University of Massachusets Athletics
UMass Wraps Three-Game Road Swing At Dayton On Sunday At 2 p.m.
February 17, 2007 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 17, 2007
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UMASS (18-7, 8-3) at DAYTON (16-8, 6-5)
Sunday, Feb. 18, 2007 • 2 p.m. (ET)
UD Arena (13,266), Dayton, Ohio
TV: CSTV Networks (TV38 In Massachusetts)
Radio: WRNX (100.9 FM - Flagship)
WCRN (830 AM), WATD (95.9 FM)
Three-Game Road Swing Wraps Up At Dayton, Sunday
• The UMass basketball team and staff pack their bags for the third time in a week as the Minutemen wrap up a three-game road stint at one of the toughest places to play in America, UD Arena. Dayton welcomes UMass for a 2 p.m. tilt this Sunday which will be shown on the CSTV Networks. The game will be aired on TV38 in Massachusetts and on Fox Sports Ohio in the midwest. FSN Ohio is available on DirecTV Channel 637 and 638.
• UMass is 18-7 overall and 8-3 in the Atlantic 10, just one-half game behind Rhode Island in the conference standings. At 18-7, UMass has its most wins in a season since going 21-11 in the 1997-98 season. The Minutemen come off a 74-59 victory at Fordham before a national-television audience on ESPN2 and a sold-out Rose Hill Gym last Thursday. The win gives UMass a 10-5 record in games away from the Mullins Center, tying for the fourth-most wins in road/neutral games in the nation this year. Stephane Lasme led UMass with 18 points, 10 rebounds and seven blocked shots. But most impressive was the all-around team contributions as senior Brandon Thomas scored a season-best 12 points. Playing on his 23rd birthday, junior Danté Milligan grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds and added nine points playing before friends and family in his return to New York. Point guard Chris Lowe added seven points, five assists and five rebounds. He also had a sensational swooping under-handed driving lay-up that was ESPN SportsCenter's No. 2 Play of the Day and "Call of the Day" on Thursday.
• Dayton is 16-8 overall and 6-5 in the A-10, standing in a tie for fifth place. The Flyers have an amazing 14-0 record at home this season and are just 2-8 away from the friendly confines of UD Arena.
• UMass is led by a pair of senior bigmen in by the Feb. 11 A-10 Co-Player of the Week Stephane Lasme and two-time A-10 First-Team selection Rashaun Freeman. Lasme became just the eighth player in the NCAA history to post three triple-doubles in the same season, when he accomplished the feat against Rhode Island on Feb. 8. In that 77-55 win, he had 18 points, 12 rebounds and 11 blocked shots. Only two players in NCAA history have posted four triple-doubles in the same season (Michael Anderson at Drexel in 1986) and Jason Kidd (at Cal in 1994). Lasme has the chance to be the first to it with blocked shots.
• Lasme is second in the nation in blocked shots (5.2 per game) and leads the A-10 in rebounding (9.6 per game). Freeman is UMass' leading scorer at 16.1 per game and ranks 16th in the nation in field goal percentage (62.4). He has moved to fifth in career scoring at UMass with 1,661. he passed UTEP Coach Tony Barbee (1,643) in the loss at Temple last Sunday.
• Junior Gary Forbes has been one of the hottest Minuteman of late scoring a career-high 31 points at Temple, last Sunday, to became the first UMass player with more than 30 points since Freeman back in 2004. Forbes also has double-doubles in two of the last three games with 14 rebounds at Temple along with 16 points and 16 rebounds against Richmond (2/3). With his 16 rebounds vs. Richmond, he became the first player in the nation this season to single-handedly outrebound the entire opposing team, as the Spiders had just 13 boards in the game. Forbes is UMass' top scorer in conference games at 16.5 per game and is averaging 20.0 points and 10.5 rebounds in his last four games.
The Series With Dayton
• This will be the 13th meeting between UMass and Dayton, with the Flyers leading the all-time series 7-5. Last season, UMass ended a five-game losing streak with a 66-47 victory on Feb. 25, 2006 at the Mullins Center. That day was an emotional one as the court at the facility was named in honor of Jack Leaman. Prior to that win, Dayton had won five straight in the series. The previous victory for the Minutemen came at the Mullins Center on Jan. 18, 2001 (62-57).
• Dayton won the last meeting in Dayton, 53-52, on March 1, 2005.
• Prior to the Flyers' five-game win streak, UMass had won three out of four meetings between the schools.
• For games in Dayton, UMass is 1-4 with that only win coming in 1999 in overtime, 59-57, on Jan. 28.
• For all games played at the Mullins Center, UMass leads the series, 4-3. Dayton had won two in a row before the UMass win in 2006. Dayton won those two trips to Amherst on Jan. 29, 2002 (83-68) and Feb. 8, 2004 (66-59).
