University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
Pacific
Gotham Classic Games Start for Men's Basketball on Thursday
December 07, 2016 | Men's Basketball
Minutemen take on Pacific at the Mullins Center at 7 p.m.
| University of Massachusetts Men's Basketball Game Notes & Information | |
| Game Eight | Massachusetts (5-2 overall) vs. Pacific (3-4) |
| Date | Time | Thursday, Dec. 8, 2016 | 7 p.m. ET |
| Location | Mullins Center (9,493) | Amherst, Mass. |
| Live Statistics | Sidearm Sports |
| Watch | Atlantic 10 Digital Network (Free) |
| Listen (Radio) | 105.5 FM WEEI (Western Massachusetts), 830 AM WCRN (Worcester) 95.9 WATD (South Shore), 1200 AM WXKS (Boston, Manchester, Providence) |
| Listen (Online) | WEEI Streaming Player | TuneIn App (mobile devices) |
| Series History | First meeting |
| Game Notes | Massachusetts | Pacific |
| Team Information | Massachusetts | Pacific |
| @UMassAthletics | @UMassBasketball | |
| UMass Men's Basketball | |
| Buy Tickets | Single Game | Season | Mini-Plan | Group | Parquet Pass | Student Tickets |
UMass-Pacific Game Preview
UMass and Pacific begin the Gotham Classic with a Thurs., Dec. 8 contest at the Mullins Center at 7 p.m. The duo represents two of the five participating teams, joined by Kennesaw State, North Carolina A&T and RIder. It is the first meeting between the Minutemen and the Tigers in the history of the programs.
Pacific is 3-4 overall on the season with all three victories coming at home and each of the four losses in true road games. The Tigers have alternated between wins and losses throughout the young season, beginning with a 119-80 defeat at No. 20 UCLA. The trip to Amherst will be the team's second time outside the State of California this season and its only one East of the Mountain Time Zone.
Ray Bowles' 14.6 points per game ranks first among Tigers, though Bowles is shooing just 31.0 percent from the field (31-of-100) and 22.9 percent beyond the arc (8-for-25) through seven games. He is followed by T.J. Wallace (13.1), Jack Williams (12.1) and David Taylor (10.1) in the scoring column. Williams provides a team-best 7.0 rebounds per game while Wallace holds the top spot in distributions (18 assists, 2.6 per game).
Former NBA point guard Damon Stoudamire is in his first season as the program's head coach following a pair of coaching stints with former UMass head coach John Calipari (2011-13, 2015-16) and a stop at his alma mater, Arizona, in between from 2013-15. Stoudamire was the seventh overall selection in the 1995 NBA Draft by the Toronto Raptors. He played 13 seasons in the league (1995-2008) for Toronto, Portland, Memphis and San Antonio, averaging 13.4 points, 6.1 assists and 3.4 rebounds in 878 career appearances.
Follow UMass Athletics & 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.
Luwane Strip-kins, Fast-Handed Minuteman
Freshman guard Luwane Pipkins has the most steals per game (4.0) across NCAA Division I men's basketball and is second in total steals (28) through games on Sun., Dec. 4. He is the only player in NCAA Division I with two games of seven or more steals this season (8 vs. UMass Lowell; 7 vs. UCF).
His eight against UMass Lowell also rank tied for the most in a single game in NCAA Division I this season and in the history of the UMass men's basketball program.
Led by Pipkins' 28, UMass is fifth in the nation for steals per game (10.4) as of contests on Sun., Dec. 4. The Minutemen are one of only eight teams in the country averaging 10 or more steals per game.
Minutemen Marching To Non-Conference Victories
University of Massachusetts men's basketball enters the game against UCF with a 5-2 record, the fourth consecutive season the Minutemen opened the year with five victories in seven games. It is the sixth time in head coach Derek Kellogg's nine seasons Massachusetts opened 5-2 or better.
Different Minutemen Shouldering The Load
A host of Minutemen step up to pace the squad in points, rebounds and assists through seven games to the tune of six different rebounding leaders, five scoring leaders and four assists leaders.
