.0). The three are the only ones with more than 4.5 per game.

 UMass leads the league in blocked shots with 44, 8.2 per game. They ranks third nationally in team blocked shots per game with 8.2, behind only Alabama A&M (8.5) and Colorado State (8.3).

 The junior had a record-setting night in UMass' loss at Davidson, 66-63 on Nov. 22. Lasme tied the school-record for blocked shots in a game with nine. It was previously accomplished by Marcus Camby twice in 1996 and originally set by Harper Williams in 1991. Lasme's total set a new career high breaking his old mark of seven set vs. Rhode Island (2/23/05).

 Lasme had his third-career double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds vs. Davidson. He missed out on the second triple-double in school history which was performer by Al Skinner in 1973.

 Lasme has been in double-figures in three of the last five games with 10 points vs. Savannah State on Nov. 28, his third double-figure game in a row. It marked the first time in his career he scored more than 10 points in three games in a row and he now has seven double-figure games.

 Lasme has moved to sixth all-time at UMass in career blocked shots. He has 151 overall passing Will Herndon (128) with his performance at Davidson. Next on the list is Kitwana Rhymer with 184.

 In two short years, Stephane Lasme has become one of the A-10's best shot blockers. As a freshman, the 6-8 native of Libreville, Gabon, swatted 51 shots. Last season, he blew that number away by rejecting 72 opponent shots - second-best in the league. His 72 blocks were the sixth-most in school history.

Freeman Leads The Charge Up Front
 2005 Atlantic 10 First Team honoree and NABC All-District Second Team selection Rashaun Freeman is the team's top scorer at 16.0 points per game, which ranks ninth in the A-10. His team-best 9.3 rebounding average is second in the A-10 and his 52.8 field goal percentage is the third in the league.

 Freeman has scored in double-figures in five of six games this season and in 51 of 63 career games after 12 points vs. BU and a game-high 19 points at No. 3 UConn on Dec. 8.

 He posted back-to-back double-doubles in the UAB and Savannah State games with 21 points and 11 rebounds against the Blazers and 12 points and 12 rebounds vs. the Tigers.

 Freeman has continued to be stellar from the floor shooting 52.8 percent field goals this season. Overall, his career mark of 54.2 ranks fourth all-time at UMass.

There's No Doubting Thomas
 As a transfer from Long Island University, swingman Brandon Thomas has fit right into UMass' system. Playing as both a two-guard and small forward, Thomas has started all six games and is second on the team in scoring with 10.3 points per game.

 Thomas averaged 16.3 points per game over three games (Nov. 22-28) including a season-high and best-best 22 against UAB in the Tip-Off Classic. Thomas added 15 points vs. Savannah State on Nov. 28 including 14 in the first half.

 Thomas scored UMass' first field goal in the first four games this season including the first basket of the year vs. Hartford on Nov. 18 to open the regular-season. He also did it against Dowling in the exhibition.

Minute Matters From 2005-06
 UMass held Boston University to just 45 points on Dec. 12, its lowest total against any team since holding Rhode Island to 44 on Feb. 2, 2005. UMass also limited the Terriers to just 16 second-half points, the lowest also since that URI game when the Rams had 14 in the first half.

 Free throws were at a premium in the game with BU on Dec. 12 as UMass was just 3-of-6 from the line and the Terriers were just 5-of-8 from the charity stripe. Those were the lowest numbers for UMass in two seasons.

 Against Savannah State on Nov. 28, UMass had six players with 10 or more points for the first time since Dec. 27, 1991 when they beat Harvard 98-63 in Springfield: Jerome Malloy (19), Lou Roe (15), Jim McCoy (14), Tony Barbee (13), Harper Williams (12) and Will Herndon (10). In the Savannah State game, James Life led the way with 18 points.

 In the Savannah State game, UMass posted its second-largest margin of victory in the history of the Mullins Center, winning by 36 points. The record of 39 was set on Jan. 22, 2000, as UMass beat Rhode Island, 89-50, which was the largest spread dating to its opening in 1993.

 On Nov. 18 against Hartford, the crowd of 6,488 was the largest for a UMass home opener since the 1997-98 opener when 7,356 came out for the College of Charleston game on Dec. 2, 1997.

 Against Hartford, Jeff Viggiano had 14 points his highest total since March 3, 2004, when he netted 23. It was his 27th career double-figure scoring game.

 UMass is now 64-33 all-time in season openers having won 11 of the last 13. They are 7-0 at the Mullins Center in season openers.

 In their preseason exhibition win over Dowling, 96-55, UMass came away with 23 steals, which would have been a UMass record if the game had counted as a regular-season contest.

HOME SWEET HOME AT MULLINS
 UMass is in its 14th season of play at the William D. Mullins Memorial Center, and has posted an all-time record of 115-47 in the building with a perfect 3-0 this season. Last year, UMass is 12-5 at the Mullins Center as they hosted a school-record 17 games. The 12 home wins last season was the second-best total at the Mullins Center. The Minutemen were 14-0 in 1993-94 and 11-1 in 1994-95.

 With the addition of last year's 12-5 home record, UMass has not had a losing record at home since moving into the new arena in 1992-1993. In fact, UMass has gone 22 straight seasons without having a losing record on its home court. The Minutemen also own a 67-30 all-time record in regular season Atlantic 10 Conference games at the Mullins Center, and a 3-1 mark in Atlantic 10 Tournament contests.

Tough Schedule
 UMass faces a very difficult schedule in 2005-06. Of the 27 games on the schedule only four come against teams with losing records this season. That means UMass faces games with 23 opponents at or above .500. UMass' opponents composite record as of Dec. 19 is 145-86 a winning percentage of 62.8.

