University of Massachusets Athletics
Minutemen Meet Central Arkansas for First Time Thursday Evening
November 18, 2015 | Men's Basketball
| University of Massachusetts Men's Basketball Weekly Release | |
| Game Three | Massachusetts (2-0 overall) vs. Central Arkansas (0-1) |
| Date | Time | Thursday, Nov. 19, 2015 | 7:00 p.m. ET |
| Location | Mullins Center (9,493) | Amherst, Mass. |
| Live Statistics | GameTracker |
| Watch | Atlantic 10 Digital Network |
| Listen (Radio) | 105.5 FM WEEI (Western Massachusetts), 830 AM WCRN (Worcester), 1200 AM WXKS (Boston, Manchester, Providence) |
| Listen (Online) | WEEI Streaming Player | TuneIn App (mobile devices) |
| Series History | First meeting |
| Game Notes | Massachusetts  | Central Arkansas | Atlantic 10 | Southland |
| Team Information | Massachusetts | Central Arkansas |
| @UMassAthletics | @UMassBasketball | #GoUMass | |
| UMass Athletics | |
| Buy Tickets | Available through UMass Athletics Ticket Central or 866-UMASS-TIX |
UMass-Central Arkansas Scouting Report
The Minutemen face another first time opponent in Central Arkansas for their next contest, a Thursday, Nov. 19 tilt in the Mullins Center at 7 p.m. The Bears enter the game with one contest played, a 98-81 loss at Tulsa on Saturday, Nov. 14.
Central Arkansas is coming off of a 2-27 finish to its 2014-15 season, which included a 1-16 mark in Southland Conference action. The Bears defeated New Orleans, 70-67 and Southeastern Louisiana University, 74-72, for their lone wins.
Derreck Brooks had 25 points and three assists in Central Arkansas' loss to Tulsa while Jordan Howard scored 16 and provided seven rebounds. However, in the game against Tulsa, the Bears were unable to overcome being outscored in the paint, 54-18.
Russ Pennell is in his second season leading the program. Pennell has previous collegiate stops as an assistant coach at Oklahoma State (1990-92), Ole Miss (1992-98) and Arizona State (1998-04) while he served as the interim head coach at Arizona in 2008-09. Pennell was previously a head coach at Grand Canyon University from 2009-13.
Follow UMass Athletics And UMass Basketball On Twitter
Instant information on the basketball program, including an inside look at key points and statistics in each game as well as updates from practice and other team events are available via the Twitter handle @UMassBasketball. Follow the Minutemen there and catch information about each University of Massachusetts Athletic Department program through @UMassAthletics.
Hinds' Career High Helps Minutemen To Road Win At Harvard
Jabarie Hinds tallied a career-best 24 points (8-16 FG, 4-8 3FG, 4-4 FT) and led UMass to its 69-63 victory at Harvard. Hinds' previous high came at West Virginia when he poured in 20 points against Iowa State on Jan. 16, 2013. His 24-point game at Harvard marks the second 20-plus point performance of his career. His previous UMass best was the 19 points he scored against Howard in the 2015-16 season-opener.
Clark Picks Up Where He Left Off
Donte Clark scored in double figures during each of the final five games of his true freshman season in 2014-15 and averaged 14.4 points per game in the span. He started the 2015-16 campaign on a similar note as Clark finished 8-of-12 on field goal attempts for 16 points during the comeback win over Howard (11/14).
Davis' Late-Game Heroics Versus Howard
Trey Davis scored 19 points over 34 minutes played against Howard in the season-opener, 12 of which came during the final three minutes, 30 seconds of the contest. These 12 points spurred the Minutemen on to their 14-point comeback as Davis went 7-of-8 at the foul line and 2-of-3 from the floor in that span. One of his two made baskets late in the game was a long-range 3-pointer Davis swished from just outside the edge of UMass center court logo.
Starting The Season Off Right
UMass began its 2015-16 campaign with an 85-79 victory over Howard on Nov. 14, marking the sixth consecutive season Massachusetts opened with a win. The last time the Minutemen did not start the year triumphantly was 2009-10, when the squad dropped an 84-67 game at UCF. Massachusetts is 7-1 during its first game of each of Derek Kellogg's seasons as head coach and 74-34 all-time (.685) in its openers.
Playing Clean Leads To Wins
UMass only turned the ball over six times during the 69-63 win at Harvard on Nov. 17, 2015, its fewest giveaway since the squad had five in n 80-62 win over Saint Joseph's on Feb. 9, 2013. It was a span of 77 contests between the two outings. Over the previus five seasons, the Minutemen have committed less than 10 turnovers on 10 occasions and are 7-3 in those contests.
Cady Lalanne Chosen In 2015 NBA Draft UMass men's basketball senior center Cady Lalanne was selected by the San Antonion Spurs in the second round with the 55th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. Lalanne became the first Minuteman since Stephane Lasme (2007) to be chosen in the NBA Draft and 16th all-time from UMass. He was the only player picked from an Atlantic 10 Conference school.
14-Point Comeback Vs. Howard Among Best In Kellogg's Era
UMass men's basketball erased a 14-point second half deficit against Howard in the 2015-16 season-opener, the largest comeback by the program since Massachusetts turned a 17-point disadvantage at Drexel into a 72-70 victory on March 20, 2012.
It was 99 games between Minuteman comebacks of at least 14 points. During Derek Kellogg's tenure as head coach, the Minutemen own five victories after they trailed by 14 or more points. It is also the second-largest second half deficit overcome by a Kellogg-led team behind only the triumph over Drexel.
Basketball Moves In To Champions Center
The University of Massachusetts men's and women's basketball program moved into their first dedicated team facility during the Summer 2015 with the introduction of the John Francis Kennedy Champions Center for UMass Basketball. The 53,000-square foot building offers a state-of-the-art facility for the Minutemen and Minutewomen that will benefit generations of basketball student-athletes to come.
The structure is named in honor of longtime athletics support John Francis Kennedy, who donated the lead gift of $11 million toward the project. The 53,000-square foot facility houses the daily operations for the UMass men's and women's basketball programs. The $22-million facility features dedicated practice courts for each team, office space for the coaching staffs, locker rooms and areas for strength and conditioning along with athletic training services. It also contains Legacy Hall, which will display the rich history of UMass basketball along the building's Eastern corridor.
The creation of the facility has several additional benefits for the University, the community and other programs within the athletics department. Current space utilized in the Mullins Center for basketball will be converted to additional support areas for athletics. The dedicated practice space for the basketball program will allow more open dates for the Mullins Center to schedule entertainment groups such as concerts, theatrical productions and other performers. The teams will no longer need to schedule practices in the Curry Hicks Cage as well, which will allow more time for other athletics programs and University-related organizations to use the space.
John F. Kennedy holds multiple degrees from a pair of University of Massachusetts campuses, including a bachelor's in mathematics UMass Lowell (then known as Lowell Technological Institute) in 1970 and a master's in accounting from the flagship campus in Amherst in 1976. The Naples, Fla., resident is the retired President and CFO of Nova Ventures Corp., of Woburn, Mass. Kennedy founded the Kennedy Foundation, which supports academic efforts at the University of Massachusetts and UMass Lowell. In the Spring 2014, he was awarded the UMass Amherst Distinguished Achievement Award. Additionally, he is the Past President of the UMass Amherst Foundation.