Travis Ford Against Dayton
• UMass coach Travis Ford is 2-1 all-time against Dayton. In addition to last season's win, Ford led Eastern Kentucky to a 73-66 win in Dayton in the 2004-05 season opener for both teams on Nov. 21, 2004. Ford's Colonels connected on nine of their first 11 shots in the game and built a lead as large as 13 points holding on for the seven-point win. Several members of Ford's current staff were a part of EKU's win: Associate Head Coach Tim Maloney, Assistant Coach Steve Middleton, Director of Operations James Altman and Staff Assistant Austin Newton. Ford's Colonels lost an 82-70 decision at Dayton on Dec. 8, 2001.
• Dayton's Brian Gregory is 2-1 against UMass winning in 2004 and 2005. He is 0-2 against Ford, losing to him once at EKU and UMass.
Last Season's Meeting: UMass 66, Dayton 47
• Rashaun Freeman posted a double-double of 19 points and 12 rebounds and James Life tied his career-high of 25 points to lead UMass past Dayton 66-47 on the newly dedicated Jack Leaman Court in the Mullins Center. At halftime, UMass held a ceremony dedicating the court to former coaching legend and Hall of Famer Jack Leaman. The Minutemen responded by overcoming a three-point deficit at intermission going on a 19-to-6 run to start the second half and pull away for the win. UMass (12-13, 7-7 Atlantic 10) pulled back to .500 in conference play, while Dayton fell to 13-15 overall, 5-9 in the Atlantic 10 losing its fourth consecutive road game.
• Life shot 9-for-19 from the floor canning five three-pointers. He finished the day with five rebounds, five assists and no turnovers. As a team, UMass turned the ball over just nine times total in the contest - improving the Minutemen to 6-0 on the season when they commit fewer than 13 turnovers in a game. Along with protecting the ball today, UMass was able to use its defense offensively outscoring Dayton 15-to-3 in points off turnovers.
• The inside game worked well for the Minutemen as junior Stephane Lasme added nine points and senior Jeff Viggiano scored eight. Lasme passed Harper Williams for second-place all-time in blocked shots for UMass as he picked up four.
• Warren Williams scored 13 to lead the Flyers as the only Dayton player to reach double-figures on the afternoon.
Freeman Up For CLASS Award • Rashaun Freeman and De'Angelo Alexander of Charlotte and are among 30 candidates for the 2007 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award - the nation's premier tribute to college seniors, it was announced on Jan. 17. The award is presented annually to an NCAA Division I male and female senior basketball player who excel both on and off the court. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the award was launched during the 2001-02 season to honor the attributes of college basketball seniors who remain committed to their university and pursue the many rewards that a senior season can bring.
Lasme's Continues To Gain National Attention • Stephane Lasme was featured on College GameNight on ESPN last Thursday after UMass' win at Fordham. His dunk off a behind-the-back pass from Brandon Thomas was featured as the No. 7 Play of the Day on Feb. 15, 2007 as well. • Stephane Lasme's third triple-double was named ESPN SportsCenter's No. 4 Play of the Day on Feb. 8, 2007 as he had 18 points, 12 rebounds and 11 blocks. He became the eighth player to have three triple-doubles in the same season, in NCAA history. He earned his third A-10 Player of the Week honor after that game. • Stephane Lasme was named Dick Vitale's National Player of the Week, earned conference player of the week and was one of five candidates for ESPN's Big Man On Campus for the week ending Jan. 15. That came after averaging 22.0 points, 13.0 rebounds and 8.5 blocks which making 16-of-21 (76.2) from the floor in two wins over George Washington (91-84) on Jan. 10 and Temple (88-77) on Jan. 13 at the Mullins Center. Lasme became a part of NCAA history in the win over GW as he became just the 23rd player in D-I history to post multiple triple-doubles in the same season as he had 23 points, 15 rebounds and tied his own school and A-10 record with 11 blocked shots. The list of players with multiple triple-doubles includes the likes of all-time legends David Robinson, Shaquille O'Neal, Jason Kidd and Penny Hardaway.
VOTE UMASS! • UMass is in the AP Poll's "Others Receiving Votes" for the third time this season, this week with five votes. UMass had four votes in last week's poll of Feb. 5, 2007. UMass returned to the Associated Press poll as a team in Others Receiving Votes as the Minutemen had two points in the Nov. 27, 2006 poll. The last time UMass was in "ORV" was on Jan. 21, 2005 the week following their overtime upset win at No. 7 George Washington, when UMass received four points.
