UMass Hosts URI On Red Sox Appreciation Day At Mullins

Feb. 21, 2005

UMASS (14-9, 7-5) vs. RHODE ISLAND (4-19, 2-10)
Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2005  7 p.m.
Mullins Center (9,493) Amherst, Mass.
COX 3-TV  UMass Radio Network

UMass Hosts Rhode Island On Red Sox Appreciation Day At Mullins
 With a winning regular-season record clinched after a 69-66 overtime win at LaSalle last Saturday, UMass hosts its longest-standing rival, Rhode Island on Wednesday at 7 p.m. UMass Athletics will celebrate the 2004 Red Sox World Series Championship with an Appreciation Day at the Mullins Center. The World Series trophy will be on display as a special ceremony will take place at halftime in which it will be presented to UMass' staff and student body in celebration of the Red Sox first World Series championship in 86 years.

 The is be televised live on COX3-TV, available only in the state of Rhode Island with Don Coyne and Abu Bakr calling the action. UMass' Bob Behler and Kevin Kennedy call the game on the UMass Radio Network, available on WRNX (100.9 FM) and via umassathletics.com.

 Wednesday's game is the 124th between the schools, easily the most played series in UMass' history. UMass has faced UConn 107 times, the only other series with more than 100 meetings. The Minutemen -- as they are currently known -- also have more wins over Rhode Island than any other program, holding a 70-53 advantage dating to the first game on Jan. 11, 1908, a 32-14 UMass win in Amherst. UMass won at URI just 14 days ago, 49-44 in a defensive struggle.

A Winning Season!
 UMass has secured an above .500 mark in the regular-season for the first time since the 1999-2000 season when they headed into the A-10 Tournament with a 15-14 record.

 UMass is now five games over .500 for the first time since the end of the 1997-98 season when they finished 21-11.

 UMass' 14th win is the most in a single-season under Steve Lappas in his four years in Amherst. The 2000-01 team went 15-15 prior to his arrival. UMass also won its seventh conference game, its best A-10 record in four years under Lappas.

Taking On The Tough Teams
 UMass played one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the nation this season, taking on three teams which are ranked in this week's top 25: No. 3/3 Boston College (20-1), No. 12/16 Gonzaga (19-4) and No. 17/19 UConn (15-6).  The Minutemen were ranked in the RPI's top 10 in strength of schedule until late January, ranking as high as No. 4 in mid-January. With some late conference games, UMass has fallen to the Mid-30s in strength of schedule.  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 Rhode Island  This will be the 124th meeting between UMass and Rhode Island, with the Minutemen leading the all-time series 70-53 after the 49-44 win in Kingston two weeks ago on Feb. 9. UMass has won 26 of the last 35 games in the series, but the Rams have been victorious in four of the last seven contests.  For games played in Amherst, the Minutemen lead the series 42-20, with a 7-4 mark at the Mullins Center.  For games played in Kingston, the Rams lead the series 33-25, with a 2-1 UMass advantage at the Ryan Center which opened in 2002-03.

 Last season, UMass won 67-63 at the Ryan Center on Jan. 31, 2004. Prior to that, UMass' last win in Kingston came on Jan. 20, 1992, when it posted a 72-59 victory. That stat is misleading as URI hosted UMass at the Providence Civic Center (Dunkin Donuts Center) from 1993-2001.

 UMass coach Steve Lappas owns a 3-4 career mark against the Rams, while Rhode Island coach Jim Baron stands 10-18 against UMass (4-3 since moving to Kingston).

The Last Meeting
 UMass won its third road game in a row as the Minutemen downed A-10 rival Rhode Island 49-44 on Feb. 9, 2005 at the Ryan Center. Defense was the order of the day as UMass had its best defensive effort of the season allowing just 44 points and best in any game since holding Rhode Island to just 37 points in a 57-37 win on Feb. 22, 2000 in Providence.

 Maurice Maxwell led UMass' scoring brigade with 14 points Maxwell scored in double-figures for the seventh game in a row and eighth time in nine games. Rhode Island was led by Will Daniels who had 15 points - as the Rams' only double-figure scorer. Rashaun Freeman netted 10 points while Anthony Anderson and Stephane Lasme added eight points for UMass.

Last Meeting at Mullins
 Rhode Island went on a 14-2 second-half run, propelling the Rams to a 73- 66 victory over UMass on Feb. 18, 2004. That night UMass retired the jersey No. 30 of Al Skinner, for starred for the then-Redmen in the 70s and went on to coach Rhode Island.

 Brian Woodward had 18 points, Scott Hazelton 14 and Dawan Robinson 13 for the Rams.

 Anthony Anderson was high for UMass with 19 points, followed by Maurice Maxwell with 17 and Jeff Viggiano with 11.

