University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
Georgia
Georgia Visits Mullins Center For Saturday Hoops Matinee
December 14, 2017 | Men's Basketball
Game to be televised nationally on NBC Sports Network.
The University of Massachusetts men's basketball team looks to remain unbeaten on its home floor at the Mullins Center during the 2017-18 season when Georgia visits on Saturday afternoon (3 PM). The contest marks the first meeting between the Minutemen and the Bulldogs and is the second SEC opponent that UMass will face this season. UMass heads into the game with a perfect 5-0 record at home and a 34-3 mark against non-conference competition at home over the last six seasons.
The game will be aired on the NBC Sports Network with Ryan Burr and Jordan Cornette calling the action. The Voice of the Minutemen Josh Maurer and Tim Collins will be on the radio call on 105.5 FM WEEI, 830 AM WCRN, and 95.9 FM WATD and will be available online via www.UMassAthletics.com and the Tune-In App (search WEEI).
The Minutemen (5-5 overall) head into their matchup against the Bulldogs (7-1 overall) with a 5-0 record at home in the Mullins Center after defeating Providence last week 72-63. UMass was led by Luwane Pipkins, who scored 22 of his game-high 30 points in the opening half as the Minutemen took a five-point lead into the locker room for halftime. C.J. Anderson added 10 points, six rebounds and a team-high seven assists while Malik Hines pitched in nine points and eight boards and Rashaan Holloway posted 11 points.
Pipkins leads UMass in scoring with an 18.9 points per game average, ranking fourth in the Atlantic 10 along with top-10 league rankings in free throws made, steals per game, three-point field goals made per game, three-point percentage and field goals made. Anderson has dished out 5.1 assists per game after totaling 20 over the last three contests to rank the senior guard third in the league and 64th nationally in the category.
Hines leads the way on the boards with a 6.7 per game average for a UMass team that out-rebounds their opponents on average by almost three per game. The junior big man ranks fourth in the A-10 in offensive rebounds per game with 2.80 and ranks ninth in total rebounds while ranking third in field-goal percentage along with Holloway's 60.3-percent that ranks fourth-best in the A-10.
For the second straight contest, UMass held their opponents without a field goal for a significant amount of game-time, holding the Friars without a field goal from the 10:51 mark to the 2:04 mark in the second half as the Minutemen used a 21-5 run down the stretch to take control of the game after falling behind by five mid-way through the second. Against Holy Cross on Dec. 6, UMass held the Crusaders without a field goal for almost 10 minutes of play spanning the first and second halves and again down the stretch for 7:37 of game time in a 64-50 win.
Georgia enters the game as winners of three straight games by an average of 4.67 points per contest, most recently defeating Winthrop at home 87-82 on Tue., Dec. 5. Yante Maten led the way for the Bulldogs with a double-double, posting 25 points and 11 rebounds in a game where five Georgia players reached double-digit scoring. Maten leads the team in points per game with 18.5 and rebounds with 9.4 per game while William Jackson II adds 12.5 per contest.
The Minutemen will remain at home in the Mullins Center for the next two game following Saturday's contest, hosting Georgia State on Wed., Dec. 20 at 7 p.m. before wrapping up their five-game homestand against Maine on Dec. 22 at 4 p.m. in the last non-conference game of the season for UMass.
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.