 Included are games against Top 15 teams: No. 2/2 UConn, No. 14/14 Boston College and No. 13/13 George Washington.

Coaches In UMass Debuts
 With Travis Ford winning his UMass debut against Hartford, the last five UMass basketball coaches won their Minuteman debut. Prior to that the three coaches lost their debuts including legend Jack Leaman, who lost his first game on the bench at UMass, falling to Boston College, 86-63, on Dec. 3, 1966.

 Starting with Ron Gerlufson's 75-73 win over New Hampshire in 1983, John Calipari, Bruiser Flint and Steve Lappas all won their UMass debuts.

 Travis Ford is now 5-1 in his last six season openers as he went 4-1 in openers at Eastern Kentucky including a win at A-10 foe Dayton last season.

Bowers To Transfer
 Junior Art Bowers announced on Nov. 25, that he has left the basketball program and will look to transfer to another school seeking more playing time. Bowers did not score in two starts this season. He was an Atlantic 10 All-Rookie team member in 2003-04.

Welcome Aboard
 The Minutemen welcome one of the top recruits in the nation in junior college All-American James Life from Manatee Community College in Florida. A year ago, the 6-4 guard averaged 24.5 ppg in scoring 721 points, more than any player in all of junior college basketball. UMass also welcomes freshman point guard Chris Lowe from Mount Vernon (N.Y.) High School. The 6-0 Lowe averaged 11.1 points and 6.5 assists a game last year. UMass also has five transfers on the roster, two of whom will play this season. Swingman Brandon Thomas was Long Island University's leading scorer in 2003-04 before sitting out last season.

See You Next Year
 Three Minutemen are sitting the entire season as transfers from Division I programs, all will be eligible to play in the 2006-07 season. Junior forward Gary Forbes came to UMass for Virginia where scored 9.4 points per game with the Cavaliers last year including a career-high 23 against eventual national-champion North Carolina. Forbes will have two seasons to play at UMass. Junior forward Etienne Brower will also have two years after coming over from Boston University. Brower started all 29 games with the Terriers in 04-05 scoring 8.3 points per game and 5.4 rebounds. Sophomore center Luke Bonner will have three years to play at UMass after his freshman season at West Virginia where he was part of the Mountaineers Elite Eight team.

Saintly Schedule
 UMass has a chance to play five schools named "Saint" this season in addition to playing a team nicknamed the Saints -- Siena (on Dec. 23). The Minutemen take on St. Peter's on Dec. 27 in the Panasonic Holiday Festival at Madison Square Garden. The next day, UMass has a chance to face host St. John's in the second round. Atlantic 10 conference games features match-ups with Saint Joseph's on Jan. 11 and Saint Louis on Jan. 14 along with a trip to St. Bonaventure on Feb. 19.

Quick Notes From 2004-05
 The Minutemen went 16-12 overall and finished 8-8 in the Atlantic 10. UMass won five overtime games last season, the second most of any school in a single-season in NCAA history ... UMass was 13-5 in games decided by 10 points or less in 2004-05...Rashaun Freeman was sixth in the A-10 scoring and fifth in rebounding last year ... For the second year in a row and the 10th time in league history, UMass led the A-10 in blocked shots (5.2 bpg).

Preseason Honors
 UMass has picked up several preseason Atlantic 10 honors as Rashaun Freeman was named to the Coaches' Preseason Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team. Freshman point guard Chris Lowe was named to the league's Preseason All-Rookie Team.

 As the new era of UMass basketball approaches, the team continues to receive much local and national attention. In Athlon Sports, the annual magazine predicted UMass to obtain an NIT birth. As said in Athlon Sports, "Ford may have the mix to be an instant winner in the Atlantic 10."

 Travis Ford is coming in with a wealth of returning talent, the best of which is returning junior Rashuan Freeman. Freeman was picked to be on the All Atlantic First Team in Street and Smith's, Lindy's Basketball, and Athlon Sports. He made Sporting News' All Conference 2nd Team. Along with honors within the Atlantic 10, Freeman was chosen as the 17th best center in the country in Lindy's. As mentioned in Lindy's, "Travis Ford left Eastern Kentucky and inherited a stud."

 Besides Freeman, UMass will depend on other upperclassmen to carry the team. According to Sporting News, Stephane Lasme is a player on the rise. The magazine is quoted as saying, "He has added weight and improved his post moves. Add those to his tremendous athletic ability, and new Minutemen coach Travis Ford has something."

 Newcomers will have a big impact. According to Sporting News,""Massachusetts will rely on transfer Danté Milligan to solidify its inside game." In Lindy's James Life is predicted to be the newcomer who will have the most impact. In the same publication, freshman guard Chris Lowe is picked as the best playmaker/passer.

 With the 4th best recruiting class in the A-10, according to Sporting News, the team is looking up. "... Look out for Massachusetts, with new coach Travis Ford and several veteran regulars." (Street and Smith's).

 CBS Sportsline magazine has a great feature on the return of the Atlantic 10, called "Brewing In The Atlantic." As part of the story, UMass is mentioned as one of the top teams. According to George Washington coach Karl Hobbs, who is quoted in the story, "UMass is going to be really good ... If you are looking for a sleeper, it's going to be UMass. They've got the best center in the league by far (Freeman), who's going to get 20 points every game and they've got talent and experience."

Scoreboard

Players Mentioned

Rashaun Freeman

Scoreboard

University of Massachusets Athletics