Ultimate Road Warriors • UMass has been strong away from the Mullins Center this season with a 10-5 record. Those nine road/neutral wins are tied for the fourth-most in the nation among all teams. Vermont (13-3) lead the nation with 13 wins. While No. 12/13 Butler has a 12-3 mark away from home. • It is huge improvement for UMass, which was just 3-13 away from home in 2005-06. UMass won eight of the 10 games away from home in the first two months. That included a stretch of five wins in a row away from Mullins. UMass' signature win of the year was a 72-68 win at Louisville on Dec. 13. For UMass coach Travis Ford the win was especially sweet as he defeated his former coach Rick Pitino, who coached Travis Ford at Kentucky. • With 10 wins away from home, UMass has its most away from the Mullins Center since 1999-2000 when they had 11. • The Minutemen's only non-conference road losses came at then-No. 4 Pittsburgh on Nov. 18, an 85-68 loss at the Petersen Events Center and an 82-68 loss at Rupp Arena against Kentucky on Dec. 22. Following the road loss at Pitt, UMass ripped off six wins in a row away from home prior to falling at UK. In A-10 play, UMass has lost at Xavier, 83-77 on Jan. 18, at Rhode Island, 75-72 on Jan. 24 and at Temple, 98-89, on Feb. 11. • Last season, UMass won just two games in opponents' arenas as UMass went 2-11 on the road with wins at Duquesne and St. Bonaventure. They also won a neutral site game at Madison Square Garden.
Home Sweet Home, As Fans Come Back • The Minutemen are 8-2 at home this season playing before an average of close than 6,000 fans per game at the Mullins Center including a sellout of 9,493 for the Boston College game on Dec. 2. • UMass drew its largest crowd for a home A-10 game on Feb. 8 against Rhode Island with 8,328. The last time there was a bigger crowd for a home conference game was a sellout (9,493) against Temple on Feb. 17, 2001. The URI crowd included more than 3,500 students. • UMass is fourth in the league in average attendance at 5,748. It is the largest home crowd average since the 1999-2000 season when an average of 5,836 came out. • UMass has won 18 of its last 22 at home, spanning Travis Ford's two seasons in Amherst.
First-Place Minutemen • UMass was in first place alone for the second time this season at 7-2 (from Feb. 8-10) prior to the loss at Temple. It marked the latest date that UMass was in first place in the A-10 since 1998. • Earlier this season, UMass was alone in first place in the A-10 at 3-0 from Jan. 14-17, 2007. It was the first time since Feb. 24, 1998 that UMass was alone in first place in the league. At that time, the Minutemen were 12-2 in the A-10 East before losing the final two games of the season finish 12-4 in conference play.
Best Start Since 95-96/97-98 • With a record of 17-6, UMass was off to its best start to a season since the 1995-96 Final Four season when the Minutemen started 26-0. With the seventh loss of the year at Temple, UMass is now 18-7, marking the best start since 1997-98, when they were 19-6 through 25 games. The 97-98 team lost its seventh game after it had 19 wins, meaning UMass would have to win at Dayton to equal that mark • The 8-3 start in league play is the best since 2000-01 when UMass started 9-2 through 11 games. That team finished 11-5 in the Atlantic 10.
Century Minutemen • UMass had its first-ever 100-point game at the Mullins Center as they defeated Duquesne, 101-87, on Jan. 21. With UMass' 100-69 win at Jacksonville State on Nov. 25, the Minutemen have posted a pair of 100-point games in the same season since 1994-95. All-time, UMass is 33-2 in 100-point games.
Fastest To 10 Wins Ever • In terms of calendar date, UMass equaled the fastest date for a 10th win in a year with the 78-69 victory over Yale on Dec. 28. The 1991-92 Minutemen started 10-2 with the 10th win coming on Dec. 28, 1991 (UMass 73, Iowa State 53 in Springfield). The Minutemen reached the 10-win mark earlier than any point in a season since, when they were 10-0 on the way to a 26-0 start in 1995-96.
Minutemen Among Leaders In A-10 Stats • With the 18-7 start, UMass is atop the A-10 in several stats and many players are listed in the top five in categories. UMass leads the A-10 in six stats including: scoring (77.1), field goal percentage defense (40.1), rebounding (40.4), rebounding margin (+8.1), blocks per game (7.6) and assists per game (16.1). UMass is second in four categories: scoring margin (+8.1), field goal percentage (48.1), defensive rebounds (26.04) and offensive rebounds (14.4). • UMass has five players leading in an individual category with Stephane Lasme topping in three. • Senior Stephane Lasme tops the league in blocks per game with 5.2 per game, which is second best in the nation. He also leads in total rebounding with 9.6 (16th in the nation) and first in defensive rebounding at 6.08 per game. Lasme is also fourth in offensive rebounds per game (3.48). • Senior Rashaun Freeman leads the league in field goal percentage (62.4) -- which ranks 14th nationally. He leads the A-10 in offensive rebounds per game (4.08 per game). His scoring mark of 16.1 is 11th in the A-10. He is also third in rebounding at 8.2. • Freshman Tiki Mayben is third in the A-10 in assists per game with 4.3 per game. He was first in the league until late in January. Remarkably, a UMass freshman led the league in assists last season, Chris Lowe handed out 4.9 per game. Lowe is now fourth in the league this season with 4.0 dishes per game. Lowe leads the A-10 in assists in conference games with 5.4 per league game. Lowe is also fifth in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.73-to-1. • Three-point gunner James Life is fourth in the league in 3-pointers made per game with 2.72, sixth in steals per game (1.44) and eighth in 3-point field goal percentage (40.5).
