University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
Western Carolina
Quick Turnaround As Men's Hoops Welcomes Western Carolina
November 20, 2017 | Men's Basketball
Catamounts new face for UMass fans, but familiar program to Matt McCall.
AMHERST, Mass. - Coming off one of its best offensive performances in recent memory, the UMass basketball team returns to action for a quick turnaround game as Western Carolina visits the Mullins Center on Tuesday evening. The match-up will be the second game for the Minutemen in the 2017 Barclays Center Classic.
Tuesday's match-up will be streamed live on the Atlantic 10 Digital Network and broadcast on the UMass Sports Network anchored by flagship station 105.5 FM WEEI. Josh Maurer and Adam Frenier will have the call on both platforms. Tickets are available at the door but fans can order in advance by calling 866-UMASS-TIX or visiting the Mullins Center Box Office.
After Tuesday's game, the Minutemen (2-1) will head to Brooklyn, New York to play the final two contests of the 2017 Barclays Center Classic. UMass will play Minnesota on Friday, Nov. 24 at LIU Brooklyn's Steinberg Wellness Center at Noon before then playing BYU on Saturday, Nov. 25 at the Barclays Center (2:30 PM). Both games will be streamed live online via Stadium/Facebook Live and tickets can be purchased online by visiting www.BarclaysCenter.com.
After scoring a career-high 34 points on Sunday afternoon, point guard Luwane Pipkins was named the Atlantic 10 Co-Player of the Week. The sophomore posted his second-straight game with over 20 points and is now the fifth-leading scorer in the league with a 22.7 point per game average. His 34 points were the second most this season by a league player in a game.
As a team in the 101-76 win over Niagara, UMass drilled 15 three-pointers, including seven from Pipkins, which was one shy of tying the both the team and individual records. Other highlights from the game included a career-high 16 points from guard Carl Pierre and 14 points from Rayshawn Miller, while C.J. Anderson dished out a career-best eight assists.
Anderson figures to play in his 100th career game this week as Tuesday will be his 98th appearance.
Through the first three games of the season, the team seems to be adapting to Matt McCall's new schemes as the Minutemen rank fifth in the A-10 in scoring offense averaging 80.7 points per game while ranking third in field goal percentage (.497) and 2nd in both three-point percentage (.396) and three-point defense (.302). The Minutemen also lead the league in rebounding margin with a +9.7 advantage over its opponets while allowing a league-best 28.3 boards to its opponents.
Western Carolina enters Tuesday with a 1-3 overall record having fallen 92-64 at Minnesota on Sunday. Matt Halvorsen leads the Catamounts with an 11.5 point per game average and is the only player in double figures. Deriece Parks is the second leading scorer at nine points a game.
This will be the first ever meeting between the two clubs, but is a familiar face for UMass head coach Matt McCall. During his stint at Chattanooga, McCall faced the Catamounts five times posting a 4-1 record.
For complete coverage of the UMass men's basketball team, follow the Minutemen on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @UMassBasketball and online at www.UMassAthletics.com.
