University of Massachusets Athletics
Men's Hoops Closes Non-Conference Slate vs. Maine
December 21, 2017 | Men's Basketball
Minutemen host Black Bears Friday afternoon for first time since 2009.
AMHERST, Mass. - Coming off a 71-63 loss to a hot-shooting Georgia State, the UMass men's basketball team looks to close out the non-conference slate on a strong note as the Minutemen host Maine on Friday afternoon for a 4 PM tip-off. While the loss to the Panthers snapped a three-game win streak for UMass, the Black Bears (3-10) have lost two in a row after Wednesday's loss at Central Connecticut State.
Friday's game will be streamed live on the Atlantic 10 Digital Network and will be broadcasted on the UMass Sports Network anchored by flagship station 105.5 FM WEEI. Josh Maurer and Tim Collins will have the call on both platforms.
Wednesday's loss drops UMass to 6-1 at home this season, though over the last six seasons the Minutemen have been strong at home against non-conference foes with a 35-4 record in those games. In fact, UMass has held a winning record through non-conference play for each of the last eight seasons.
Friday marks the 59th meeting between the two schools with UMass holding a 41-17 all-time advantage in the series. This will be the first time since 2009-10 that the two teams have played on the hardwood.
UMass (6-6) will host its second America East team this year after picking up a win over UMass Lowell in the season opener. The Minutemen have not lost to an America East team since falling to Stony Brook in the 2013 NIT First Round.
In Wednesday's loss, UMass was led by 14 points by both Luwane Pipkins and Carl Pierre. Despite the Minutemen leading for the bulk of the game, Georgia State caught fire from beyond the arc hitting 16 three-pointers - the most of any opponent this season and the first time an opponent hit double-figure treys. The Panthers hits 11 three-pointers in the second half to pull off the road win.
UMass continues to be led by Pipkins who is averaging 18.3 points followed by Rashaan Holloway's 9.7 points. With his scoring on Wednesday, Pierre moved into third overall on the team with a 9.3 point average, while C.J. Anderson is recording a career-best 9.0 points and 5.3 assists per game.
Pipkins continues to rank among the A-10 leaders this season. The sophomore guard ranks fourth overall in scoring average, while his 260 points are one shy from being the most overall in the league this season. Defensively, the Chicago native is tied for fifth overall in steals per game (1.8).
Anderson remains among the leagues best in assists as well with 5.3 per game while his 64 assists are second-most overall.
Maine is led by Aaron Calixte who is averaging 15.1 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. Ilker Er is second overall with a 9.5 scoring clip along with 5.1 rebounds, while Andrew Fleming is posting an 8.3 scoring average to go with a team-best 5.3 rebounds. Calixte scored 16 points as the only Black Bear to reach double figures in the loss to Central Connecticut on Wednesday. Overall, Maine has just one of its three wins this season against a Division I opponent - a 78-72 victory at Quinnipiac on Nov. 26.
UMass will break following the Maine game for the Christmas holiday before starting Atlantic 10 action on Dec. 30 at St. Bonaventure. The match-up in Olean, N.Y., will be televised by NBC Sports with a 2:30 PM tip-off. The next home game at the Mullins Center will be part of a double-header with the women's team on Jan. 3 as the Minutemen host George Mason in a game televised by Eleven Sports and broadcast regionally on NESN Plus.
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.
Friday's game will be streamed live on the Atlantic 10 Digital Network and will be broadcasted on the UMass Sports Network anchored by flagship station 105.5 FM WEEI. Josh Maurer and Tim Collins will have the call on both platforms.
Wednesday's loss drops UMass to 6-1 at home this season, though over the last six seasons the Minutemen have been strong at home against non-conference foes with a 35-4 record in those games. In fact, UMass has held a winning record through non-conference play for each of the last eight seasons.
Friday marks the 59th meeting between the two schools with UMass holding a 41-17 all-time advantage in the series. This will be the first time since 2009-10 that the two teams have played on the hardwood.
UMass (6-6) will host its second America East team this year after picking up a win over UMass Lowell in the season opener. The Minutemen have not lost to an America East team since falling to Stony Brook in the 2013 NIT First Round.
In Wednesday's loss, UMass was led by 14 points by both Luwane Pipkins and Carl Pierre. Despite the Minutemen leading for the bulk of the game, Georgia State caught fire from beyond the arc hitting 16 three-pointers - the most of any opponent this season and the first time an opponent hit double-figure treys. The Panthers hits 11 three-pointers in the second half to pull off the road win.
UMass continues to be led by Pipkins who is averaging 18.3 points followed by Rashaan Holloway's 9.7 points. With his scoring on Wednesday, Pierre moved into third overall on the team with a 9.3 point average, while C.J. Anderson is recording a career-best 9.0 points and 5.3 assists per game.
Pipkins continues to rank among the A-10 leaders this season. The sophomore guard ranks fourth overall in scoring average, while his 260 points are one shy from being the most overall in the league this season. Defensively, the Chicago native is tied for fifth overall in steals per game (1.8).
Anderson remains among the leagues best in assists as well with 5.3 per game while his 64 assists are second-most overall.
Maine is led by Aaron Calixte who is averaging 15.1 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. Ilker Er is second overall with a 9.5 scoring clip along with 5.1 rebounds, while Andrew Fleming is posting an 8.3 scoring average to go with a team-best 5.3 rebounds. Calixte scored 16 points as the only Black Bear to reach double figures in the loss to Central Connecticut on Wednesday. Overall, Maine has just one of its three wins this season against a Division I opponent - a 78-72 victory at Quinnipiac on Nov. 26.
UMass will break following the Maine game for the Christmas holiday before starting Atlantic 10 action on Dec. 30 at St. Bonaventure. The match-up in Olean, N.Y., will be televised by NBC Sports with a 2:30 PM tip-off. The next home game at the Mullins Center will be part of a double-header with the women's team on Jan. 3 as the Minutemen host George Mason in a game televised by Eleven Sports and broadcast regionally on NESN Plus.
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.
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