What An Improvement! • Year Two of the Travis Ford Era has produced more results similar to what the coach predicted upon his arrival at UMass. The Minutemen are running and scoring while playing tough defense. UMass is scoring more than 77 points per game after netting just 64.9 last season, a more than 12-point improvement. • From the floor, UMass is shooting better with a mark of 48.1 overall and 33.9 from 3-pointers. Last year, the Minutemen were 43.8 from the field and just over 30 percent from trifecta-land. • UMass is also rebounding better, handing assists and coming up with steals at a better rate than last season overall and through 25 games.
Big Blockers • Thanks in large part to Stephane Lasme, UMass is currently second in the nation as a team in blocked shots with 7.6 per game. Connecticut leads the nation with 8.7 per game. Syracuse is third at 7.5 blocks per game. • UMass was third in the nation in blocked shots with 7.2 per game in 2005-06. Connecticut was first at 8.8 per game and Northeastern was second at 8.0 per contest. UMass was second most of the season until mid-February,
Shooting the Lights Out • UMass has greatly improved its shooting from the floor this season. Through 25 games, UMass is shooting 48.1 percent from the floor (.1 behind league leader Xavier) after leading the league most of the season. The Minutemen shot a season-best 61.9 against Dartmouth (11/11) in the season opener. That mark set a Mullins Center record for shooting percentage in a home game. It was also the best field goal shooting mark since the 2000 season. UMass shot 59.6 percent at Jacksonville State on Nov. 25, making 34-of-57 from the floor. Its second-best mark of the year. • The Minutemen shot 50.0 percent against Oakland after starting the game 10-of-11 from the field (90.9 percent) in the first 10 minutes. • UMass has shot better than 50 percent in seven games this season (through 24 games). In 28 games last season, UMass shot 50 percent in six games. UMass equalled that with six games over 50 percent in the first 17 games this season. They had two games in a row from Jan. 10-13: vs. Temple (1/13) with 52.6 and against George Washington (1/10) with 58.8 percent. • In both second halves, UMass was red hot, shooting 64.3 in the second half vs. Temple and 61.9 in the second half of the GW game. • The Minutemen are on fire in the second half in A-10 games, shooting 175-320 for 54.7 percent. • The only game UMass shot less than 40 percent all season, was at Kentucky, just 37.3. • UMass' top two bigmen are all shooting better than 62 percent: Rashaun Freeman (62.4), Stephane Lasme (62.9).
Free Throw Improvement • After an awful start to the foul line for the Minutemen, UMass has shown marked improvement in recent games. It has been painful for head coach Travis Ford to watch as he was an 89 percent career free-throw shooter including a Kentucky and SEC Record 50 in a row. • UMass has shooting below 60 percent for a good portion of the season, but has shown marked improvement since Jan. 21. • In their last seven games, UMass is 69 percent, making 113-of-164. • UMass shot a season-best 85.7 at Temple (2/11), making 18-of-21. • Against Richmond (2/3), UMass made 33-of-43 from the foul line, which marked the most made free throws by a UMass team since they hit 40-of-50 against defending champion Arkansas on Nov, 25, 1994. • Junior Gary Forbes is front in center in terms of improvement. After shooting 54 percent in the first 13 games of the season. He is 76 percent in the last 12 contests.