Rhode Island Capsule
 The Rams have been hard-hit by injuries all season and are just 4-19 and 2-10 in the Atlantic 10. Rhode Island comes off a heartbreaking 56-54 loss at Fordham on Sunday as Marcus Stout had a three-pointer with 2.7 seconds left in regulation. Rhode Island is led by Scott Hazelton, who had 15 points at Fordham. Hazelton is leading the team in scoring at 15.6 ppg and rebounding 7.3 per game.

Winning The Close Ones
 UMass has made a practice of winning the close games this season, most recently winning by three points at LaSalle (69-66 on Feb. 19). The Minutemen are a remarkable 9-1 in games decided by five points or less, suffering their only loss against Richmond (67-63) on Jan. 29.

 UMass picked up a five-point win at Rhode Island (49-44) on Feb. 9. The Minutemen are 3-0 in two-point games and 2-0 and three-point games to be 5-0 overall in games decided by three points or less.

 It is a great turnaround for UMass, which went 2-4 in games decided by four points or less last season.

 They are also a perfect 4-0 in overtime games winning the triple-OT game over Xavier, 90-86, on Jan. 8; the 76-74 overtime victory over No. 21/22 George Washington on Jan. 15; an 82-78 double-overtime win at St. Bonaventure on Jan. 29 and most recently 69-66 in overtime at LaSalle on Feb. 19.

Overtime Wonders
 With the 69-66 overtime win at LaSalle, UMass won its fourth OT game of the season to tie the school record for OT wins in a season, the 1995-96 Final Four team also went 4-0 in extra-session games.

 The LaSalle game marked UMass' fourth overtime game of the season, one short of the school record of five set in 1997-98, when the team went 2-3.

 With the wins against Xavier (90-86 in triple OT) and at St. Bonaventure (82-78 in double OT), UMass has two wins in multiple overtimes. This also marks the first time in school history that the Minutemen have won two games in a season which featured multiple overtime periods. It is only the second season that UMass has played in two or more games with multiple OT's.

 Throughout the program's history, UMass has a 51-49 record in overtime.

The Magic 70 Mark
 UMass is a perfect 9-0 in games the Minutemen score 70 or more points. The Florida State game was the last instance as the Minutemen posted a 78-68 win over the ACC's Florida State on Feb. 15. They have also won games against St. Bonaventure (74-58), Fordham (76-63), 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 26-9 in games which they score 70 points.

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 12 games -- all as a starter, he is averaging 14.2 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game. He has scored in double-figures in nine of the last 10 games after a team-high 17 in his hometown of Philadelphia, against LaSalle on Feb. 19.

 Maxwell led UMass with 19 points, a career-high six steals, five rebounds, and three assists in win over Florida State (2/15).

 At Rhode Island, he led UMass with 14 points along with four assists and three rebounds. He had 10 points, six assists and three rebounds on Feb. 5 against St. Bonaventure.

 In his recent run, he had 18-point efforts at St. Bonaventure on Jan. 26 and vs. Richmond on Jan. 29. Against the Bonnies, Maxwell also added six assists, five rebounds and one steal and had four rebounds and four assists vs. the Spiders.

 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.

Freeman Leads The Charge Up Front
 2005 NABC All-District Second Team selection Rashaun Freeman is the team's top scorer at 15.0 points per game, which ranks sixth in the A-10. His team-best 7.3 rebounding average is tied for fifth in the A-10 and his 54.4 field goal percentage is the best in the league.

 After scoring 17 points at LaSalle (Feb. 19) off the bench, Freeman has scored in double-figures in 17 of 23 games this season and in 41 of 52 career games.

 At Fordham (Feb. 12) he scored 27 points and grabbed 11 rebounds giving him his fifth double-double this season and 17th of his career. With the 27 points, it was his fourth 25-plus game this season and sixth in his career. It was also his sixth game this season with more than 20 points. His 13-of-18 from the floor (72.2 percent) was his best shooting day this season.

 His George Washington game on Jan. 15 marked his fourth career double-double and 16th of his career. He was named the UMass/Dinn Brothers Athlete of the Week after the GW game.

 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).

 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.

 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.

Anderson Climbs The All-Time Charts
 Senior captain Anthony Anderson is once again the leader on the court for UMass. This season, Anderson is second on the team in scoring (11.0), second in assists (3.2) and third in rebounding (4.8). He hauled down a career-high 13 rebounds in the win over Yale and had nine vs. St. Bonaventure on Feb. 5.

 Anderson sat out the Florida State (Feb. 15) and LaSalle (Feb. 19) games with a back injury and is questionable for the Rhode Island contest.

 He is third in the A-10 in steals with 2.06 per game, which tops the team. He is also fourth in the league in three-pointers made per game 2.56 and fifth in the league in assist/turnover ration at +1.58.