20-Pointers Becoming A Routine
Five members of the University of Massachusetts porgram have at least one outing with 20 or more points through the opening seven games played. Those five Minutemen include Rashaan Holloway (21 vs. UMass Lowell), DeJon Jarreau (25 at Ole Miss), Zach Lewis (20 at Ole Miss), Donte Clark (29 vs. Harvard) and Tyrn Flowers (20 vs. UCF).
Jarreau Is Back
Freshman point guard DeJon Jarreau returned from a two-game absence due to injury against UCF with 13 minutes played. He missed the games against Harvard and Wagner because of a foot injury diagnosed after the win over Holy Cross.
Gresham Cleared To Play By NCAA
University of Massachusetts men's basketball freshman Brison Gresham has been ruled eligible to compete by the NCAA. Gresham is eligible to play immediately. He made his UMass debut on Wed., Nov. 30 with three minutes played against Wagner.
Gresham, who hails from New Orleans, La., is in his first year at the University of Massachusetts. The highly-touted 6-foot-9 forward and center ranked No. 7 in Louisiana, No. 29 at power forward and No. 54 in the Southeast Region according to ESPN recruiting services.
Donte Came To Play
Junior guard Donte Clark scored 29 points against Harvard in the 70-66 win, one shy of tying his most in a single game in his career (30 vs. New Orleans [OT], Dec. 16, 2015). Clark scored 18 of the team's final 22 points in turning a 51-48 deficit with 8:18 to play to the final margin. In that span, Clark was 3-for-3 from the floor – all 3-point attempts – and 9-of-10 at the foul line.
Lewis Cracks Starting Lineup
With freshman guard DeJon Jarreau sidelined with an injury, redshirt junior guard Zach Lewis rotated into the lineup with a 10-point effort in the win over Harvard. Lewis shot 5-of-11 from the floor and had two assists without a turnover in 35 minutes on the floor against the Crimson.
Pip Moves To The Point
Freshman Luwane Pipkins moved to point guard with DeJon Jarreau due to a foot injury. Pipkins made his first start at point guard in the win over Harvard with eight points, four steals, two rebounds and a pair of assists. He also started at the point against Wagner and UCF.
Hines Variety No. 14
Sophomore forward Malik Hines produced a single-game career high 14 points off of the bench versus Wagner on Nov. 30. It doubled his previous best of seven points, set one game earlier against Harvard. Hines finished 4-of-5 on field goals and 6-for-7 at the foul line. Eleven of his 14 points came in the second half.
Additionally, Hines set personal bests in rebounds (8), offensive rebounds (5), steals (2) and minutes played (27). He enters the game against Pacific shooting 14-for-17 on field goals (82.4 percent).
Anderson Named A NABC Good Works Team Nominee
C.J. Anderson was selected as a nominee for the 2017 National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Good Works Team, as announced by the NABC on Wed., Nov. 30. Anderson is one of 181 men's basketball student-athletes from the NCAA Divisions I, II, II and NAIA levels chosen as a nominee.
The Allstate NABC and WBCA Good Works Teams recognize players at all levels of college basketball whose charitable involvement and altruistic acts stand out amongst all other student-athletes participating in the sport. From leading an initiative to help end the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, to co-founding a non-profit with the mission to improve literacy rates across the country, the players nominated embody the true spirit of teamwork and giving back.
Minutemen In Primetime
University of Massachusetts men's basketball will play 14 televised regular season games during the 2016-17 season, and will appear on an array of networks, including ASN, CBSSN, FS1, NBCSN and the SEC Network.
American Sports Network (ASN): Temple (Nov. 17), Saint Joseph's (Jan. 18), at George Washington (Feb. 23), La Salle (Feb. 26) and at St. Bonaventure (March 4)
CBS Sports Network (CBSSN): Dayton (Jan. 11) and Rhode Island (Feb. 7)
Fox Sports One (FS1): at Providence (Dec. 10)
NBC Sports Network (NBCSN): at VCU (Jan. 7), at Rhode Island (Jan. 15), Fordham (Jan. 21), at Saint Joseph's (Feb. 11) and Davidson (Feb. 18)
SEC Network: at Ole Miss (Nov. 14)