Freeman Making Shots Count • Senior Rashaun Freeman is in the midst of his finest season, his final at UMass. Just when critics thought there wouldn't be enough basketball to go around, Freeman has just gotten better with efficiency in the paint. He is averaging a career-best 16.1 points per game, shooting a sensational 62.4 from the floor. Freeman is 14th in the nation in field goal shooting percentage (171-of-274). With more limited opportunities with a better offensive team, Freeman has made the most of his chances and has scored in double-figures in every game this season (22-of-25), except three: at Kentucky (12/22), vs. Duquesne (1/21) and at Fordham (2/15). Overall, he has 10 or more points in 86 of 110 career games. • Freeman has led UMass in scoring 12 times including six of eight games from Jan. 2-28: at La Salle (1/6) with 18 points, vs. Temple (1/13) with 21 points, at Xavier (1/18) with 22, at Rhode Island (1/24) with 19 and at Charlotte with 18. • Freeman led UMass in scoring in three games in a row (Dec. 6-13), scoring more than 20 in each game he led, averaging 21.3 in the three games. He hit for 20 at Boston University (12/6), 23 vs. Central Connecticut (12/9) and 21 at Louisville (12/13). Kentucky limited him to a season-low seven points. • He has 20 or more points in nine games this season including three in a row from Jan. 10-18: vs. GW (1/10) with 21, Temple and Xavier. • Freeman earned his fourth career Atlantic 10 Player of the Week honor on Dec. 18, after his huge game Louisville, a 72-68 UMass win on Dec. 13. Freeman was named the Billy Minardi Classic MVP with a game-high 21 points, adding five rebounds. Freeman shot 7-11 (.636) from the field and 7-10 (.700) from the foul line. He also handed out one assist. The win ended Louisville's 24-game non-conference home winning streak. It was his first Player of the Week award of the season and fourth of his career. • He is also grabbing 8.2 rebounds per game to rank third in the A-10, and has 11 double-doubles this season and 41 in his career. His most recent came with 18 points and 11 rebounds at Charlotte (1/28).
Freeman Moves Up Career Charts • Rashaun Freeman (1,661 points) is one of the most prolific scorers in UMass history as he stands fifth all-time. He passed current UTEP coach Tony Barbee (1,643) with 12 points at Temple (2/11). This season he has passed the likes of Julius Erving (1,370) and Marcus Camby (1,387). • With his 22 at Xavier, has passed Donald Russell (1,558 in 1981-85) for sixth all-time. Freeman passed 2006 UMass Hall of Famer Harper Williams (1,534 in 1989-93) in the win over Temple (1/13) with 21 points. He also passed Mike Pyatt (1,503 in 1974-78) for after scoring 18 at La Salle (1/6) That also put him over 1,500 career points. • With 16 points against Boston College (12/2), Freeman passed all-time great Marcus Camby (1,387) and Edwin Green (1,393) on the list. That came on the heels of Freeman passing all-time legend of the game Julius Erving (1,370) on the scoring list at Savannah State with 14 points. Of course, Erving accomplished the feat in just two seasons as freshmen not eligible and he left after his junior year for the ABA. • With his 62.4 field goal mark this season, he passed current Boston College coach Al Skinner for fourth all-time in career field goal percentage. Freeman has risen up to 55.9 for his career, just ahead of Skinner at 55.7. Stephane Lasme is now eligible for this career stat and he is placed second at 60.0 surpassing the 500 attempt mark at Xavier. • Freeman is also now fourth in career rebounds with 931. He passed Tim Edwards (903 in 1963-67) with 11 at Charlotte (1/28). Horace Neysmith is next with 935. Freeman is fifth in career field goals made with 650.
Lasme, the Sultan Of Swat • Senior Stephane Lasme, the reining A-10 Defensive Player of the Year continues to swat shots in his final collegiate season. Lasme is second in the nation in blocked shots per game with 5.2 per game He trails just Mickell Gladness of Alabama A&M at 5.5 per game. Last season, he was third in blocks with 3.9 per game. He is the leading returning shot blocker in Division I in 2006-07 as Shawn James is sitting out as a transfer from Northeastern to Duquesne and Justin Williams of Wyoming had graduated. • Lasme took over as the career blocked shots leader at UMass with three at Charlotte (1/28). He now has 361 breaking Camby's mark of 336 from 1993-96. Camby accomplished his mark in just three seasons before leaving for the NBA as the Toronto Raptors selected him second overall. • Lasme is just two blocks from being on the Top 25 in career blocked shots in NCAA history. Jerome James stands 25th 363 while he was at Florida A&M. • The all-time NCAA record for blocks is 535 by Wojciech Mydra at Louisiana-Monroe from 1999-2002. • With his 130 blocks this season, Lasme now has the most prolific blocks season in UMass history. With his seven blocks at Fordham (2/15) he passed Marcus Camby's single-season mark of 128 set in 1995-96, in the 25th game of the season. He tied his own previous second-best season mark (108) at Charlotte as well -- in just 21 games. He passed Camby who had 105 in 1993-94. Lasme reached that mark in 20 games. • He reached the sixth-best mark in just 15 games with nine at La Salle (1/6) with 74. Lasme now has the first, third and eighth-most blocks in a season with 108 last year as a junior and 72 as a sophomore in 2004-05. • With his 130 blocks this season, Lasme has equal or more blocks than the 13 teams in the A-10, individually (UMass has 190). Dayton comes into the game with 72 as a team. In 2005-06, Lasme's 108 total blocks were more than the entire team totals for eight of the 14 Atlantic 10 teams with UMass leading the way with 202. • This season, Lasme has more blocks than 308 of the 336 teams in Division I as of Feb. 15. Just 28 teams have more, including UMass.