 Anderson is also shooting a strong percentage from three-point range (.393), hitting 46-of-117 this season, which ranks sixth in the Atlantic 10. He made a season-high five three-pointers on 10 attempts against Fordham on Jan. 19, 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 20th all-time in career scoring with 1,205 points. Next on the list is No. 19 Jim Town (1,211), who played from 1975-77. He passed John Murphy (1,184) and Carmelo Travieso (1.186) in the Feb. 5 win over St. Bonaventure. At St. Bonaventure, he passed Rafter Giles (1988-91) who totaled 1,633 career points. 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 (273) as he passed Carmelo Travieso (245) in the Boston College game. Anderson is second in three-point attempts (701) passing Travieso (666) and fifth in three-point percentage (.393). Anderson needs to hit 58 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 366 as he passed current Boston College coach Al Skinner (320) in the Gonzaga game and Louisville mentor Rick Pitino, who had 329 from 1973-74. He passed Charlton Clarke (350) in the Saint Joseph's game.

 In career steals, Anderson is now third in career thefts, as he has 150. He has moved from not even being on the top 10 list to the top three on the list. Next up is Monty Mack (154). He went by Mike Williams (145) on Feb. 5. He passed by Shannon Crooks (142), Donald Russell (142), Jim McCoy (141), Carl Smith (139), Will Herndon (137), Anton Brown (135) and Tony Barbee (135).

 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.

Lasme's Top-Notch Defense
 Sophomore Stephane Lasme is the only UMass player to start all 23 games this season. Lasme has been a shot blocking machine, leading the team with 55. He is second in the league with 2.39 per game. UMass is second in the A-10 in blocked shots with 5.04 per game.

 Lasme posted his first career double-double at St. Bonaventure on Jan. 26 with a team-high 18 points and 10 rebounds. Over his last 11 games is scoring 7.1 points per game and shooting 62.0 from the floor (31-for-50).

 The native of Gabon, had one of his best games on the defensive end at LaSalle, as he held the Atlantic 10's leading scorer Steven Smith (21.0 ppg entering the game on Feb. 19) to just 12 points on 2-of-11 shooting. Lasme grabbed 13 rebounds in that game to tie his career high, set vs. Texas Tech as a freshman. Lasme has three multi-figure rebound games this season. Against LaSalle, he also had four blocked shots.

Big Deli Is The Super Sub
 Freshman center Jeff Salovski has been a key to UMass' success all season -- coming off the bench. The "Big Deli" is scoring 3.5 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 hit 16-of-23 shots for a 69.6 field goal percentage.

 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
 Senior guard Chris Chadwick has led UMass to a perfect 5-0 record as the team's starting point guard in Anthony Anderson's absence. In fact, UMass is 12-6 this season when Chadwick starts. He has started the last 17 in a row.

 In his five starts when Anderson was out, Chadwick played 33.3 minutes per game including a career-high 38 vs. Boston Univ. on Dec. 28. He averaged 7.2 points per game, 3.5 rebounds and 2.8 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. He tied his season-high in the double-overtime win at St. Bonaventure on Jan. 26.

 Playing more point guard with Anderson at off-guard, Chadwick posted a career-high eight assists vs. St. Bonaventure on Feb. 5.

 Junior Jeff Viggiano returned to action on Jan. 22 against Saint Joseph's and has played eight games in a row. He had best game since coming off ankle injury scoring 11 points (4-7 FG) and posting three assists, two rebounds, two blocks and a steal against Florida State (Feb. 15). He followed that FSU game with 10 points at LaSalle (Feb. 19). He was the clutch performer late in the game against LaSalle, making five-of-six free throws in the final 32 seconds to lead UMass to a 69-66 overtime victory. Viggiano missed seven games in a row with a severely sprained right ankle suffered against Rider on Dec. 23.

 UMass is second in the Atlantic 10 in steals per game at 9.87. Three Minutemen are ranked in the top 10 in the league in thefts led by Anthony Anderson (2.06), Maurice Maxwell (1.86) and Chris Chadwick (1.52).

 Against Florida State, Art Bowers had his first start since Jan. 5 and poured in 12 points for his first double-figure game since Dec. 20 vs. Boston University. He followed that up with 10 points at LaSalle.

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 110-47 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 10-5 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 win over Florida State on Feb. 15 assured UMass its 22nd straight winning season at home and in each season at Mullins since it opened in 1993.

 The 10-5 record at home is the third best record since UMass has played in Mullins. The Minutemen were 14-0 in 1993-94 and 11-1 in 1994-95.

 The Minutemen also own a 64-30 all-time record in regular season Atlantic 10 Conference games at the Mullins Center, and a 3-1 mark in Atlantic 10 Tournament contests.

 UMass went 4-2 in its 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.

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