Oh Yeah, He Can Rebound Too • Overall, Stephane Lasme is leading the Atlantic 10 in rebounding at 9.6 per game -- which is 16th in the nation. He is second on the team in scoring with 13.4 per game and shooting 62.9 percent from the floor (he doesn't have enough chances to qualify for the national rankings). • He has risen to the top of the league in defensive rebounds with 6.08 per game. Lasme corralled a career-best 17 rebounds vs. Duquesne (1/21), that included a career-best 11 offensive rebounds. He also had 16 rebounds vs. Yale (12/28) as he grabbed 15 defensive rebounds to set a new Mullins Center record. • He earned Dick Vitale's National Player of the Week and his second A-10 Player of the Week honor on Jan. 15 after he averaged 22.0 points, 13.0 rebounds and 8.5 blocks in win over George Washington and Temple. That included his second triple-double of the year vs. GW. • Lasme was named the Nov. 26 Atlantic 10 Player of the Week for the second time in his career after his tremendous performances against Northeastern (11/19), St. Francis (N.Y.) (11/22), and Jacksonville State (11/25). He also named the UMass/Dinn Brothers Athlete of the Week on Nov. 26 to go along with his A-10 honors. Lasme averaged 12.3 points, 10.7 rebounds and 5.7 blocks per game as UMass went 3-0 on the week. • Lasme had a double-double against Jacksonville State with 11 points and 11 rebounds along with three blocks on Nov. 25. He opened his decorated week with seven points and 11 rebounds in the win over Northeastern at Pittsburgh's Colonial Classic. That game wrapped up Lasme's three-game surge at the Classic. He was named to the All-Classic team as he averaged 11.7 points, 11.3 rebounds and 3.3 blocks per game in the three games at Pitt.
Lasme Triple-Doubles His Pleasure • In addition to his blocks, Stephane Lasme has shown a more complete game, scoring, shooting and rebounding at a high level with three triple-doubles this season. • Lasme made NCAA history in the win over Rhode Island (2/8) as he posted his third triple-double this season with 18 points, 12 rebounds and 11 blocked shots. Lasme became the eighth player with three triple-doubles in the same season. The list includes: Michael Anderson (4, Drexel in 1986), Jason Kidd (4, Cal in 1994), David Robinson (3, Navy in 1986), Shaquille O'Neal (3, LSU in 1992), Gerald Lewis (3, SMU in 1993), David Edwards (3, Texas A&M in 1994), Andre Igoudala (3, Arizona in 2004). • Lasme would be the first to accomplish the feat with blocks and rebounds as his statistics. Only 23 players have multiple triple doubles in a single-season and it has only happened 26 times overall. • His second triple-double came on Jan. 10, 2007 against George Washington, when he had 23 points, 15 rebounds and 11 blocks. • The native of Gabon posted the second triple-double in UMass history with 19 points, 10 rebounds and a school-record 11 blocked shots in the win over St. Francis, N.Y., 63-49 on Nov. 22, 2006. Prior to that, only other triple-double in UMass history was accomplished by current Boston College coach Al Skinner, who has 27 points, 18 rebounds and 10 assists against St. Peter's in Dec. 28, 1973 in Springfield, Mass. • Lasme set the UMass record for blocked shots in the St. Francis win and tied it again against George Washington and Rhode Island, breaking the mark which he tied last season, of nine. Back in 1991, Harper Williams set the record which was twice equalled by Marcus Camby in the 1995-96 season. • Lasme came close to his second triple-double at La Salle (1/6) with 17 points, 13 rebounds and nine blocks.
Well-Rounded Forbes • A lot has been expected of Gary Forbes, the junior transfer from Virginia. In his first 24 games as a Minuteman he has scored in double-figures 20 times -- as he has done it in 11 of the last 12 games. He also opened the year with 10 or more points in nine of 10 games. He now has 44 career games with 10 or more points. • Forbes is now UMass' leading scorer in A-10 conference games with 16.5 points per game. Over his last four games, he is scoring 20.0 points and grabbing 10.5 rebounds per game. • Forbes scored a career-high 31 points at Temple (2/11) to mark the most points by a UMass player since Rashaun Freeman tallied 31 against St. Bonaventure on Feb. 28, 2004. Forbes grabbed 14 rebounds for his second double-double in a three-game span. He made a career-high 10 field goals on a career-best 23 attempts. He also made 8-of-8 from the free-throw line. • In addition to his scoring, Forbes has emerged as an all-around player. He is in the top three on the team in every statistic: Third on the team scoring (13.4), third in rebounds (6.1), third in assists (65), second in blocked shots (15), second in steals (24), second in 3-pointers (24) and third in field goals made (116). • He has made a major improvement at the free-throw stripe. After shooting 54 percent in the first 13 games of the season. He is 76 percent in the last 12 contests. • Forbes had his second career double-double with 16 points and a career-high 16 rebounds against Richmond (2/3). With his 16 rebounds, he had three more rebounds personally than the entire Spider team (13). He is the only player in the NCAA with such an achievement this season. • He scored 22 against Rhode Island (2/8) along with nine rebounds. He had 19 both at Xavier (1/18) and against Duquesne (1/21). Forbes returned to the starting line-up for the first time since Kentucky (12/22) and had 13 points at Charlotte (1/28). • At Xavier (1/18) he had a well-rounded game with 19 points (second-most this season), eight rebounds and four assists. He followed that with 19 points and season-best nine rebounds vs. Duquesne. That game also included him going 8-of-8 from the foul line. • Most impressive of his 16 points against GW was that he made a career-best 10-of-12 from the foul line. It was a high for both makes, attempts and percentage at 83.3, which was impressive as he came into that game as a 55 percent career free-throw shooter.
Lowe Makes Things Go • Sophomore Chris Lowe led the A-10 in assists last season as a freshman with 4.9 per game. This season he has been a key to UMass' recent surge, starting the last 13 games. • In A-10 games, Lowe has been sensational averaging 8.6 points and 5.4 assists. He ranks second in assists in A-10 games. He has just 20 turnovers to 59 assists, 2.95-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, also the fourth-best mark in conference games. • He has risen to fourth in the A-10 in overall assists with 4.0. Lowe is scoring 6.5 points per game in all his game. • Lowe scored a career-high 19 points against Richmond (2/3) including a career-best 11-of-12 showing from the foul line. • He had one of his finest showings at La Salle (1/6) as he tied his previous career-high with 14 points and handed out six assists along with a career-high tying three steals. He followed that with seven points and seven assists against GW (1/10). At Xavier (1/18) he did not score, but had seven assists, six rebounds and just one turnover. Lowe had 14 points (for the second time in five games) against Duquesne (1/21) as he also had six assists.
Time Of His Life • Senior James Life has been the sharp shooter from 3-point range that UMass through it was getting from beyond the arc. The Florida native is shooting 44.1 from the field including 40.5 percent from 3-point range (68-of-168) as he averaging 12.0 points per game, fourth on the team in scoring. • He is fourth in the A-10 in 3-pointers made per game with 2.72 and his shooting percentage ranks seventh. • With his 68 3-pointers this season, Life has risen to eighth in career treys made with 129. Next on the list is Edgar Padilla with 136 from 1993-97. Life is also seventh in career 3-point attempts with 370. • Life, scored at least 15 points in the first four games this season and in six of the first seven games this year. He has broken the 10-point mark in 15 of 21 games this season, most recently with 19 against Rhode Island (1/24). • Over nine games from Dec. 22-Jan. 24, he is averaged 16.7 points per game as he led the team in scoring at Kentucky (12/22) with 24, vs. Yale (12/28) with 16, 24 against Duquesne (1/21) and a team-high 19 at Rhode Island (1/24). He scored at least 10 points in each game. • Life has also been UMass' top defender with a team-high 35 steals, 1.45 per game, to rank seventh in the A-10. • After a slump for four games which he did not score more than eight points, Life busted out for a season-best 24 points at Kentucky (12/22). He made a UMass career-high tying six 3-pointers in the loss at UK. • Life was named to the Colonial Classic All-Tournament team in Pittsburgh as he averaged 16.3 points in the tournament as he shot the lights out. Life canned 17-of-25 shots in the Classic for a 68 percent mark from the floor. From beyond the 3-point arc, he was 11-of-17 for 65 percent. His highest scoring game came against the Huskies, when he hit for 19.
Mayben Pointing the Way • Freshman guard Tiki Mayben is now third in the A-10 in assists per game with 4.3 per contest. He led the league until late in January. He has led the team in assists in nine games. He handed out a career-high 11 in his collegiate debut vs. Dartmouth on Nov. 12. • Mayben was named the A-10 Co-Rookie of the Week on Sunday, Nov. 12 after the first week of the season. He shared the award with Dayton's Marcus Johnson. In his UMass debut against Dartmouth, the freshman had 12 points and 11 assists in the 98-61 win. He had nine assists in the first half alone before scoring 10 of his points in the second half. His 11 assists tied the Mullins Center record of helpers in a game set by Monty Mack in 1998. Mayben also had two steals and a rebound in leading the charge he shot 5 of 9 from the floor. • Mayben returned to his scoring ways with 10 points against Yale (12/28), it was his second game in double-figures and first since the opener.
Call To Action Off The Bench • Junior forward Dante Milligan had a career-high 11 rebounds and added nine points on his 23rd birthday at Fordham (2/15). He has picked up his play of late with 24 total points in his last four games (6.0 ppg) after totalling 13 points in 12 games from Dec. 9-Jan. 28. • Freshman Ricky Harris has scored in the last seven games after five scoreless games from Jan. 2-18. He tallied a career-best 13 against Duquesne (1/21) and followed that with 10 points at Rhode Island (1/24). He is fourth on the team made 3-pointers with 13. He is the top bench scorer at 4.0 points per game. • Senior Brandon Thomas had a season-best 12 points at Fordham (2/15). He also added season-highs with five assists and four rebounds. He had five points at Temple (2/11) in the previous game giving him 17 total points in his last two games (8.5 ppg). That came after scoring just six total points in his previous eight games. He made a 3-pointer for the first time eight games as well at Temple and added two more at Fordham. Overall, he is third on the team in 3-pointers with 16 treys.
UMass Picked Second In Atlantic 10 • The UMass men's basketball team was picked to finish second in the A-10 Preseason Poll which was released at the league's media day held at Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall. Senior Rashaun Freeman was named to the Preseason First Team while senior Stephane Lasme earned a spot on the Third Team. • Freeman was named to the Preseason First Team for the third year in a row as he returns for his final season. Freeman averaged 13.6 points and has the top rebounding mark among returning players for 2006-07 at 9.3. In addition to being named to the Third Team, Lasme earned spot on the Preseason All-Defensive Team. Lasme was the A-10 Defensive Player of the Year last year as he led the league in blocked shots with 108. He also averaged 10.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. • Freshman point guard Tiki Mayben was named to the Preseason All-Rookie Team. Mayben sat out last season to meet academic standards. As a high school senior at Troy in New York, he averaged 21.9 points and 10.0 assists per game. • UMass was picked second behind reining A-10 champion Xavier, which had 59 first place votes from the coaches and voting media. UMass was second with four first-place votes. Saint Louis was third, Charlotte fourth and last season's regular-season champion George Washington fifth.
UMass Picks Up Preseason Honors • UMass enters the 2006-07 season with several preseason Atlantic 10 honors. Rashaun Freeman was chosen to the All-Atlantic 10 First Team by The Sporting News, Athlon Sports and CBS Sportsline.com Magazine. Last season's All-Rookie Team member, Chris Lowe, was named the A-10's Best Passer by'Street and Smith's preview. In addition to these two returning starters, Virginia transfer Gary Forbes, was picked TSN's A-10 Newcomer of the Year and is expected to be a scoring threat every time he touches the ball. With the team buoyed by the return of four starters and the eligibility of three transfers, both TSN and CBS Sportsline.com Magazine have UMass pegged to earn an NCAA berth for the first time since 1998. Although Travis Ford is only entering his second season, the optimistic predictions in national magazines like CBS Sportsline.com signal that Ford "has the program headed in the right direction." He has benefited from players other than his own recruits. One example is Rashaun Freeman who is entering his senior year and is called an "interior force" by TSN and the A-10's Best Rebounder. Complementing Freeman in the frontcourt are Stephane Lasme and Luke Bonner. Lasme is called "a shot blocking terror" by TSN and dominates on the defensive side of the ball. Last season, his 3.9 blocks per game led the A-10 and were good enough for third in the country. He is chosen by Street and Smith's as A-10's Best Shot Blocker and by TSN as the conference's Best Defender. In contrast, Ford says that Bonner, a 7-footer, "may be the best three-point shooter on the team. The contributions of James Life, the second leading scorer last year, cannot be ignored. As Street and Smith's reported, Life "created scoring opportunities when there didn't seem to be any. "Gary Forbes brings his reputation of a pure scorer to the table in his first year of eligibility and was chosen to the A-10 Preseason Second Team by TSN. UMass' transfers earned it the'Street and Smith's recognition as the program with the number one recruiting class in the A-10. Players from Lowe, last year's A-10 assists leader, to Freeman, heralded as one of the country's best centers, make UMass a formidable opponent. As Street and Smith's writes, "glancing at the roster alone suggests this is a team that should contend for an A-10 title."
UMass and Kentucky set for 2007 • UMass will "host" Kentucky in Boston next season on Dec. 22, 2007 at the TD Banknorth Garden. The agreement has been finalized. Further details such as the game time and ticket info will be available in the coming months.
